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I've been a bit reluctant to start threads lately, but I can't help it. I get a question in my head and I feel the need to ask it here. I do it at work as well. Not everyone appreciates it I can tell you!

Anyway, enough psychoanalytical clap-trap....or is it?

We have had a number of threads over the life of the forum about favourite (or favorite) tunes, favourite bands, top 10 tunes etc. All good. But it got me thinking; WHY are my favourite tunes my favourites? I recall a thread about lyrics and recall being amazed that so many people said they don't listen to the lyrics at all. I was floored actually, especially given some of those people are some of the best musicians here. It made me realise that many people feel the music as much if not more than the lyrics. Interesting to me for sure (and I hope to some of you as well!)

So....my all time favorite tune is "The River" by Bruce Springsteen. But it's WHY that is the point of this particular thread. Now, my threads are these days full of caveats. Here's another one. This is me being pretty honest. This is NOT me asking for sympathy or trying to elicit "poor you" comments. But I would love people to open up a little on this topic, and I can't expect you to if I don't. So here's my answer to the question of WHY:

That tune really SPEAKS to me. I always felt like Bruce could have written it about me. I come from an industrial, working class area. I watched my Dad work his guts out in 3 jobs to put food on the table. Before I was 20, I had thrown away my best chance at an education and was working in a factory. At 19 I was married in a civil ceremony and had a daughter to look after. All the romance was gone very quickly. The line in that song that goes: "Now I just act like I don't remember...Mary acts like she don't care" sums up that time in my life so very well. So does: "they bring you up to do, like your Daddy done", and so it goes on.

OK so now I have depressed myself and probably anyone who has read this far, my life did turn around. My "child marriage" didn't last. I went back to school and got an education. A few years later I met the love of my life and we are as happy with each other as 2 people can be. I managed to build a good relationship with my Daughter along the way. The songs that speak to me now are different.

Wow....have you got this far? Kudos if you have!

So...finally...my question to YOU. What tune or tunes speak to YOU...and why?

My brain hurts, yes I read it all, I'll take a rain check on this for the moment. Not an easy one to answer straight off as many songs have influenced or shaped my life, but then again I'm not a huge lyric person.

Thanks for the kudos!!

I have to sleep on it as well :dry: , later!

Ness

Tony! It's 1 in the morning and I'm trying to edit and upload a video and ignore the fact that tomorrow is a work day and you go for the goolies on that question! .
I could pretend I haven't read the question... but I have and I really appreciate you openness and the trust you invest in us all by being so candid. So I will resist the urge to duck and run for cover.... but I'll need to sleep on this one. You know that, like you, I am lyric driven too. See you tomorrow on this, my friend.

Tony,
First off, I would hope that you won't be reluctant to start threads. I find your threads thought provoking. I don't always respond to all of them for various reasons: sometimes I can't answer the question in less than a novel, sometimes others have already summed up the way I feel, sometimes it's bedtime in California etc.

At any rate, on to the question. It's a combination of a great melody with lyrics that apply to your emotional state at that point in your life. And even as our emotional state changes as we age, the song and emotions stay with us for life.

When I met my wife it was Eric Clapton's Wonderful Tonight. When my son was born it was Kenny Loggins' Danny's Song. When my daughter was born it was Jimmy Buffet's Little Miss Magic. I still love all of those songs and I can't listen to them today without immediately flashing back to a specific moment.

Craig

Tony, I concur with Chris. Thank you for the candor, and trusting us with this. I feel like I know you better, now. (And that is a good thing.) You do pose a dooz-ie of question though, sir. I will give it my best shot...

Random Thought Alert:
For me most questions and life can be answered by quoting cheesy and obscure movie dialogue. In the movie: " Eddie and the Cruisers" Eddie, the lead singer explains to "Word-man" (played by Tom Berenger, for you movie aficionados among us...) that words and music go together equally. No one, more important than the other. I concur...
B.t.w. This early 80s cheese-fest takes place in Jersey...where your beloved Springsteen so proudly hails.
Anyways, I digress....

I have had many such moments with song lyrics in my life. Here's just one. I'll try not to bore you.

SETTING: (Southern Illinois University 1997-ish,) I had discovered Tori Amos and in her song: "Silent All these Years" there was a line that stopped me dead in my tracks. So you found a girl who thinks really deep thoughts, What's so amazing about really deep thoughts?" I had been dating some slightly bohemian art school type girls at the time... and that's when I realized that wasn't my scene at all. I thought I wanted that, ya know:" look at me
I 'm at college and newly liberated...blah, blah,blah. Anyways, these were not take home to Mom types. I needed quirky and interesting sure...but a little stability is nice too.

Prior to Ms. Amos my de facto vision of a girl was from Led Zeppelin's: "Going to California"....Someone told me there's a girl out there with love in her eyes and flowers in her hair la. la, blah, blah...Find a queen with out a king they say she plays guitar and sings...la, la, la. I realized Robert Plant was a liar she didn't exist. lol (well, at least she didn't exist then. It took Tori Amos to call him out! lol!) If I went to California today, I wouldn't go looking for a girl...I would head up north to wine country and see if I could get a guitar lesson from Neil.

Tony,

You really make a guy think don't you? I find that songs that "speak" to me tend to be protest songs or songs relating to peoples struggles.( I guess I never really left my teenage rebellious stage behind.) Anyway those kind of songs that have a strong message about social issues affect me in a strong way.

Dave

Tony-

I think "feeling" the music is the essence of why we are all here isn't it? I believe certain combinations of notes, chords and lyrics speak to some people at a very deep emotional level. I suspect that describes 100% of us because we are all addicted to the guitar and its magic. And music is super important to all of us.

Two songs connect with me viscerally. Not surprisingly, I guess, both these songs are intensely sad.

First, is Cats in the Cradle by Harry Chapin. Every father who hears that song and wonders if he did enough for his kids. And could he have done more or better. My dad never had much time for us kids and I vowed to do better. But I got divorced when my boys were 9 and 6 and that song hit me right between the eyes. I tried like hell to be a great dad and they tell me all the time I suceeded but Harry was very successful in laying a huge "guilt trip" on many of us dads.

The other song is Forever Autumn by Justin Hayward which came from Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds album. Perhaps the most beautiful song I've ever heard. The haunting melody coupled with lyrics about a man who has lost his true love is pretty intense. You can feel the hopelessness he feels when confronted with a situation he can't control. Anyone who has lost someone they really loved can feel this song.

Good question Tony! :cheer:

Like Chas and some others, I'm not lyric driven. Mostly I never pay much attention to them. I'm going to have to cogitate on this one a bit....

Tony,,,wow,,it is great to have such a feeling touch to a song,,you can love it double and when you perform it you can really tell the story,,that is were lyricks are for..I thought about the SPEAKINGS and must say i am poor on it,,but there are moments that lyricks do something to me and then i discovered that the way you singin it is very diffrent and crawlle totally in it and that is so beautiful.....but on the other way you can have the same thing with leads,,riffs,,intro's and so on,,,but really when the tune SPEAKS to you that is the greatest thing you can have,,,when my memory comes on a tune that speaks to me i will tell you...