<a class="proll" href="https://web1.Writing.Com/main/books/item_id/2313403-Music-Notes">Music Notes

about 15 hours ago
In response to "The Bard's Hall, June 2025, Entry 2"

Music has always played a big part in my life. My mother's side of the family were very musical--played instruments, my mother even played the bass.

In the younger days, I loved going to see my favorites on stage with my friends in Boston. Some pretty memorable times indeed. I got to meet some... got guitar picks and even a drum stick.

Souvenirs of days gone by. Now my hearing is fading on me from all the speakers' amps roaring in my ears.

Cool video!

Thanks for this view of a big part of your world.

Sumojo

Jun 7, 2025 at 2:54am
In response to "The Bard's Hall, June 2025, Entry 1"

Kåre เลียม Enga

Hi Kare, i can’t help but feel concerned when WdC members have cause to be anxious. I can understand it to a degree and do my utmost not to feel obliged/forced/ compelled to enter everything which is offered. WdC can be addictive and we need to understand that. It’s quite refreshing when one decides to have a month off— that is of course not including the Contest Challenge— after all I’ve been doing it for years!

Kåre เลียม Enga

Jun 6, 2025 at 10:00pm
In response to "The Bard's Hall, June 2025, Entry 1"

I feel overwhelmed by contests this month so I'll have to be more careful of deadlines.

Kåre เลียม Enga

Jun 6, 2025 at 9:45pm
In response to "Rude (synopsis inspired by song)"

I'd never heard of the song. Very catchy. Video well done. Simple lyrics; simple song.

I seldom do these challenges because 1. I don't hear about them in time or 2. They don't force me to write and I need to be inspired if there's a deadline. And lastly, 3. I write so much regardless.

Amethyst Angel 💐

Jun 5, 2025 at 3:02pm
In response to "The Bard's Hall, June 2025, Entry 1"

Sumojo

Ah, but I already knocked three of those off my list since I posted this

Sumojo

Jun 5, 2025 at 2:58pm
In response to "The Bard's Hall, June 2025, Entry 1"

I think what intrigues me most about your blog is that you write everything on your phone!

When I read all the contests you enter I began to feel anxious on your behalf. I know personally I couldn’t manage to complete more than a few of those. So well done on your achievements.

Beholden

Jun 5, 2025 at 11:01am
In response to "Rude (synopsis inspired by song)"

I listened to the song (I always do with these media challenges) and quite liked it. And it was the first time I'd heard it so your assumption that all of us had heard it before is slightly wrong. Not that it surprises me - I am far too old to keep up with pop music these days.

But that isn't my point. The fact is that I found your essay more interesting than the lyrics (they are written from one point of view only and, if I were to write about it, I'd have to mention that there's another side of the story). And that means that you have rekindled my thoughts about writing for the prompt. I must thank you for that, whether or not I actually write something.

Nice work.

Humming Bird

Jun 5, 2025 at 12:06am
In response to "The Bard's Hall, June 2025, Entry 1"

Wow! You seem to be such an avid writer! So many writing projects! This makes me intrigued to know more about you, and what you write.

Jun 4, 2025 at 8:11pm
In response to "The Bard's Hall, June 2025, Entry 1"

Yeah, what StephBee said! The point of this is to relax and write whatever thoughts you wish to say that day. You can talk about your favorite recipe or current book you're reading. Or, write a poetry blog with an introduction and a few words about something relating to the poem. Merge the poetry (or music video) with your thoughts if that helps. That's the point of not have daily prompts with this Blog contest.

Welcome aboard!

The Bard's Hall, June 2025, Entry 2

StephBee

Jun 4, 2025 at 6:08pm
In response to "The Bard's Hall, June 2025, Entry 1"

It sounds like you have a full plate of writing on your table. It's good to challenge yourself, but I hope you didn't take on more than you could chew. That said, I've read several items of yours and I do enjoy your writing. I'm a firm believer in quality over quantity.

smiles
Steph

2 Like

June 8, 2025 at 6:30am

#1091035

Rude (synopsis inspired by song)

StephBee

"The Bard's Hall Contest"

My relationship with music has evolved dramatically over my lifetime. I've always been fascinated by music; as a toddler and small child I easily identified songs on the radio from the slightest samples. I never quite understood the meaning behind lyrics, if I even understood the lyrics.

