I
love all of the albums and songs listed here. The fact that I find
something beautiful in each of them tells you something about me.
In
addition, I have highlighted the lyrics that resonate with me the
most. These are the lines that I will belt out louder than the
performer if I am alone in the car when the song comes on.
In
some cases they are the lines that break my heart because they
capture my own experiences so well.
I
hope you find a song or two to add to your summer listening.
-Carney
A. Lentz
Annotated
Track List
1.
“Hell Yeah” from Out
of Range by
Ani DiFranco
-DiFranco
expresses her unique view of the world by giving glimpses into
genuine moments. The line “sometimes there's some poetry / if you
turn you back long enough / and let it happen naturally” reminds me
I need to live in the moment to appreciate and absorb the beauty
around me.
2.
“Lost” from Theatre
Is Evil by
Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra
-A
quote from this song is also in my “One Last Love Letter.” The
idea that “nothings ever lost forever” challenges everything in
my experience; this is one reason why I like this song.
3.
“Save Me” from Making
Mirrors by
Gotye
-With
all of the changes in my life over the last few years, I've learned
that I'm stronger and more capable than I used to believe. This song
implies that one person inspired the singer to change; for me, the
inspiration to change is from many people. I can, however, still
connect with the emotion expressed here.
4.
“Other Side Of Me” from Laughter
In The Rain
by Neil Sedaka
-One
frustration with choosing to change is that some people never really
see the new me, while those who meet me today have no idea the
struggle it has been to get to this point.
5.
“Please Read The Letter That I Wrote” from Raising
Sand
by Robert Plant & Alison Kraus
-I
love the idea of the letter coming from sleep and the image of the
“well of many words.” This gets at the mysterious and sometimes
completely inexplicable sources of inspiration and insight.
6.
“Telling Stories” from Telling
Stories by
Tracy Chapman
-Chapman
touches on the darker side of how words can be used. She is
expressing this in the context of a failing romantic relationship;
however, the idea that one person can tell a partial truth or leave
to implication a much darker meaning is powerful, and it applies to
all areas of our lives.
7.
“Paperback Writer” from 1
by The Beatles
-The
desperation to have someone appreciate your art and see the meaning
and value of it is a familiar feeling.
8.
“This Is Not A Test” from Volume
One
by She & Him
-It
is the beauty that we leave behind that we are remembered for isn't
it? And that beauty can come I many forms: relationships, children,
lessons taught, artwork, etc.
9.
“Stars” from Some
Nights by
Fun.
-I
never know what to say when people tell me that they have been moved
by my work. What is the proper reaction when “people on the
street...they're telling me that they like what I do now”?
10.
“We May Never Pass This Way Again” from Greatest
Hits by
Seals & Crofts
-Since
we are likely to not pass this way again, what beauty can we
experience and leave behind?
11.
“Going Home” from Old
Ides by
Leonard Cohen
-We
are all just “the brief elaboration of a tube.” Isn't what we
are capable of all the more amazing with that in mind?
12.
“Immortality” from Number
Ones
by Bee Gees
-The
opening lines of this song are undeniably life affirming. I love the
use of “faith” to refer to inward examination (“my faith in who
I am”) rather than a perception of some outward force.
13.
“Heal Yeah!” from 12
Songs by
Neil Diamond
-This
song was a recent discovery for me. It instantly became one of my
favorites. It is the best anthem for a life lived without regret
that I have ever heard.
[What song(s) are the soundtrack for your summer?]
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