I Wish You Had Heard Me Sing

I wish so much that you had heard me sing

When I tipped back my head and listened to the throaty melody echo in the stars,

Soaring up note by note with its own harmony made by the notes striking each other in the air, moments apart, but together infinite.

And they were dancing waltzes of every dream I’ve ever had and it was so sad to see them fall back to the ground after watching them go around and around to the one, two, three of freedom.

I wish you had been there to hear my voice take flight and leave my throat for the night to bounce back off of the moon and fall amongst the stars, shining with them as a soft echo, the sound like their light.

But I have no witnesses for my magic trick, and it seems that at that moment I was never more myself than when I left myself and let me be something else. I wish you had seen me… soaring up note by note, harmony striking itself in the air.

A world apart, but infinite. 

Inspiration II

Antonin Dvorak's Romance for Violin and Orchestra in F Minor.

It's no secret that the violin is my favorite instrument, and this piece is like a merry-go-round of violins. I can rather imagine them all conversing about something. Waxing poetic. Singing and listening for love songs. I adore the gentle movement from quiet melody to musical tempest. The swaying repetition of the solo violin's lonely, lovely theme. Romancing.

Thirteen plus minutes of magic. Your ears will thank you. I thank Antonin Dvorak.

Annie You Save Me - Graffiti6

I'm thinking I just need to start a weekly feature for my current song obsessions. Graffiti6 is a British alternative rock group and their sound reminds me a little bit of the Newsboys at their best.This one was shared by a friend with absolutely excellent taste in music. He sent it to me on Spotify and I hit star about twenty seconds in. Let me know if you fall in love as quickly.

All Alone - Fun.

Okay. So I have another serious song obsession. Like, I want to put this song in an IV and have it pumping constantly into my veins. Apparently indie pop/rock is totally my thing. Who'd have thunk?

Set Fire to the Rain

I. Love. This. Song.

Someone Like You, Rolling in the Deep and Set Fire to the Rain. Love, love, love.

How much awesome is Adele?

Adele

Okay, so I'm gonna rave. Because every so often I feel some things need to be raved about. I am somewhat obsessive in my interests. Okay, a lot obsessive. I can't even imagine what people like me did before the Internet because I love to feed my obsessions with the bread crumb trail that is the Internet. And along this lovely bread crumb trail, I found some interesting things about a particular person about whom I feel the need to rave. This person is Adele. She's like Rihanna. I don't know (or even really care) what her last name is.

The first reason Adele is rave worthy is because is she is a talent. She is not "talented", she is a talent. There is a difference. I guess I feel talented people are like me. They "can" sing. People who are talents are like Adele where it seems like God made her to be what she is. She can sing, she can write song lyrics and music and she can preform. The talents are the combination that is too much to be coincidence. The talented just got one or some other to console them in their otherwise ordinary lives.

I love her voice. I love the power and control she has. She can actually sing, which is not a prerequisite for musicians in Hollywood, or so it would seem. I feel it is generally agreed that there is no one else like Adele. There just isn't. Deal with it. 

She waves her hands in the air while she sings. People who move while they play the piano or sing have a special place in my heart. Like they feel the music and they just can't stand still because they love it and they need it and when you're around them you can't help but feel it too.

Another thing- she's heavier. She doesn't look like a model. She's actually kind of fat. And I think she's drop dead gorgeous. She has a double chin and I think it's beautiful. I guess I kind of see her as one of those people who is lit up from the inside. Like her body knows that it carries an extraordinary soul inside and she shines with the confidence that comes from knowing who the heck you are.

I love Rolling in the Deep. It's been massively overplayed resulting in mass hatred towards the song. (Why do radio station murder songs like that any way? It's just appalling.) She describes it as her being like "I'm going to be fine without you." There's this fire in her heart and she certainly not her ballad about sitting on the couch crying with a tub of Ben and Jerry's in hand. Heck to the no. And yet it also has a healthy dose of appreciation for all the hopes she had... they had so much potential, they could have had it all and been rolling in the deep, for heavens sake. I guess it's a healing song to me. She's not over him, but she's getting there. It's tinged with pain and regret, but it's also powerful and hopeful in a way.

I also love Someone Like You. This is her "I am so not over you and I don't think I ever will be." song. I mean, the song is about her still not being over him after he has completely moved on. Like, wedding rings and offspring moved on. I don't know how much farther you can move on than that. I think that's universally the most tragic thing that can happen. Still loving someone when they no longer love you. It makes you doubt all the things you thought were true... doubt that you were ever loved. If he did love her, wouldn't it have worked out? How do you have that much love in a relationship and not have it work out? And then it gets worse. (Seriously. How much worse can it GET?) She asks him not to forget her. This is the part where I just wanna bawl my eyes out. "Hey, I know you've got this lovely wife and kids and everything and pretty much haven't thought of me in years until I showed up, but don't forget me... okay?" It's the heinous indignity of love.