I should say, I have had no musical training whatsoever. I can't sing or play any instruments, and lack even a basic knowledge of music theory, which is embarrassing for someone who's been totally obsessed with music for the past ten years or so.

Growing up in a strict household where my mom developed her piety to a higher level as the years passed, my exposure to music was quite limited. In the early years, she played the radio in the car, so I heard old rock and current country as we went through the process of moving from Florida up to Tennessee. I started calling old rock (Billy Joel, Billy Idol, Rolling Stones, etc) “Florida music.”

Later on at home, she played a little of this and that occasionally: Tom Petty, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Temptations. No more than a song or two or three from each of them. I never cared much for the music she liked back then, not having any clear idea of what it was about or what the point of music even was beyond the lyrics. It was simply there, a soundtrack to my early childhood, embedded forever in my memories.

As I grew older and Mom played less music at home, I became more keenly aware of the music surrounding me outside. It's funny how in our small town in Tennessee, every public building had the radio on: the bank, post office, small businesses, loan offices, grocery stores, thrift stores, etc. It wasn't solely country music, either, as one might assume.

I have tight associations of certain songs to certain places where I first encountered them; Don Henley's Heartache Tonight always reminds me of a local grocer’s called FoodLand, where the owner played a particular type of eighties rock. I used to mondegreen it as “gonna be a party tonight” and assumed it was a silly, empty-headed song.

Our local post office usually played a radio station labeling itself as “eighties, nineties and today,” and since we spent hours waiting in line to run errands, I learned many a song there which I now look back on with nostalgic fondness: OneRepublic’s Counting Stars, Christina Perri’s A Thousand Years, Tears for Fears Shout, Mumford and Sons I Will Wait, Ellie Goulding's Lights, and Philip Phillips Home.

I was so fascinated by the vast world of music, I started scribbling scraps of lyrics that caught my fancy in the margins of my journals. Most of them were half-baked mondegreens…

These days of knowing songs existed, without knowing anything about them, caused some misunderstandings. Certain ones I assumed did not have wholesome lyrics turned out, when I looked into them, to be classics of the era. I particularly remember being upset by the EchoSmith song Cool Kids, hearing it for the first time on a radio in an office building. I bounced it off angrily in my journal against the Gwendolyn Brooks poem We Real Cool. It took several years before I realized what the theme is.

It wasn't until I received my first personal Internet access via a smartphone in 2015 that I really started exploring music. At first I simply absorbed the lyrics to everything I heard without paying attention to much else. In 2017, I took a deeper dive into musical exploration and became a consciously obsessed fan, first of OneRepublic and then Imagine Dragons. This is when I began actively choosing and listening to music as a hobby, rather than merely passively evaluating whatever I happened to hear in public.

The move to listening to music on my own terms, funnelled inside my head, was a big one for me. I'd never owned a pair of earbuds before, nor ever had the opportunity to say “I want to hear this song.” It opened up a vast universe of creativity, analysis and learning. I wrote copious notes on my opinions about what I was listening to, leaving myself a paper trail of my evolutionary path as I developed my tastes and sorted music into different styles, eras and categories.

I don't do streaming music because I dislike the elements of uncertainty and the fickle, amoral algorithms involved. Plus, I believe music should be free, at least as much as possible.

When I figured out how to download and store my favorite tracks offline on an old inactive phone, I felt like I'd conquered the world. Finally I had what I'd dreamed of: exactly what I wanted to hear when and where I wanted, without the bother of an intermittent internet connection or the drain of leaving the screen lit up with a YouTube video. When I discovered panning, layered sound via a pair of $5 truly wireless earbuds from Dollar Tree, it was another epiphany.

The world of music has contributed to my growth, inspiration and mental wellness in infinite ways. My first social media account was in support of music (Wolf Angel/Thoughtfullyricist on Genius), the first and most meaningful pen pals I made were fellow music nerds, and the first time I've felt understood and validated in my own skin was while snuggled between the notes of songs. Dan Reynolds and his support of the LGBTQ community encouraged me to reevaluate my identity and come out as proudly asexual in 2019.

Music has always been present in my life, and as I've grown up, it has become an inseparable part of who I am, with lyrics and melodies woven into my soul, forming an indelible patchwork road map of my life's journey. Each song is a landmark, pointing out where I was at a particular moment both mentally and geographically.

