Music (Prayer)

During my obsession with Metallica, I encountered another band that caught my attention because they were even angrier: Disturbed. I should warn you that the following song is really heavy and I haven't been able to listen to the whole thing in preparation for this post. There is no offensive language, but you may be offended by "Prayer."



I am very surprised that I could even listen to that, let alone that I liked it. And this is much less heavy than the band's first album, The Sickness. Obviously, I've calmed down since then.

Music (For Whom the Bell Tolls)

After I got involved in comic books, I was really angry. If you ever want to meet someone who's expectations are unrealistic, while still being super opinionated, pompous, and "knowledgeable," talk to a fanboy. Anyway, because I was an angry teen, Metallica seemed a logical choice, but I really didn't like them until I heard this song:



It really was the introduction that did it for me. I couldn't believe that a song could be this heavy and have that complex an intro at the same time. "For Whom the Bell Tolls" was fast, heavy, dark, melodious, and (most importantly) angry.

I went on to collect all of the band's albums (surprisingly, even though Ride the Lightning meant so much to me, I bought Master of Puppets first) and I didn't care about any band that wasn't Metallica. I'm sure I was a pain to be around. But Metcallica was important because it was the first time I had a favorite band. Before this, I had bands I liked but not a favorite. When I was on my mission, one of the first things that came up when I got a new companion was who our favorite bands were. By having a favorite band, it helped give me a sense of identity, not just musically either.

But being angry for so long wasn't healthy. When I got back from my mission, I found myself listening to the comparatively lighter Load and Reload albums. I held on to Metallica as my favorite band for a long time, even though it was obvious that I wasn't listening to them very much any more. It was important to me to have a favorite band and without one, even one that didn't quite fit, I felt like I had lost a part of myself.

Music (The Kids Aren't Alright)

When I got a part time job in high school and actually had some disposable income, I started buying albums for the first time. Before this point, I either was at the mercy of what came on the radio or what was available from other members of my family. Now, I got to choose what I listened to. The first album I bought was The Beatles' 1, which was still not much of a departure of what I had already been exposed to. The first real steps to developing my own individual musical identity was with the second album I ever bought: The Offspring's Americana. My favorite song was the single, "The Kids Aren't Alright."



It was fast, it was hard, it had nice vocal harmonies, and the subject matter was serious. Mostly, it was fun. The whole album was, with songs that didn't take themselves too seriously, including "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)," which was meant to be funny. The Offspring was a band that, for whatever reason, I really connected with, especially "Have You Ever," which is about social anxiety.

But the really distinction the Offspring holds for me is as a "gateway band." Now, I should say that I recently rediscovered their music, but for a long time I just forgot about them because they weren't heavy enough for me (mostly, they weren't Metallica enough for me).

Music (The Wind Cries Mary)

Ian introduced me to rock. He was learning to play guitar and that led him to listen to different things than we were exposed to by our parents. One of the greatest guitarists of Rock and Roll is also one of my favorites: Jimi Hendrix. Here's one of his ballads, "The Wind Cries Mary":



The song's lyrics don't make a lot of sense by themselves, but they don't have to. The music that goes with it is beautiful, cool, amazing, and somehow both simple and complex at once. Jimi Hendrix showed me that there was other music out there than just oldies (even if he died well before my parents ever met), and that was an important step in finding my musical identity.

Music (The Sound of Silence)

When I was in high school, I was a big dork. As a freshman, I played D & D during lunch (and later Magic: The Gathering). Later, I read and collected comic books. Now, those things just make me a nerd, but I also was pretty socially inept. So, it may be unsurprising that I felt like no one understood me. Maybe that's why I got into Simon and Garfunkel, especially the song "The Sound of Silence."



The song is about a depressing present that may lead to an even bleaker future. It also includes subtle parts about how the singer knows something that will help the masses, but they refuse to listen. So to a teen who feels rejected by his peers and has different (and in his mind, "better") hobbies, this kind of fit.

I really liked Simon and Garfunkel, especially during my sophomore year. I remember working on a science paper late one night while listening to one of their albums (on audio tape, which makes me sound so old). It was good stuff.

Except that it wasn't. "The Sound of Silence" is okay and "A Bridge Over Troubled Water" is probably one of their best songs (I think their best one is "7 O'clock News/Silent Night"). But a lot of their songs just aren't very good. "Cecilia," "The Boxer," and "Homeward Bound" are all depressing in different ways and "Feelin' Groovy" is absolute crap.

What's my point to this? Well, I was a teen that listened to crappy music because I felt that no one understood me. If I had been born five years later, I probably would have been into Emo.

