That word is thanks to an old friend of mine, and I take no credit for it. But it does adequately state the topic of this post.
Living in the United States, and in this time of amazing technology, most of us have access to ways to make ourselves happy, even in the darkest night, saddest day, and deepest gloom. I personally turn to the ultimate method of relaxation, rejuvenation, and happification (that's right, a new form of the word): music. Whether playing it for real with UTA, the band which I drum for, playing it on Rock Band, or just listening to it, music has the power to make sense, even when the rest of the world doesn't, and especially when I don't.
"Music's the only thing that makes sense anymore, man. Play it loud enough, it keeps the demons at bay."
Very true. In the past year, I've been to more concerts than I had in my entire life combined. Weird Al, The Aquabats, Reel Big Fish, and Star Wars in Concert (twice). I've also purchased a ton of music. From the Inception and Tron: Legacy soundtracks, to Christmas music ('tis the season), to Jupiter One, Huey Lewis and the News, the Gorillaz, and Chuck Berry. My iTunes is home to a plethora of artists, some you may have never heard of and others you know quite well. The Beatles, 3 Doors Down, The Who, Weezer, Heavy, The Beach Boys, Ok Go, Tears for Fears, Billy Talent, Maximo Park, Queen, Metric and I could go on forever. My friends have deeper music collections than I, boasting weeks to months worth of music on their computers (I have a mere 10.2 days). The point is, it's these artists who bring to life lyrics and instruments to create art that is seen differently than the paintings on your wall, or the sculptures at the Louvre (do they have sculptures there? I don't know). And we all find a way to identify with a song, and put our lives in that moment into those lyrics. I know I've done this on a regular basis pretty much since I started my first status on Facebook. And I'll probably never stop.
What's my point, if there is one? Life is music. Your heart is beating, yes? That was the first drum beat. The first spoken words were the first lyrics. We can all put our life into music, and we'll always find something to tap our feet to. Music is pervasive, and has even entered into other realms. As my associate TJ said over at [You Flap Your Arms To Fly], music has even invaded video games. I mentioned Rock Band, but that's a blatantly obvious one. Try Halo on for size. The musical scores to those games are on par with the soundtracks to Star Wars. In fact, I have a playlist called Instrumental Health which features the likes of the Halo soundtracks, Star Wars soundtracks, Ocarina of Time, Tron: Legacy, and Inception, as well as peppered with many other instrumental pieces of music. I listen to it nearly every day at school to help me get work done, to feel empowered and to feel hope.
Someone once said "All you need is love". Well I'd like append to that "and music." Of course, love is a form of music, but I'm not going to get into the complexities of love and whatnot since I have no idea what it really is. As you can see it's difficult to describe music, but we describe ourselves through music. In some ways that's easier and others more difficult. Find the music that is happifying and incorporate it into your daily routine, or at least once in awhile to loosen up that funk you may be in (and funk is not always a bad thing). So I leave you with this: the world will attack you, the lights will fade, the credits will roll, but all the while remember you control the soundtrack to your life.
Play it loud, sing it loud, and live it loud.
Okay, so I'll really leave you with this. This is by far one of my favorite songs of all time, and this is a music video I assembled for it. Enjoy Maximo Park's "Apply Some Pressure".
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