Words in a song

In the movie Music and Lyrics, Sophie (played by Drew Barrymore) says something to the effect that the melody of a song is like seeing something for the first time, the physical attraction, the sex. The lyrics are like when you get to know them and their story. And the combination of the two makes it magical. I think most music people would agree, at least if you asked them they would say as much. But is it so bad that I can't beyond the melody?

If I think about any moment I was moved or touched by a song, I recall the melody being the source. I don't think it's superficial. In many songs there is every bit of story in the melody as there is in the lyrics. This isn't a new idea, and I think it's why people were and are invested in classical, orchestral music so heavily for such a long time. In the past, people were incredible sensitive to what happened in a musical score. I'm hesistant to say that people today are dull in that regard, because I think it still affects us in many of the same ways. However, with classical instrumental music you just don't get the cheat sheet with the words on it. I don't really mean that. The lyrics are more than a cheat sheet, and I submit to Sophie's wisdom that the magic really is in the combination.

Sometimes I have trouble reconciling the thoughts I have about the melody with the lyrics and the song as a whole. I think we all experience this occasionally when we are humming along to an enjoyable tune, only to interrupt ourselves when we realize the lyrics are just ridiculous, and maybe for a reason. The kind of trouble I often have is when a song reminds me of something that the song is clearly not about. It's even more troubling when I want to tell Katyana that a certain song made me think of her, but I can't really mention because it may only be in the melody. For example, if you go on youtube.com and look up Shatner + Conan O'Brien + Fear of Pop you'll find a video of a song Ben Folds and Shatner did on the Late Night Show. It has to be that version, the one I downloaded on itunes just isn't quite there. The melody reminds me of the days when Katyana and I just started dating. It's something like a nervous feeling in my chest, but at the same time there's calm. It makes me so happy. If you listen to the words, it's funny how much that song is apparently in another world than the one I imagine.

I cut my hair today. I had been growing it out for almost a year now. Well I guess more like 7-8 months. After growing it for so long, some amount of attachment is inevitable. Though really for me, it's not that important. It's nice to only use a little bit of shampoo, and take 2 minutes to dry off instead of all morning. But then again, it's nice to have long hair. What makes the decision for me is just that it's time for me to have short hair. It grew out for so long, because I didn't feel the need for that kind of change. And I guess now I do. Shame it has to make me shorter.

I realized at some point in my life, that I'm really an all or nothing kind of person. I found that I can stick to something if I am ready to commit myself to it. That sounds great and all, it's a good thing to know. But on the other side it takes a lot for me to prepare myself to change. And until I am ready, I can make for a pretty unimpressive human being. I haven't figured out if it's a good or bad thing. It does show a lack of moderation, and I'm trying to work on that in a few different parts of my life, but I also wonder if it's just the way I'll always be. It doesn't have to be a bad thing, as long as I can continually seek to recognize what is important (and recognize it to the extent that is necessary for me). But that's just a lot easier said than done. It helps to have the people I love around me.