Monday, June 04, 2007

Do You Hear the People Sing?

When I listen to music, I really listen. Like, I try not to listen to music around other people, because I would rather listen to the music than to the people who are talking to me, even if those people are totally cool and awesome, and even if I have heard the music many, many times.

I like to share music. Not in the file-sharing sense, but in the sense of, I like to play music for people and let them experience it the same way I do.

When I listen to music, I usually listen to a specific album, artist, or song heavily for several weeks. I get to know each note of the music, and I usually wind up thinking that I know a lot more about the singer than I likely do.

For example, lately I’ve been on a total Haverim Shel Natasha kick. For those of you who didn’t live in Israel in the 90s, I am basically pretending to be in my early 20s and full of angst. So, anyway, at the start of one song, Arkadi says, “Kesheani mitparaeh, zeh lo tov.” What, you haven’t all become fluent in Hebrew? Oh, FINE. I’ll translate. He says, “When I get wild, it’s not good.” And his VOICE, when he says it – man, I’d totally be gone with him in a flash. And I KNOW that he recorded the album a zillion years ago and he probably no longer feels all that emotion that goes along with trying to perform in a language you don’t speak as a mother tongue and being an artist and needing to be artistic, but OH. MY. GOSH. Please just give me ten minutes with this guy the year before I met my husband or something.

So, fine, when this happens to me when I listen to music in Hebrew, or Bruce Springsteen, or showtunes, it makes sense to me. I get it. I feel the music. It enters me. I’m OK with that.

Lately, Baby J. has been on a real Wiggles kick. By this, I mean that GOD HELP YOU IF YOU PLAY ANY MUSIC OTHER THAN THE WIGGLES IN THE PRESENCE OF THE CHILD BECAUSE IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. So we’ve been listening to a lot of Big Red Car and Elbow to Elbow, and I’m getting a little worried. I’m starting to find deeper meaning in songs like Rockabye Your Bear and Dorothy the Dinosaur. I’m starting to think I know things about the Wiggles. Particularly Anthony and Greg.

This worries me.

A lot.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Maybe you DO know things about Anthony and Greg. You're picking up the adult messages that go over the kids' heads.

No? Am I being inappropriate? Sorry. I've never heard the Wiggles and shouldn't take this opportunity to be conspiratorial about that which I do not know.

But what about They Might be Giants? Can you force him to like that instead?

Anonymous said...

Anthony and Greg are definitely best looking Wiggles. Get the videos instead of the CDs and then you can enjoy watching too!

WriterGrrl said...

Teej -- There are no hidden messages in the Wiggles. The music is not bad, though, because they used to be a real band, before they got into kids' stuff.

Anon -- FOR SURE. We watch the show on Disney. Anthony. Yummy, yummy! I crack me up! (Now everyone without kids is scratching their heads saying, Huh?)