Writing Challenge Day 20

[float_on_alright]

Put your music player on shuffle and write the first three songs that play and what your initial thought is.

I put my favorite playlist on shuffle because I wanted songs that I actually listen to and am familiar with. I have Apple Music and I have a few of their curated playlists downloaded on my phone to help me find new music, but I don’t want to run into any songs I don’t actually know yet. I don’t tend to have much in reaction to new music besides, “hmm”, “oh I think I might like this,” and “Dear God make it stopppppppp” and I feel like that doesn’t really work with the challenge in the way I think it’s meant to be used. I hope that makes sense. I’ve got a bit of a headache, so I’m not sure that I am really making sense.

1. Secrets by Mary Lambert: I want this to be my battle song. I’m working on it. I’m getting there. This song is all about being who you are, faults and flaws and all in the face of a world that wants to shame you and it’s just so amazing. I try to be a little more in line with the “I don’t care if the world knows what my secrets are” badassery every day.

2. Feel it Still by Portugal: The Man: I originally thought this was sung by a girl, but that’s neither here nor there. I love the feel of this song. It’s catchy and sort of soothing for me in its beat and overall sound pattern. I don’t think too much about it other than to enjoy it. The only things that do come to mind are some photos that a couple of friends sent me when they saw the performer live. They were… weird… I don’t feel comfortable sharing her photos, but one of them looked like the background on stage was a picture of a woman in a black latex suit riding a giant banana. So yeah. That’s most of what happens in my brain.

3. I Feel Alright by Bonzai: This song is just so pleasant and I feel so pleasant when I listen to it. It’s a song I tend to listen to on repeat because it just makes me feel… alright. I like the feel of it and I’m pretty happy with the whole thing.

I find it interesting that a lot of how I think about music seems to be less about what my “thoughts” are and more about what my “feelings” are. I don’t think it’s uncommon for me to be more interested in the sensation a song gives me than the thoughts a song gives me. I’ve never thought too much about how other people experience music, though I’ve always assumed that a lot of people have similar reactions since movie/tv show soundtracks and sound effects are so important to the tone/emotion of a scene. One thing I have often thought about, is how the movies would feel without the sound. I often wonder how people who are deaf might have different experiences when watching some things because the music and sounds are so much part of the tension--especially in horror movies. I mean, I can’t imagine “creepy sounds” or “intense music” being indicated in the closed captioning have the same effect as “Daaah-duum… daah-duum, dah-dum, dahdum” in Jaws. Or the “chi chi chi, hah, hah, hah” of whichever serial killer movie that is (sorry can’t remember at the moment.

Anyway, I just think it’s interesting that music is such a physical and emotional experience for me, rather than an intellectual one.