Lyric Fever

The power of a song. Words that move you, set to various rhythms and tempos, putting a soul to the intangible emotions we have. Melodies that capture the human experience. Lyrics that so accurately define a moment for all of us. That is the power of a song.

For our monthly journal meeting at work, I asked members to bring along lyrics to their favorite song. I also brought various art supplies to the meeting (scrapbook paper, paints, and markers), so that the group could capture a favorite lyric from their songs in the form of a poster. I got the inspiration for this visual display of words from the site, Kiss the Paper. The sisters who collaborate and maintain this blog are given a topic every week in which to post responses to one another. The topic for Week 32 of this year long project was "What's Your Theme Song?"


Sarah McLachlan - "Into the Fire"
The topic got me thinking about lyrics and how they can inspire and make one feel connected to the world. I often have music playing in the background when I am painting or drawing, so why not catch these lyrics like fireflies and allow them to light up our minds as well as our ears?

When I told the group about my project idea, they had mixed reactions. Some had trouble picking one song as a favorite. And understandably so. It's like asking a mother to choose her favorite child. The songs we love are so unique and different and satisfy different purposes in our lives, it's hard to pick just one.

Procol Harum - "A Whiter Shade of Pale"

One member in our group expressed that she was a lyric junkie. She cataloged lyrics in her mind to help her define so many experiences in her life. I could totally relate. Hearing a particular song, a particular lyric, can bring me back to a moment in my past. "Rikki Don't Lose My Number" by Steely Dan helps to me remember my biological father and the love of seventies smooth rock that he passed on to me. "Little Jackie" by Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam makes me think about the summers I spent in Jacksonville learning how to skate with my best friend, Kyla, when I was ten years old. "I Could Fall in Love" by Selena reminds me of my first kiss on the beach in Emerald Isle when I was seventeen years old. "Sunday Morning" by Maroon Five brings me back to when I first started dating my husband and all the driving I did between Burlington and Chapel Hill in our first month of dating. All of these songs, and so many more, help me to remember my life.

K.T. Tunstall - "Miniature Disasters"

What would the soundtrack of my life look like, I wonder? If you could create the soundtrack of your life, what would be on it, and what would each song signify? Sounds like a new project in the making... Although I suspect, it will take several volumes for me to complete it, but oh, what a trip down memory lane it would be!

Joni Mitchell - "Both Sides Now"
"Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."
- Berthold Auerbach