Sounds of Serenity

I do virtually everything with music. I wake up and work out with music, I shower with music, I make my breakfast with music, I eat with music, and I drive to work with music. Did I cover everything? Oh I work with music too! Seriously, I interview local Toronto artists and have a social media page dedicated to introducing people to music that they may never hear on the radio. I guess what should follow is a phrase along the lines of “music is my life”, but it is not. Not only because my mother would call me the devil, but because in music I find the most human parts of me that wants to explore many different life facets and opportunities, especially in times of seclusion. Self analysis and introspection can help you grow and expand your imagination. Now is the time to meditate, pay attention to what is inside of you, start something you have always wanted to try, master your crafts, rediscover your self, extrapolate your creative side, be free and be you and love life. So what have I been doing during isolation? That's right, you guessed it, listening to music! Let's take a look at what I've been listening to to extract the best of me in quarantine.

Goodbye My Lover! Hello Self Sufficiency!

A song like “J’entends siffler le train” (I hear the train whistling) by Richard Anthony is a slow french ballad about a man whose lover is supposedly moving away for good. The thought of it was too much to bear so he never accompanied her to the train station where she departed and now every time he hears a train whistling he is filled with memories of his lover and regret of not being able to give her his last goodbyes. The chorus is sung with female background vocals totally in sync with his giving an effect like a group of people are crying at a funeral. Very sentimental. Depressive enough to lift you up. When I hear this song, it reminds me of a professor I had who told us on the first day of class that smart people learn from their mistakes while wise people learn from the mistakes of others. From that moment I wanted to be more than smart, I wanted to be wise. The song is soft and is probably able to rock anyone to sleep, however it lights a fire inside me to keep the grind up, to keep fighting for whatever I may want to accomplish because one thing is for sure, hard work is hard but regret is even harder. The sound of the train for me is a reminder to keep pushing forward, no pun intended.

Taken It Way Back To See Way Ahead

Another song that gets my blood flowing is a 1965 rhythm and blues record by Otis Redding called, “For Your Precious Love”. I always said that that would be my wedding song. That song takes me to the moon and back, twice. It makes me think of one day having a true, pure, simple, and wholesome love despite being a cold hearted little bi-biscuit. Otis recounts being so lonely and miserable but finding love was like finding treasure that made him richer by redefining the meaning of life. Most importantly he wants to defy the odds of a meeting so close to perfect crumbling down. He believes that as long as him and his babe remain together, their love will continue to grow. I see it with my parents everyday. They fight and bicker, and sometimes they cannot stand each other, but at the end of the day they know they cannot stand without one another. A love I see as perfect, 25 years of infinite growth, the reason why I’m 25 and still lonely. I’m still waiting for a perfect love which has made me extremely picky. When I feel like my perfect love may never come this song gives me hope again.

I Got A Life!

Resilient, optimistic, positive. If I don’t have anything else, I have those three characteristics that keep me going. Life can get tough, for some more than others. Have you ever wondered how some people in less fortunate areas keep a smile on their face? I think the answer is gratitude. Knowing that you woke up and you have nothing but you are thankful because you have your life is the best way to start any day. Nina Simone therapeutically sings away in her song “I Ain’t Got No, I Got A Life”, one of my absolute favorite songs. It is reviving, affirmative, eye opening, and encouraging. The song starts slowly, her first words are “I ain’t got no home, I ain’t got no shoes”, and she goes on listing all things she is deprived of including human love and contact, then the tempo speeds up, and despite her unfortunate circumstances she starts counting all the things she still has, like her critical organs, her mouth and her hair, and the last words of the song are “I got my freedom, I got a life”. If that doesn’t give you chills, I don’t know what will! I may not have been born with a silver spoon in my mouth, nor am I living a dream life at the moment, but I m resilient, optimistic and positive and so I live and I survive and that is enough.

All three of these songs can be found in my go to quarantine Spotify Playlist, “soul & blues”-- what I like to consider blues for the soul because blues has always uplifted my mood. Some how it gives me the impression that I am not alone, that struggle hits everyone and that just when you thought you had it bad, someone else somewhere has it worst so you ought to be grateful everyday for your life and this keeps me satisfied with what I have. The whole world is hit by a virus now, we all have to follow procedures put in place whether we like it or not in order to fight this pandemic, taking care of your self is just as important so keep yourself motivated and active! I’m glad I can listen to music to find serenity and sanity in this chaos.