Music and Song

Hi neighbors. I hope you all have an opportunity to take in "Meet Me in Missouri" with Marsha Martin as director this weekend.

I attended last year as well and it was a delightful afternoon! There's nothing like a group of people just getting together to sing and have a good time.

Throughout history, people have enjoyed music, usually as a social event or family gathering. Most extended families had at least one or two members who could play an instrument and everyone could sing.

Music has been used to incite fear in the enemy as well as inflame the attacking forces. The cavalry bugle calls for instance or the marching music of military troops in parades.

Ballads and other types of song lyrics often tell a story. How many times have you been caught up listening to the tale unfolding in a song? Johnny Horton had some terrific songs that told stories. "The Battle of New Orleans" for instance and "Sink the Bismarck" for another.

Another popular story teller is Ray Stevens with his "Ahab the Arab" and "Along Came Jones" tales.

These singers tell about specific people and events.

Most songs are about common collective events usually with an emotional tag. For instance falling in love, being rejected by love, family memories, etc. These songs are about emotions, activities and experiences common to the cultural audience they are intended for.

All cultures have their own versions of music, their own instruments, their own dances. But people from any other culture will react the same way to any music from around the world.

It the beat is the strongest part of the tune, the toes start tapping and the hands start clapping.

When rhythm is the strongest component the hips and shoulders start swaying and the feet start moving around.

When there is a melody involved, people join in the music vocally.

With many popular songs, particularly back in the 60s, it was difficult to tell what the lyrics were from simply hearing the song on the radio. Lyric books were popular back then. Remember those? Even they didn't always agree on what the lyrics were. When a new song came out, everyone would rush out to buy the lyrics to find out what those few key words were everyone was arguing about.

We Baby Boomers find ourselves nostalgic about songs from our past. Even if we don't want to hear just the oldies all the time, now and then we will hear an old song that moves us to laughter or tears.

Why does music move us so emotionally? We might think it's because old songs remind us of what we were doing in our lives when the song was popular. That theory is probably right most of the time.

But what about a song you hear for the first time and it instantly becomes one of your favorites? Does something in the lyrics, melody or cadence stir an old memory we just can't put our finger on? Maybe part of it sounds enough like another song we used to like that we tie the two together in our minds? I don't know.

I do know that several times I've heard a song for the first time and it just fell in love with it.

Music stimulates emotional responses. Sometimes the lyrics touch us, but more often than not, just the music itself moves us.

Who isn't moved by the National Anthem whether it is played by a band, orchestra or done vocally? Is it our love for country that inspires us or knowing we among so many others that feel the same way? Political contenders have learned to find a catchy or meaningful tune to associate with themselves to help voters remember them and feel a kinship with them.

And who can deny the power of gospel music to enthrall and inspire worshipers? There are lots of new religious songs being made each day, but a lot of us still enjoy the old-time gospel music that meant so much to us earlier in our lives.

The older songs were sung by our parents and even grandparents and that connection is as strong as the message the songs tell.

How many of us find a piece of a song running through our minds now and then?

Sometimes we can't remember the entire song, or anything about it except that tidbit of lyric or tune. These are "it's driving me crazy!" songs that sooner or later come back to our memory.

Until the next time friends remember, music of any type holds a very special place in the hearts of humanity. A place where we can all feel at home.