I was always hesitant to share much about myself in public… in the words of a demo track from OneRepublic: “I'm something special, maybe something nice, but I don't have it figured like they do/ you see I got my worries, and I got my vice—there's nothing ‘bout my world that they're used to.”

Music helped teach me I have far more in common with the rest of humanity than I thought. To close, here's the 1R demo I quoted. It's a nostalgic piece for me on many levels, and in fact I previously blogged about it for the Barrel of Monkeys challenge. "The Perfects, OneRepublic (Demo)"

Words: 1,088.

Comment • View 1 comment

June 5, 2025 at 6:34am

#1090765

For the June 2025 48 Hour Media Prompt Challenge, StoryMaster chose a song from 2014 which I'm sure we've all heard before but never quite knew who or what: Rude, by Magic.

I've been aware of “why ya gotta be so rude, doncha know I'm human too, I'm gonna marry her anyway - marry that girl” for years, considering it a cute, pleasant little teenybopper piece, a one-hit wonder as far as I know. Seeing it here sent the whole thing echoing through my head, without any need to watch the video. It brought on some nostalgia as I remembered the early days of my musical exploration.

At first I wasn't sure whether to write a blog, a poem, or a story. I began a story, but ran out of steam after the first two paragraphs. I have enough of those to work on already. Instead, I'll give you a story synopsis.

It begins with a young man, Nick, who wants to marry his lady, Megan. He dresses up and heads to her home all eager beaver to speak to her dad. Of course, he gets rudely rebuffed for no good reason, being really a perfectly suitable suitor.

Nick talks it over with Megan and they decide to elope and get married anyway because they love each other so much. Off they go to build a life together on the other side of the country.

Ten happy years and two kids later, Megan hears word that her father is very sick with no one to care for him. She and Nick uproot themselves, moving selflessly back to their hometown to help him out.

The father marvels that they returned after he treated them so unfairly and reconciles, getting a chance to meet his grandkids. And the rest is corny sappy happily ever after as they receive the blessing he had denied them previously.

I think this would make a nice sort of “cozy story;” I've been reading about the subgenre lately, and would like to try writing one myself soon. As it is, I have a kernel of an idea here which might be developed someday.

On a side note, isn't it funny how easy it is to open a story with the protagonist either waking up in the morning or lying in bed unable to sleep? It's a natural, relatable, simple and engaging opening. I've used it many times.

Words: 399.
Written for "Note: 48-HOUR CHALLENGE : Media Prompt Deadl..."

Join "WDC Dragon Vale "

Comment • View 2 comments

June 4, 2025 at 1:13pm

#1090696

The Bard's Hall, June 2025, Entry 1

A Stone Only Rolls Downhill...

StephBee

"The Bard's Hall Contest"

Sometimes I wonder why I write.

I write to figure out my world, to create order from chaos, to make a record of what happens, to have something to look back on and say “I wrote that.” I write to share my perspective with others, to “reinvent the wheel” by telling tales as old as time in fresh, impactful ways. I write to communicate, with myself and others.

Sometimes I don't feel like writing. I sit up late, forcing myself to spill out notes on what I've been thinking about, feeling a sense of satisfaction when I've drained every nagging tidbit onto the page. I sleep better after I've “put a lid on the day” by journaling, even if what I write is only connected to the day by the calendar.

An open blogging challenge will indeed be a challenge this month, because I have other writing projects to keep track of and deadlines to maintain…

Five stories left to write in my "Musicology Anthology"

collection, and I plan on combining one story with possibly two other prompts.

Rachel's Beatles project, where I had the bright idea of writing twenty-eight drabbles, one for each day and seven per week

The weekly Promptly Poetry, which is a relaxing shift from whatever I'm in the middle of.

Merit Badge Magic, which has yet to be announced.

48 Hour Media Prompt Challenge, which is also as yet unannounced.

Cubby's Writing 4 Kids.

Perhaps the Sci-fi writing contest hosted by Black Adder, who hasn't settled on a prompt yet. I'm undecided.

Hook of the Book, which will be more puzzling to figure out this month.

Plus half a dozen or so submissions I need to make to contests allowing previously written content: First and Second Chances, Shadows and Light, Twisted Tales, Senior Center, Poetic Traditions, Higher Ratings.

