Sunday 3 May 2009

Musical Memories part 2

Josie’s post struck a chord. I am never able to disentangle songs from their time and place – a song always comes with a memory, and a memory always comes with a song. The moment I hear Lauryn Hill chanting the opening of The Fugees’ ‘Killing Me Softly,’ the accompanying image is as vivid and instant as a slide – sitting on the park railings with my best friend Matilda, racer-back Speedo swimsuits, licking Twisters, and cackling at the lyrics (“You can’t kill someone with a song!” – innocence or common sense?).

This is the only way I can describe music I like; a backdrop scene which might be imaginary or remembered. When it comes to exchanges of musical revelry and analysis of technical mastery, I am totally inarticulate, and unable to wax lyrical. I don’t mind really – keeping it tied up leaves its spell unmeddled, like a secret crush or one of those dreams that is impossible to describe out loud. That moment you first heard it and you left your imagination to it’s own devices is sometimes the best explanation of why it has stayed with you for the long haul.

There is the Bob Dylan whose lyrics journalists pour sweat over, sorting the good from the bad, the bad from the sad, and there is the Bob Dylan of my Dad’s car; like a sort of curmudgeonly distant relative in the back seat, who is sometimes lucid, sometimes incoherent but I’ll always listen.

My favourite Bob Dylan song :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSGDoNbKy_s

(Just don’t ask me to explain why…)

3 comments:

Lucy said...

beautiful words - lovely musical selection

Josie said...

I just wouldnt have a clue,
Anyway it wouldnt ring true,
If not for you.

Josie said...

Oh and also 'racer-back speedo swimsuits and twisters' took me back in a snap.