Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Come on Baby, Let's Get Away

Yesterday on my way to work, I heard Janet Jackson's song Escapade. I was immediately taken back to 8th grade when I won the Rhythm Nation cassette for selling magazine subscriptions through a school fundraiser. I think I spent hours practicing the Running Man and Roger Rabbit in front of my off-white and gilded bedroom mirror—grinning through my retainer, giddy to be the owner of Janet's masterpiece.

I love that about music. That you can fall head over heels for a song, hear it years later and instantly hearken back to the days you listened to it over and over again.

Music has such power over our emotions and our ears. Just this week, I heard The Airborne Toxic Event's Sometime Around Midnight, and it completely broke my heart and delighted that part of me that basks in the truth of painful lyrics. Nothing captures "I'm hurting" better than a sad song.

Here are some of my other favorite saddies. I would bet that at least one of these conjures up some moment from your youth...

With or Without You - U2
Nothing Compares to You - Sinead O'Connor
Never Tear Us Apart - INXS
Somebody - Depeche Mode
Open Arms - Journey
Endless Love - Diana Ross and Lionel Richie
I Will Always Love You - the Whitney Houston version
Please, Please, Please - The Smiths
Hands to Heaven - Breathe
Everybody Hurts - R.E.M.
All I Want - Toad the Wet Sprocket

Man, I could do this all day...

4 comments:

Diz said...

ok you totally thought of mine! Hands to Heaven by Breathe. Man that makes me get tear to this day! =0)

Anonymous said...

Sometime Around Midnight is AMAZING... Makes you want to put your arms around the singer and comfort him... there music is so moving, so beautiful and compelling.. If you liked Sometime Around Midnight, You should go to their My space page and listen to Innocense.. It is my favorite...

Anonymous said...

Ok, you put Open Arms in there for me and "Charlie Manelli",didn't you...

Diz said...

how bout "Hold on to the night" by Richard Marx...I heard that on the radio the other day and thought of your blog instantly. lol