Just looking at this list is enough to make me

And since I do most of my writing at night, it's more difficult, because I also want to

at night (duh.) I usually end up zoning out around 10:30 PM while attempting to write whatever is next, clutching my old phone in bed, because I write almost everything on it. I'm still learning how to type

With that being said, I'm not entirely sure I can manage ten blog entries of any quality worth your time, but I'll certainly try. I can use them as a progress report of sorts, laying out my writing goals and keeping them in view. I can make notes about music, which would be appropriate since the blog is called Music Notes.

I hesitate to reveal personal details on a blog; I'm naturally a recessive, almost reclusive person, and I believe the less said, the better. But that doesn't rule out sharing life anecdotes, some of the shaping moments that led me here.

I'm looking forward to doing my best on this blog project, wherever it will take me.

Thank you for the opportunity.

Words: 503.

Comment • View 7 comments

May 8, 2025 at 6:30am

#1088918

I'm writing for the WdC 48 Hour Media Prompt Challenge, where they provide a song to inspire us. I've been in a ruminating mood all day ("Note: Maybe I'll tell the story behind this *^*Th...") and this is a perfect opportunity (excuse?) for me to ramble non-fictionally.

The song: A Stone Only Rolls Downhill, by Ok Go. I have no intention of listening to it. I read the lyrics, and they triggered so much that was already bubbling under in my head, I don't need to know anything else about it.

The theme is pessimistic for song lyrics, especially these days when pop music overflows with cheap mental health catchphrases and vapid reassurances that "you aren't ok, I'm not ok either, but it's gonna be fine…" which I scoff at yet also seek comfort in, though I don't care to indulge. Rather than offer these candy-corn empty calories, this song takes a more frank and gloomy perspective on things, saying "I really wish I could tell you it's all gonna be ok, but it's not, because of the laws of thermodynamics."

("Wait, what?" I hear you saying over your coffee. "You're going nerdy on us, Angel!")

Basically, the narrator is blaming physics for life's problems. He's saying the natural defaults of gravity, inertia, and inexorable decay will be the death of everything good. Which is strictly true, because everything good in existence requires energy input. The creative process, whether on the grand scale of God's Creation at the beginning of time, or our own exhausting day to day struggle of self improvement, always demands thoughtful, active intervention. Nothing comes from nothing, and if left to itself everything will come to nothing in the end.

When I was a kid, I read one of Agatha Christie's ancient Egypt murder mysteries which revolved around this theme. She outlined the slow, steady deterioration of human nature if left unattended, showing us people who started out as pretty decent, yet allowed their cracks to expand over many years, until their characters became distorted and they behaved in ways unrecognizable to someone who knew them only as they had once been.

Her astute observations haunt me to this day, because I know they are true. I have a tendency to let everything revert to default mode, refraining from being an active participant in my own life. I want things to happen instinctively, naturally, without the expenditure of effort that any real improvement or advancement requires. You can call it lazy; I call it fear, lack of ambition, and a serious failure to recognize the urgency of using the present to prepare a better future.

Allowing things to remain as they are indefinitely without external input is dangerous and stupid, no matter whether we're discussing home improvement, car repairs, outer space or mental health. It's like trying to drive a car without keeping your hands on the wheel or your foot on the gas pedal; you can say "well, I've had it aligned, I filled it with gas, it'll keep going in a straight line forever," but it will always, always go sliding off course, stop moving forward and leave you stranded in the woods. It's even as simple as making your bed every morning because you hate the tangle it gets into after a few days. The bed never makes itself, and the car never truly drives itself.

Drawing from this, one must be constantly vigilant and proactive in all areas of life, understanding what needs to be done to maintain a healthy status quo and what further efforts should be made to improve upon the default.

So, coming back around, I don't like this song, even though I identify all too strongly with the accuracy of the theme. The narrator's attitude is lackadaisical, allowing the downhill default of a rolling stone to sweep him away into the gutter without protest. He refuses to take action to improve things, instead claiming helplessness against the inexorable tides of fate.

I prefer the attitude of Imagine Dragons lead singer Dan Reynolds, who consistently engages himself in a multilevel battle against his default. He has Ankylosing Spondylitis, which if left untreated causes the fusion of bones and lost mobility. Rather than allowing this to happen, he sticks to a rigorous diet and exercise plan which keeps his body strong and healthy.

He struggles with depression, anxiety, people pleasing, introversion, and pain, but he never surrenders to any of it. His lyrics display a resilience and determination to keep moving forward no matter how hard it is, even if he has to "kill off" the flaws which hold him back… leading occasionally to unsettling songs blurring the lines between internal and external battles. (More on that someday.)