Music (Rocky Raccoon)

Ah, the Beatles. The band that every other band gets compared to at some point.

With this one, I simply downloaded a bunch of Beatles songs one day and had never heard it before. Unlike a lot of songs that I'll be talking about in this series, I never had the chance to re-discover this song.



It really doesn't have as much to offer as their other stuff. The melody is a bit simplistic, the rhyme scheme is rudimentary, and the main character's name may or may not be a racial slur (although, based on what I know about the Beatles, I'll guess "not"). What this song does have, however, is a great story. The "hero" of the story doesn't get the girl, he doesn't win the fight, and he certainly doesn't get any glory. What he does get is a chance at redemption (or at a "revival," as the song puts it). He goes to his room to nurse his wound and read the Bible. Considering all the drug references in many of the Beatles' songs, one that ends with personal reflection and scripture study is rare.

In the end, the song is fun (if a bit forgettable) with a good moral from a band not known for their good morals.

Music (Unchained Melody)

Is there a certain song for you that you've heard before but suddenly takes on new meaning? Maybe circumstances in your life are reflected by what the song is about, maybe you learned what the songwriter originally meant when he wrote it, or maybe you just realized that the song rocks. I want to write a few posts about music, because sometimes, as powerful as they are, words simply aren't enough.

At the restaurant where I work, the background music is a basic mix of Oldies. There are few songs that I haven't heard at some point before, but there are some that it's like hearing them for the first time. Last night I had one of those experiences with "Unchained Melody."*

It really is a beautiful song, but for whatever reason, when I heard of it I remembered it was the theme to the movie Ghost back in the early 90s. I think I only saw about half of it, once, when it was on TV. What I remembered of it was there was a man who was killed and wanted to simply touch his wife but couldn't because he didn't have a body anymore. Luckily, a psychic allowed him to possess her for the evening. As I remember it, the scene was not sexual in any way, merely a husband being able to experience the joy of holding his wife one more time. Whether that was actually how it was or not, that's what I remembered. Suddenly, the song had new meaning: you can hear the longing in the singer's voice, begging for his love to still be there even though he knows she probably isn't. I thought about what it would be like if I couldn't hold Allison anymore, if we were separated like that. I had to focus on work to hold back the emotion.

This morning, I told Allison about it and started crying. The emotion in the song is profound: deep love mixed with powerful sadness. I told her that even the thought of being with her and being able to hold her in my arms was too much (even now, just listening to the song again has me crying like a baby). It was a wonderful moment that we shared and even though it was difficult emotionally, I was glad for it. It also makes me grateful for the Sealing power, so that if we are worthy of our covenants, I won't have to be without her (and with that thought, I can't stop smiling).

Like I said, as powerful as they are, sometimes words aren't enough.

What are songs that mean more than words can alone to you?

*Sorry, for the live version; I couldn't find a version of the studio recoding that I could embed.

Rejected Verses from Children's Songs

The Wheels on the Bus

"The politician on the bus goes, 'Vote for me,'
'Vote for me,'
'Vote for me.'
The politician on the bus goes, 'Vote for me,' all through the town."

"The emo kid on the bus goes, 'I am sad,'
'I am sad,'
'I am sad.'
The emo kid on the bus goes, 'I am sad,' all through the town."

"The druggie on the bus goes, 'I need a hit,'
'I need a hit,'
'I need a hit.'
The druggie on the bus goes, 'I need a hit,' all through the town."

"The bipolar man on the bus goes, 'Laugh, laugh, cry,'
'Laugh, laugh, cry,'
'Laugh, laugh, cry.'
The bipolar man on the bus goes, 'Laugh, laugh, cry,' all through the town."

"The psycho on the bus goes, [one continuous scream] all through the town."

If You're Happy and You Know it

"If you're happy and you know it, shoot a gun (bang, bang).
If you're happy and you know it, shoot a gun (bang, bang).
If you're happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it.
If you're happy and you know it, shoot a gun (bang, bang)."

"If you're happy and you know it, insult your friend ('You're dumb!').
If you're happy and you know it, insult your friend ('You're dumb!').
If you're happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it.
If you're happy and you know it, insult your friend ('You're dumb!')."

John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmid (final verse)

"John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmid
His name was my name, too.
Whenever we went out,
the people used shout,
'There goes John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmid!'
So I eliminated him."

Column III

This one ruffled some feathers to the point that the director of Housing on campus responded with a letter to the editor.

Not bad.

Column II

I think this one's better than the first one.