My own words

While camping a few weeks ago, I got into a brief discussion with my friends Melissa and Dixy about music--in particular, the fact that I don't typically listen to the lyrics of songs, only to the music itself. I listen to the singers, but only the notes of their voices in combination with the instruments--not the words. We got into the discussion while debating the virtues of Evanescence, and what particular moods we are in while listening. Melissa's mood would be dictated by the words of the songs, while mine (and to some degree, Dixy's) would depend entirely upon the feel of the music itself.

You know, there are songs that I can sing almost verbatim--I can sing each and every word (or an approximation of the word)--and I still have next to no idea what the song actually says. I got caught in this once. I was at my friend Ellen's house for a little party, and we were singing "All Star" from the Shrek album. The words are "the world is gonna roll me" but I had been singing it as "the world is kinda roamy" (which isn't a word at all. That's what it sounded like to me, and since I wasn't thinking about the words, just the sounds, that's how it came out. It's still something of a joke, but mostly one I use to laugh at myself.

Today, I bought a Coldplay album, "X & Y". I've never listened to Coldplay before, but I found it, I liked what I heard, and so I bought it. (This plays into my natural impulsiveness, but that's a story for another time.) I'm sitting here listening to these songs for the first time--I couldn't even begin to tell you what they're about. I just like the music.

Musicians would probably be furious/devastated/irritated/insert-emotion-here to learn of people like me (assuming they don't know already), people who don't listen to their words. Sometimes I try, but I don't really listen to music for the words. I listen for the mood--to help emphasize a mood I'm already in, or to help create I mood I desire. I use music to incite emotions within myself--particularly when I'm writing. I bought this Coldplay album because it feels like glorious writing music for my current project. That's what is important to me--I make my own words, set to other people's music.