For myself, I struggle in many areas which require consistent action towards improvement. Some days I feel like a nihilist, questioning why anything at all is worth doing if everything crumbles in the end. I need songs like a "slap in the face," not songs that wallow in the hopeless, self-fulfilling prophecy of what will never be if you don't get off your rear end and do something about it.

Speaking from a faith perspective, we should also consider that God is actively upholding the universe, pouring His living spirit into everything and providing stasis and stability. Without God's consistent intervention, the universe would cease to exist, winding down like clockwork, reverting to the default of thermodynamic laws. For this, we should be grateful. Belief in this helps us to refute the attitudes of those who claim "a stone only rolls downhill…" With God's grace, we can push that stone back where it belongs and keep it there.

Now my mind wanders to the Greek mythology of Sisyphus, perpetually pushing a boulder uphill only to watch it roll back down again. A nihilistic worldview could be drawn from that: why bother? This is why one needs to have faith rather than succumb to secularism. Despite claiming to free us from boundaries and expectations, it rather leads us to the blank and depressing conclusion that life is devoid of meaning unless we invent our own. Some of us are too exhausted to invent meaning and will let the void devour us. Perhaps that's what happened to the narrator of A Stone Only Rolls Downhill.

A big thank-you to StoryMaster for bringing us the Media Challenge this month. I was keenly aware of its absence in April. This one came at the right moment, allowing me to dig myself out of my day's swampy ruminations and approach them from a different perspective…. though I doubt I've scratched the surface of my thoughts on the subject.

Words: 1,110.
Written for "Note: 48-HOUR CHALLENGE : Media Prompt Deadl..."

Comment • View 4 comments

March 6, 2025 at 9:35am

#1084886

Carry You Home (story inspired by song)

Alex shuffled from one foot to the other on Ella's doorstep, sweaty hands clutching a bouquet of roses. His heart pounded in his throat as he knocked, even though he'd already texted he was coming.

The door opened. Ella leaned on the frame with a pale smile.

"Come in. I'm sick today… don't know how much fun I'll be."

"I don't need to have fun." Alex held out the bouquet. "I wanted to help you feel better."

Ella took the roses, sinking down onto the living room couch. After a moment's hesitation, Alex gathered the courage to sit beside her. She didn't object.

They sat in silence for some time. A clock ticked on the mantle. Ella lay back in the cushions, eyes half closed.

"I'm sorry… I guess this isn't a good time to—"

"What?" She looked over at him, eyelashes batting against crystalline agate eyes.

"I—thought… maybe you'd—" Alex choked on his words.

"Well, speak up." Ella straightened up with a giggle. "I don't have all night."

"Would you like to be—uh… like, more than friends? We've known each other for so long. I don't want to ruin it. But if you want, I'd love to…"

"Alex, I do love you. But not like that." She looked him firmly in the eye. "Not now. Maybe after I complete my education."

"Yes, of course," he mumbled, eyes on the floor. "Whatever you say. I just want you to know I'll be there if you ever…"

"That's very nice. I appreciate your feelings. Now, I have some chores to do."

Alex heaved a despairing sigh as he trudged down the sidewalk. How am I supposed to live without her?

***

Ella moved away to a college town, and Alex stayed behind, working his way up the ranks at a local insurance company. He heard she got married and wasn't planning on coming back to her hometown.

He avoided contact after that, glancing at her Facebook page every so often to make sure she was still alive and doing well. Alex tried looking for someone else, but his relationships never seemed to last very long.

Am I doing something wrong here? Is it me? He examined himself after every failed match, trying to improve. Getting married was a serious commitment, and he resolved not to do it until he was entirely ready, at least as much as possible. After pulling away from dating, self development work and a steady job consumed several years of his life.

One day he logged on to Facebook and saw an announcement from Ella. She was diagnosed with cancer. He joined the flood of well wishes in the comments, but declined to reach out privately.

His visits to her page became more frequent, and he watched as her posts grew less bubbly and further apart. When they stopped altogether for a week, he sent a message. After no response, he dug through his contacts and called her old number.

"Alex, is it really you?" Her voice was so much thinner and weaker than he remembered. "I've been in the hospital. My husband is with someone else. He says he wants a divorce."

"I'll be right there." He brought an enormous bunch of colorful daisies.

