Sing a song

Sing, sing a song
Sing out loud
Sing out strong
Sing of good things not bad
Sing of happy not sad.
- The Carpenters

Music is a beautiful thing. I have a friend of the intellectual ilk, who I deem a literary and musical snob. You know who you are, buddy. Perhaps I'm being too harsh, but I remember him commenting to a co-worker once, "You have the second least-worst taste in music here." This is a double snub, first on the music, and then on people's taste.

I'm not sure I could ever be so bold as to decry anything of a creative nature as 'bad.' The most I could say is that I don't like it. For who really can understand the inspiration of the work and the creative process behind it? How pretentious of one to pass judgment without 'having walked a mile.'

This same snobbish friend rekindled in me an interest in music, if for nothing else, to justify my own predilection for 'bad music.'

I'll announce it loud and proud, that on my smartphone right now I have Eminem, Nelly Furtado, Pink, Gwen Stefani, Jack Johnson, Oreja de Van Gogh, Blue October, Gym Glass Heroes, Cyndi Lauper, the Buggles, the Killers, Notorious BIG, Snow Batrol, Dan Seals, Blink 182, Dido, My Chemical Romance, Tom Cochrane, Canibus, Black Eyed Peas, Freedy Johnson, and Ron Sexsmith. I don't which of these artists are considered crappy, but I like them. I like their music. The lyrics touch me, the music moves me. So there!

The Mind aspect of the project is about intellectual development. While music may move the soul, music appreciation is intellectual. So is writing and playing music. I'm a beginner piano and guitar player, as well as neo-lyricist. By 'beginner' I mean I am no better than after finishing a summer's worth of instruction 10 years ago, clearly for lack of natural talent. But I try.

This morning my daughter wanted to sing a song about a new friend of hers. So we threw together some lyrics and some music, even turned on the arranger for a back-beat. It came out pretty good. I'll post the song on the Mind Page when we get it recorded. I give myself a 4 in the Mind category today today just for writing (with my daughter) and composing this little song.