Married to music
Until death do us part.
Have you ever had a relationship with a song? You know, when you find that one song — the song you’re absolutely certain was made especially for you — and fall hard in love with it. You listen to it every day, sometimes even multiple times in one sitting. You introduce it to your friends. They accept and appreciate it with open ears and minds and hearts. You love that song. You want to be with that song.
It could be the complexity and depth of something like Cassandra Gemini by The Mars Volta, or even a brief fling with the catchy melody (but perhaps ultimately unsatisfying lyrics) in that new Katy Perry track. Something about this song gets you. You see eye to eye. You’re all ears. Your rhythms synch. Your hearts harmonise. You click. But. It’s not all riffs and romance.
Sometimes, the strangest thing happens. One day you wake up and realise you don’t feel the same way about that song anymore. You don’t love that song anymore. That song has become your alarm tone. It makes you tired and irritable. Yesterday, you were totally in love with the entire concept of that song. Today, that song sounds shrill, and repetitive, and bland, and you can’t wait for that song to shut the fuck up so you can get back to sleep. And so dawns the beginning of the end of this atonal liaison. But there’s good news.
Breaking up with music doesn’t hurt anyone. That’s correct. No one cries in this love story. You’ll be totally infatuated with that song one minute; the next—nothing. You might even bump into that song one night at a club, with not a single hard feeling between the two of you. That part of your life is over now. You’ve moved on. You’re happy… but goddam, it was good while it lasted.
So you look for a rebound. This happens quickly, often instantaneously and sometimes even during your breakup with that previous song (which — may I reinforce — is perfectly acceptable, because songs don’t have feelings). A friend introduces you to a new song. Maybe you meet a new song while you’re out on the town. Who knows? Perhaps you get lucky and find a song who’s featured in a movie you adore. Or maybe you discover your dream song while browsing online. You never know when that song will show up. So be ready for it.
Remember, with music there is no “first time” because every time is the first time. And it’s never unpleasant or painful or daunting. Each experience as a musical virgin is gentle, fervid, serene. A beautiful merging of kindred souls. You’ll know it the instant it happens. After, you won’t believe you didn’t see it coming. As the late Bob Marley put it:
When music hits you, you feel no pain.
Another high note of your love affair with music is that it’s not limited to one song at a time. Don’t be ridiculous. Music was, is and always will be openly polygamous. In fact, Planet Earth’s entire population is actively engaged in an ongoing orgy with music. Somedays, you’ll even host passionate soirees with multiple genres. Casual. Don’t worry about being judged. Remember that your music is yours and yours alone. You are not obligated to share your tastes with anyone else, and you should never, ever feel bad about the music you choose to listen to. You’ll only ever look back and regret not giving it the time it deserved.
Me? I’m in a relationship with music. And it’s the best I’ve ever had.