Alex stayed by Ella's side through endless rounds of chemo, surgery, rehab and recovery. He didn't offer to make it a relationship again, only spent as much time together as possible, doing what he could.

"Alex, you've been so loyal and patient. What are your intentions?"

"Whatever you want. I just want to be here for you."

"I think it's time we made this more than a friendship." She held his hand.

The day Ella was declared cancer-free, Alex was there.

"Are you sure you're ready, Alex? We've put this off for so long."

"Ella, all my life I've been preparing to carry you home."

Words: 642.
Written for "Note: 48-HOUR CHALLENGE : Media Prompt Deadl..."

Comment • View 2 comments

March 1, 2025 at 7:43am

#1084562

(No One Knows Me) Like the Piano, by Sampha

This evening I'm settling in with a song given to me by my buddy Jeremy

. He likes to tease me about my obsession with

, so last week I challenged him to present me with a decent song off his own playlist and I'd listen and write about it for a change. (Thread here: "February 22, 2025"

)

Sampha is a musician from London, of Sierra Leone heritage, and this song, a single off his 2017 debut album Process, deals with the loss of his mother to cancer.

My first impression at the opening is that it's a lovely piano line. I'm not generally a fan of "piano ballads," as the ones I know fall into the monotonous category of early aughts The Fray and whatnot, but this comes across as more classical, simple and soulful. Indeed, the instrumental is a bit like a piece one might hear at the Hobby Lobby. (If you don't know Hobby Lobby music, you don't know

)

Sampha's voice is clear and sincere, and the song is lightly produced, with almost no effects other than the faintest of drumbeats and a vocal stacking at 1:40. I can even hear birds singing in the moment of silence at the end.

He sings of the important role the piano has played in his and his mother's lives, keeping them close, holding his most precious memories and the deepest pain. Emotions impossible to express can be poured out in music, and he tells how from an early age the piano was his best friend, helping him navigate life's joys and tragedies.

This is a beautiful song, with a peaceful, relaxing feeling. It makes me interested to learn what other works Sampha has made and what his overall style is. I would categorize this song as classical; it doesn't come across as what I think of as "soul" or "R&B" or whatever. It's a man, singing his heart out, accompanying himself on his piano. Nothing I could possibly find to criticize here. I'll be keeping this on my playlist, and I thank Jeremy for selecting it for me.

When it comes to music videos, I often prefer to watch them through silently first, in case there's something I would rather not have associated with the song. This one passed the test, showing us Sampha at his piano and an angelic lady casting a spiritual essence.

I will probably write a Bradbury story inspired by (No One Knows Me) Like the Piano in the coming weeks; perhaps I can connect it to a faith-based prompt.

a note ▼

Words: 510.

Fire in These Hills, by ID

February 28, 2025 at 7:35am

#1084489

My 28th and final choice for "The Soundtrack of Your Life"

is a fitting one, the end track of the 2024 Imagine Dragons album Loom.

Sound:
Oddly enough, Fire in These Hills has a trumpet in the background. The feel is slow-paced and vibe-y, similar to the album cover art. Dan Reynolds' voice comes in from a distance at certain moments, and overall the production is quiet, simple and understated, for the Dragons at least.

Theme:
Dan here is contemplating the sunset of his relationship with his ex-wife Aja Volkman, turning perhaps for comfort to his loyal fans, who are with him and the band through it all.

Fire in These Hills is very much a final track, carrying a distinct feeling of sadness and weariness, as Dan realizes how much he's poured himself into his decades-long career, perhaps sacrificing relationships in the process. Like a child, he expresses open vulnerability and a longing to return full circle in the bridge, "I'm so tired… I've run so far, can I please come home?"

In an NPR Weekend Edition interview, the hostess described Fire in These Hills as "very inspirational" and "a song of encouragement…" I don't see that in it myself, honestly. I see a song of loss, change, and a desire to make things right after it's too late. Perhaps the most optimistic moment is when he realizes "after everything, you're here with me still…" we are unsure who he's thinking of, though: his four kids? His fans? His ex-wife, who he insists is still his best friend? Such is life.

The emotional impact is greater at the Amazon Music Songline performance, especially with the strings backing and the sun setting over the scenic California coastline. There is also some commentary which adds enlightenment.

