Hello readers
How are you today? Well, I am okay, surfing my way on tides of this ocean of life.
You're constantly trying to prove yourself, even after you've made it.
-Chester Bennington
How many songs do you listen daily on an average, 5 at least 10? Well, this question is for the music addict like me, for occasional listeners or non-listeners I would urge you to become a music addict!
Yes, music addiction is not severe for your lungs or liver, it is a wonderful medicine for your brain.
What is music, songs? It is a series of vibration of waves constructed to a rhythm and presented through a vocal means or an instrument with or without wordings (Lyrics).
But all songs do have lyrics, except for a few silent ones, which are called instrumentals still they would be set to a tune and a beat.
So until now, we say music is constructed rhythmic vibrations set to a beat, tune with or without lyrics.
Now I want to focus more on the lyrics part in this write-up.
Lyrics are the actual wordings of the song composed by the creator or often called the lyric writer of the song.
Well, these lyrics that he creates may be a self-motivated, which he chose to tell his life story, share his sadness or happiness or show his love towards his soul mate or God in case of devotional songs.
Whatever it may be when you listen to a song, suddenly there is this sensation inside you, have you thought why it happens.
I have been thinking and analysing it on myself I can come to the only conclusion, I think the reason I feel that bliss is that I tend to relate those lyrics to my own life and battles which I am fighting alone, or I had fought before, so it hits you like a flash and boom! You become a fan of that artist and that song for life, I presume it is the same with most of us.
Michael Jackson was a great singer and a great composer and also had a great team of songwriters who worked for him; even though the music for those songs would be exceptional the words too mattered a lot.
Just take an example of this song: Man in the mirror from his album Bad (1987) he wants the man or the people that is, yourself to change first so that the world will change seeing you and many people like you. Some lyrics from this beautiful song:
“I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you want to make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself, and then make a change.”
Songwriters: Glen Ballard / Siedah Garrett
Artist: Michael Joseph Jackson
Lyrics Courtesy: Google.com
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| Michael Jackson Performing in a concert: Image Courtesy Google images. |
There are many more brilliant songs from the king of pop which I will discuss some other time.
When I listen to this song, a part of me agrees with the song, we humans beings, the root of almost all the problems on this beautiful earth, should change the ways we live so that we can make this a better place for our future generations.
Songs invoke many moods like patriotism, happiness, sadness, love, devotion and so on.
There lived many saints in India who have rendered beautiful compositions which are genuinely holy and which they wrote to break this cycle of life and death and attain salvation they are still regarded as gems of music.
Saint Thyagarja was one among these saints, and his consecration to Lord Rama is nothing but pure love and surrender to him.
For instance this one: tEra teeyaga raadaa rendered in Ragam: gowLipantu; Talam: Adi
Lyrics from this devotional song are in Telugu which is published in English for convenience:
Pallavi
tera tIyaga rAdA lOni Tirupati venkaTaramaNa matsaramunu
anupallavi
parama puruSa dharmAdi mOkSamula pAra dOlu cunnadi nAlOni
caraNam 1
matsyamu Akali goni gAlamucE magnamaina rIti nunnadi
accamaina dIpa sannidhi marugaDDabaDi ceraci naTTunnadi
caraNam 2
iravondaga bhujiyuncu samayamuna Iga dagulu rIti nunnadi
hari dhyAnamu sEyuvELa cittamu antyaju vADaku bOyi naTTunnadi
caraNam 3
vAguramani teliyaka mrga gaNamulu vacci tagulu rIti nunnadi
vEgamE nI matamu anusarincina tyAgarAjanuta mada matsaramanu
Meaning in Brief: Oh Tirupati Venkataraman! Could you not remove the screen, the screen of anger, arrogance and jealousy, which, taking a firm stand within me, keeps me out of the reach of Dharma and other Purusharthas including Moksha? It effectively hides from vision, the bright light of the lamp, Jnana. By the existence of this screen, my mind gets caught by evil, just as ignorant beasts are got into Hunter’s net. I have been following you faithfully, I pray promptly; remove the screen.
Lyrics and meaning courtesy: https://karnatik.com/c2896.shtml
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| Sri Saint Thyagaraja: Image courtesy Google images. |
The wisdom of the saint is genuinely respectful, and I think this generation has a lot to learn from such songs.
Well, there are countless songs which we can sit and analyse they give Goosebumps
When we think and relate our lives with those.
But the amazing thing would be if the songs we listen could bring some change in our lives then the creator of that song would be happiest.
So next time you listen to a song, enjoy its rhythm and beats but understand the lyrics that will make you a better person each day.
Of course, there are exceptions where there are songs which do not sound, or there are no meanings in them, well that I leave to your judgment to choose your songs.
If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a
Vegetarian.
-Paul McCartney-singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer (The Beatles)
Hope you liked this one; let me know your comments and thoughts.
Thanks a lot for your time.
Helios
