The Diary of Jane – Chapter 11: The magnificent creations
The other week I stumbled upon the movie ”Music & Lyrics” and had to watch it again. Even though it’s pretty cheesy, it’s also funny and heartwarming… (And the brilliant song ”Pop goes my heart” that is just so wonderfully 80’s pop that it’s almost hard to believe it isn’t a ”real” song from back then)
Anyway, in the movie Drew Barrymore says this:
”A melody is like seeing someone for the first time. The physical attraction. Sex. But then, as you get to know the person, that’s the lyrics. Their story. Who they are underneath. It’s the combination of the two that makes it magical.”
And that stuck with me.
Words….I love words.
I always have.
And when they are put together to create meanings, and combined with music.
Magnificent.
Through the years there are songs I have just fallen in love with because of the lyrics. And some songs that I like the melody at first, but hear the lyrics and they just mean nothing which can put me off. It’s so different – some songwriters really put effort in the lyrics, some just don’t.
And it’s so different what speaks to me, depending on what mood I am in…but there are a few that truly get me every time, no matter what.
Like the main song from Chapter 10 – Arch Enemy’s ”Reason to Believe”. I just love love love that song, the music and the lyrics and the performance just fit together in pure perfection. Speaking of Arch Enemy, they also have a lot of other songs that penetrate the soul and heart and mind….like ”The World is Yours”. The power in that song just hits me so hard every time. Amazing.
And a line that says all about love without spelling it out, can be found in ”Ticket to the Moon” by ELO. ”I’ve got a ticket to the moon – but I’d rather see the sun rise, in your eyes”.
Certain situations and experiences can make the lyrics hit harder – like spending a day in tears at Auschwitz-Birkenau, and the day after that hear the live acoustic version of ”The Final Solution” by Sabaton…oh yes, I cried. A lot.
Queens ”The Show Must Go On” is also one of those that get me every time, probably also a lot because of the story surrounding it.
And Eminem, there are just so much feelings behind the words in songs like ”Cleaning out my closet” and ”Lose yourself”, and I can’t ignore that.
Or Bolland, ”To the Battleground”.
But sometimes my mind just stops at some phrase – like getting stuck and letting your head wander off after hearing a line in a song, like in Beast In Black’s ”Blind and Frozen”, where we have the line ”…as I read those letters you wrote me” – what letters, what did they say? I will just never know.
What I do know, though – is that a song made me decide to learn German way back, because I was so curious about the words and wanted to translate it myself – ”99 Luftballons” from Nena. And for that, I am thankful.
I have often wondered why some want to have ”Every Breath You Take” from The Police at their wedding, because they think it’s really romantic. I don’t see the romance in someone being so jealous that they will watch your every move…
And…..I can’t leave out Chris Cornell in this chapter (either). Songs like ”When Bad Does Good” (which took like four months after it came out before I was even able to listen to it), ”Wave Goodbye” and ”Say Hello 2 Heaven”… Emotionally draining and painful, but so, so beautiful.
So – as a reminder to myself…always tell people that matter to you how much you love them and how much they mean to you when you have the chance.
Because they can be gone in an instant and then it will be too late.
And well, since we are on the subject of words…I guess it really is time for this one.