Significance:
Perhaps what stands out to me most about Fire in These Hills is that I fell asleep listening to it on my first evening. I don't usually fall asleep with my earbuds in, but this is such a slow, peaceful song that once I turned the Bluetooth volume one crank down, my mind started drifting and the next thing I knew I was like "wait, what just happened? how many times did I let this play?" (About six or eight, according to my music player app.)

Enjoy this finale. I don't have as much to say about it as I thought I would, which is a relief.

Words: 400.

Last Holiday, by OneRepublic

February 27, 2025 at 9:55am

#1084445

My 27th choice is a deep cut from the 2024 OneRepublic album Artificial Paradise. It brings the album's themes around full circle, being one of the most serious, thoughtful and lyrically dense songs on it.

Sound:
The first thing I noticed about Last Holiday is how real it is. It begins with applause and a guitar hook, sweeps up some cello, with handclaps and harmonizing backing vocals… everything about it appears to have been recorded at an real performance, almost like sitting around a campfire, rather than in a studio. This makes the message come alive in a truly memorable way.

Front man Ryan Tedder's voice comes through quietly, with an honest, heartfelt tiredness and urgency which is fitting for the bottom of an unusually long album.

Theme:
Last Holiday strikes a tone of urgent maturity, with Ryan coming to the realization that life doesn't go on forever and certain things like love, family and personal faith should be prioritized above others such as money and career.

It has a deep weariness, even jadedness to it, as the chorus goes "I don't believe in the stars anymore/ they never gave me what I wished for…" It reminds me of children growing up and realizing life isn't a Disney movie.

"Press pause and take some moments/ find God before it all ends…" Honestly, the simple yet deeply philosophical lyrics don't need much explanation. They're a reminder to get our life's act together and live with no regrets, because we never know when it will be over.

Significance:
I wish I could tell you Ryan's backstory about Last Holiday… but I don't like podcasts. Ryan Tedder appeared on the Kyle Meredith show after AP dropped last year, and one of the "teasers" was something like "the dark truth behind Last Holiday."

When I saw that I was like "OMG, I must find out!" Because I knew there was something more to Last Holiday than it might seem. But the podcast is over an hour long, it rambles all over the place, Kyle Meredith seems like an obnoxious interviewer, and I can't carve out an hour to listen to a show or another hour afterwards to take notes on everything I learned.

It would be far easier for me to read the transcript… but Apple podcasts does the worst transcription job I've ever seen. They couldn't spell the host's name right, forget labelling who was speaking. I would have to jump through digital hoops to try to get a legible transcript. So… it drives me crazy, but I don't have the scoop. If you have time to watch the interview on YouTube and find where Ryan talks about Last Holiday, let me know! ▼

I will say this was a significant song for me last August as I prepared a story for the Official WdC Contest, What a Character. I was dealing with subjects far more intense than I'd ever thought I would attempt to write about, and Last Holiday was my early draft choice for the heroine's theme song, something she listens to and takes refuge in during a crisis.

With this in mind, I must've listened to Last Holiday a couple dozen times, trying to absorb the experience and match up the song's themes with what I was writing. At some point I realized there was a mismatch, and the song I ultimately went with and took my title from was God Only Knows, from For King and Country. Indeed, I made myself tired of Last Holiday, and quite frankly have not listened to it again until writing this up!

Last Holiday is a timeless classic, with a somber yet optimistic tone as it reminds us to appreciate and hold on to what we love before inevitable change takes it away.

STATIC

God Only Knows

(18+)
Will the road she’s on lead her home? 1st, What a Character, August '24 (Quill Winner!)
#2325210 by Amethyst Angel 💐

Words: 660.

February 26, 2025 at 4:26am

#1084393

Polaroid, by ID

My 26th track is yet another deep cut (no music video) from the 2015 Imagine Dragons album Smoke + Mirrors. This is my last one off of it for this year's "The Soundtrack of Your Life"

series.

The cover art which surrealist oil painter Tim Cantor

created for Polaroid shows an infant floating over a cheetah in full speed mode. This is supposed to capture the theme of a life lived recklessly and thoughtlessly.

In Cantor's rough drafts and concept sketches, which were released alongside the S+M demo collection (Reflections), it is revealed the original ideas for the painting included a skeleton in the grave at the base of the image, and the infant was a fetus in the womb. This would have completed the cycle of life in a rather more intense way than it ended up being.

Sound:
Polaroid jumps right into the opening lines, beginning lightly and then bringing in the drums between the opening and the first chorus.

