Music | Creativity | Inspiration
Why Life Should Come with Its Own Soundtrack
What songs would you select?
It is an unseasonably warm day in November that feels more like late June. The sky is a picture-perfect shade of blue as I pull up to the drug store to pick up a prescription, then head back home to prepare dinner.
I have a headache that will probably implode into a full-blown migraine. But that’s not what the prescription is for.
Today I realize that I’m an average female with an average family, living a relatively average existence.
Yes, thankfully there are times my cup spilleth over. But sadly, I did not even hit two numbers in the last Powerball drawing.
I can’t help but wonder why my life can’t be more fulfilling like the movies I’ve been re-watching lately, say, The Devil Wears Prada or Sleepless in Seattle.
And I finally figured something out.
Something totally missing from my life.
A soundtrack.
Yes, a soundtrack.
To be perfectly honest, there’s a lot of noise in my life.
Your average noise.
The sound of traffic, blaring car radios, beeping horns, barking dogs, loud neighbors, annoying ringtones, incessant chirping and droppings from flocks of birds monopolizing residency in the Norway Maple not far from the back patio.
I wouldn’t mind my soundtrack being a little more soulful or meditative.
A little Sinatra, Swift, Gershwin, Beethoven, Bon Jovi, Beyonce, and Journey.
Yo-Yo Ma. Chitalkar Ramchandra. Whatever floats your boat.
Why a soundtrack?
Simply put, music is poetry.
- Music elevates the moments of life.
- Lifts one’s spirits, soothes and calms.
- Makes you want to move and dance. Lights up the pleasure sensors of your brain. Sparks creativity.
- Music creates or enhances a mood, be it suspense, joy, comedy, tragedy. Shades of light and dark. It helps us get in touch with sensations or emotions.
- Music can be healing and therapeutic.
- It is a form of self-expression.
- It’s a way to connect with others. A common thread that links us.
- Music can take you back in time. It transports you, like driving a car while listening to your favorite songs.
- Music can make a moment indelible and memorable.
- I was only kidding about the birds’ incessant chirping — in my neighborhood, you really can’t hear them above the traffic.
Songs that made their mark
I guess the one song that would have to be included for me is The Way You Look Tonight performed by Frank Sinatra and so many others. It was a special song playing the night I went dancing and met the handsome man I fell in love with.
He’s a guy, what you may call a man’s man, so I wonder what song he would select. Probably something like Take Me Out to the Ballgame. Seriously.
Now, anyone who knows me, knows how much I love music. On occasion, I have even been known to write song lyrics and melodies, and dabble with musicians to create some original tunes, for our own creative purposes.
A while back, I wrote an article about my obsession with soundtracks from James Bond, Agent 007 Spy Movies.
What I probably forgot to mention is that, just for kicks, I had fun writing my own strictly amateur version of a 007 theme song.
Without further adieu, here is a clip.
Grace Notes: A special thank you to Reciprocal publication, its editors, readers and writers for such an interactive space for creatives on Medium.
There is so much to read on Reciprocal and I’d like to mention a couple of pieces by two talented writers which kindled interest for me:
Many thanks for reading and I’m looking forward to hearing what song(s) you might select for your soundtrack?
© Connie Song 2022. All Rights Reserved.