So. Why Adele? She's a poet, a talent and a queen among woman. You look at her and you don't doubt that she has been places and done things with her sad doe eyes and a voice with so much joy and agony trapped within it. She has dignity and presence and down to earth- the kind of person that you can see drinking coffee and wearing sweat pants instead of a posh celebrity like Paris Hilton or Lady Gaga. I err in m judgement a lot, but I don't think I'm wrong about Adele. There is something real about her. She's special... just listen to her.

Arms

In my humble opinion, this song is worth a listen. I am a minor league Christina Perri fan (I love Jar of Hearts and I think she has a pretty cool voice.)

I don't know what it is about it. I can just relate to it. Maybe you can too.
You put your arms around me and I'm home.

Ten Ways You Know Christmas is Coming

1) Snow. Dang it. I hate it! I wish it would snow on Christmas Eve and melt the day after Christmas. The rest of the time it can just be cold... Never mind. No snow, no cold. We can just install one of those snow machines in the sky so we get the same thrill of a Winter Wonderland without freezing to death, slipping and breaking bones and having to dig the car out of a 20 foot drift. God bless those of you who live down south. One Midwestern girl is infinitely jealous.

2) Stores. They seem to think Christmas starts in October and ends Christmas day. There are confused people in marketing. It's so long and aggressive it burns me out. You know how bad it's gotten? They made the Charlie Brown tree. You know, the cartoon? Charlie hates Christmas because he's a general misanthrope and because he feels it's overcommercialized. So in beautiful irony, he decorates this pathetic little tree and in breaking free from societies false representation of the "meaning of Christmas", he experiences true joy. Yippee, right? Well now they sell little copies of that tree. Little awful models that slander everything it stood for. Yes, I'm ranting. I was appalled.

3) Presents. "What do you want?" Oh how I loathe that question. I really don't want anything you can give me. I may like some stupid little thing or other, but want is not the right word. When I think want I think about people who have real wants. Needs. I want chocolate. Someone on the other side of the world WANTS clean water. He wants what he needs. No one should have to want that. Again, I'm ranting. Being an idealist. Spank me for wanting good to an unrealistic degree. Slightly better is gift giving. Yet this also finds a way to be difficult. I feel self imposed pressure to find the perfect thing for everyone. And when this thing does not appear, I lose the joy part in the "joy of giving". What needs to change there, I wonder? Lower standards? Am adjustment of perspective? (Stop giving gifts? Just kidding.)

4) Decorations. From trees to lights, wreaths and ornaments, garlands and the like, the world is decked out (inside and out) like no other this time of year. Tastefully done, I'm fine with it. I even kind of like it. Sparkly... who could complain? But tacky, overdone decor is truly horrid in red, green and flashy. It's always horrid, but for some reason, Christmas colors make it even worse.

5) Music. Oh I love music. And Christmas music, like most music, can be done one of two ways: well or not well. If you insist upon writing your own Christmas song, please, for heaven's sake, don't be cheesy about it. If you're just going to recycle phrases we've all heard a hundred times, over strain your vocal chords trying to croon or put it to a generally awful tune, do us a favor and skip it. And please note that the classics are called classics for a reason. You don't have to reinvent them.

6) Food. Cookies! I may have mentioned how I feel about cookies. There are loads of goodies this time of year to make the holidays worthwhi... I mean bright. The traditions revolving around food are perhaps my favorite. What can I say? I have a whole mouth of sweet teeth.

7) Family. Those relatives you never hear from any other time of the year send you a Christmas card updating you on their oh-so important (and until now, highly mysterious) lives. The family hash's out who all is coming and going where. People descend on the home of the poor host laden with gifts, food and more people. You're glad to have them... for a while. But few have enough patience to put up with their in laws for more than a few days.

8) Your Stress Level. Sky rocketing! And you thought fireworks were only for the 4th of July! To do lists, gift lists, a calender full of holiday related activities and people, places and things all demanding your attention! Exhilarating, isn't it? Until of course, you really do make like a firework and burn out.

9) Your House. This is the humble abode where all this Christmas cheer; the sounds, smells, sights and tastes of the holiday all collide into something best described as... chaos! Even if you aren't spending the actual holiday in your home, chances are you will be going to someone elses home where this takes place. Funny thing about the chaos is that it can also feel kind of cozy.

10) Your Heart. Whether your Christmas spirit quota is reminiscent of a burned out Christmas light (like mine) or a the whole dang tree, this is the place Christmas truly is. You can have the right music, the most tastefully done decor and all the perfect presents and be stressed and miserable. You can also have a wonderful Christmas without any of these things. Christmas is a holiday of the heart.

I hope you have a merry one.