I'm pretty sure it has a glockenspiel, or perhaps a xylophone; some kind of bell notes which add a unique texture. I like how we can hear everyone in the band join in on the second chorus; it adds a folksy, "sing-along" feel. The wall of sound at the end is a bit of a pile-on, but it's typical of the S+M album.

I might add here that Smoke + Mirrors was entirely self-produced by the Dragons, which resulted in a rather over-the-top sound as compared to their next album, Evolve (2017,) which had outside producers overseeing it and recommending a cleaner, more pared-down style.

Theme:
Polaroid lays out emotions disguised in an endless series of folksy, almost playfully opaque metaphors; Dan Reynolds describes himself as everything from a "day-late two face" to a "rolling freight train."

When he started writing and sharing his songs as a teenager, he didn't like to reveal his true feelings of confusion and depression to his parents, so he would hide behind metaphorical language. This habit lingered through several albums, until these days when guitarist Wayne Sermon has expressed admiration for the way Dan's songwriting voice has matured and he can express what he feels with directness and honesty. (Amazon Music Songline performance)

Significance:
I can remember the day I put this on to listen to for the first time. It was New Year's Eve, and we were headed to Naples, Florida for a vacation. I played it once, and proceeded to have it on loop for most of the drive south, enthralled by the simple, catchy melody and the quaint, unique metaphorical lyrics which seemed to describe me as well as the narrator.

The next day was the new year, and I found myself making a digital art piece inspired by Polaroid, with the words "life's a blank canvas, and you are the color of boom!" incorporating the idea of fireworks and a new beginning despite the song's overall gloomy theme.

Polaroid is one of my favorite ID songs to sing to myself, quite easy and memorable like an old-fashioned folk song.

Words: 516.

February 25, 2025 at 1:51am

#1084355

Better, by OneRepublic

Today's choice is a single off the 2016 OneRepublic album Oh My My. Better never got a music video because band leader Ryan Tedder took an extended break from music production after the album release.

Sound:
There are two vastly different versions of Better: the string and the studio. Both masterfully encapsulate an atmosphere of tension, anxiety and mental fragility.

The studio original uses generous doses of dubstep (a special kind of synth) and reverb, creating an eerie feeling of pulsing brain waves against Ryan's staccato lyrical rhythms and plunging, echoing deep notes.

The string version begins with the effect of an inexorably ticking clock, and has no drums whatsoever. Violin and cello chase each other between the words in high notes of orchestral symphony, weaving a web of mystery and instability.

Theme:
By now Better's theme is probably obvious. Ryan Tedder is here dealing with being on the edge of a nervous breakdown, reminding himself that it can happen to anyone and "in the morning I'll be better."

He speaks directly from his own experience, bringing us a song so honest, he lived up to it the moment he had the opportunity. I was getting into 1R as a band right when Ryan was making his comeback in 2017, and I eagerly cheered him on, praying he wouldn't be another Chester Bennington, who had passed the same year, though I knew little about either of them.

I love how at the bridge, Ryan turns the question of mental well-being upon us and offers us the same advice he's been telling himself. It's a clever lyrical twist which brings the message home.

Significance:
I've only rarely heard this song in public, instead bonding to it directly from YouTube in my early days of exploring 1R. The two versions taught me what to expect from the band in terms of their skills with the cello (thank member Brent Kutzle for that,) and the lyrics gave me a relatable way to navigate my own feelings of unease and mental exhaustion.

I seem to go through a nervous breakdown of some kind at least once a year, usually in the winter. Ryan's words offer some comfort as I remember the cyclical nature of life and the way things tend to get better after getting worse. I have often hummed and sung this to myself over the years, clinging to its simple, fragile optimism.

Last year as part of my "Musicology Anthology"

project, I took Better and crafted a story about a neurodivergent young man in a hostile work environment, based partly on my own experience. At first I thought it was a rather silly story… how heartwarming to receive a five-star review and award from my dear friend Jack Tyler. (He even listened to the song at the end; "syncopated" is how he described the lyrical rhythm.)

I can't let go of the Oh My My album this month without a word of thanks to Jack for patiently reading, reviewing and awarding stories out of that collection. His kind words of advice and affirmation kept me motivated to complete the most ambitious, high-stakes project I'd yet taken on here.

Better

(13+)
Think you lost your mind? Don't worry about it...
#2320166 by Amethyst Angel 💐

Words: 540.