I promise to return to less music slash Hanson related blog posts next week, but I Just wanted to let you know that I wrote a Guest Groupie post over on the Good Groupie. It’s my attempt to put to feelings to words, or as The Good Groupie says in the post, I describe “ that single moment when you stand in front of the stage and feel the musical high and you understand yourself perfectly through verse ” You can read the post here: Every Word I Say
<3
Posted in hanson, love, music, passion
Tagged guest post, hanson, i heard your name in every word i say, music, the good groupie
They don’t know what it’s like to love one band, one silly piece of music so much it hurts.
I’ve referenced that quote before, but it’s worth referencing again because it’s one of those quotes that resonated so deeply within me I find my mind quoting it without thinking about it. It was when I watched Almost Famous for the first time and heard those exact words that I fell in love with the film. I thought: someone else gets it.
I have allowed songs to burn inside me, on repeat for days while I attempted to uncover everything it was about and everything that song said to me, meant to me.
I didn’t really grow up around music. It was in the background somewhere and the radio was a consistent lullaby, but I didn’t learn about bands or music from the ones my parents loved. I learned about bands and music from what I loved and from branching off from there. So it wasn’t until I was old enough to to really comprehend the effects music could have on me that I really understood its purpose in my life.
Sometimes there are songs that express me better than I can express myself. Sometimes there are songs that I know what I’m feeling before I do. Sometimes I am unable to write blogs or stories because those thoughts have been said and written and expressed in the more pure forms of expression and in ways that I can’t even comprehend except just to experience.
And so we’ve come to the start of another writing series. I might post songs that have really moved me, or play lists composed of ones I couldn’t live without. Or experiences relating back to music. Or anything else, really.
So I’ll leave you with the song I got this title from, one that’s been on repeat for almost five years now.
Tell me, does it move you
Does it soothe you
Does it fill your heart and soul
With the roots of rock & rollBeen There Before – Hanson
When you can’t get through it, listen to it,
Music has always had a strong grip around my heart. It’s helped me through an array of emotions and disappeared for moments at a time. But it always comes back. And I always remember thoughts, feelings, memories and smells based on songs that I constantly listened to during a certain time period. For example, songs from Vanessa Carlton’s Harmonium album will always remind me of driving home from school in the fall of 2005. Jay-Z’s New York will always remind me of the summer of 2009. So I think that having a mix cd, or a play list for those who have graduated from compact disc usage, tends to encompass the time person that it’s on constant replay.
This is why I like sharing mixes. And besides, you never know what gems you’re going to find while you listen.
http://8tracks.com/mixes/405059/player_v3
I’m making up for the lack of song this past Sunday.
In 2005 I went to California for two semesters, I just realized that it’s been five years since I went there. I’ve been feeling a bit nostalgic for 2005, it was a year of concerts, parties and exploring California and parts of Texas and Oklahoma. This song reminds me of that year.
(credit)
The atmosphere was electric. Adam appeared in a huge over coat, and he wore a top hat with feathers coming out of it. We reveled in how HOT he must be, as we were simply sweating as we stood there. He danced around, he took the time to talk about love and relationships and what some songs were about. He made out with his straight bassist and sat on stairs in the center of the stage at one point to sing a slower songs.
I was struck by how sexy he was, and I admired his stage presence. He really knew how to be on the stage and I’m sure that stemmed from his years in musicals and theaters but it really added to the concert.
I left the show with three thoughts in mind: 1. I NEED WATER 2. I need to listen to this album on the drive home and 3. He made me want to listen to music again.
Not that I don’t listen to music because I certainly can’t drive without a CD playing. But I remembered a time when music was my passion; I was completely moved by finding new music, going to concerts and making mix cds. Lately, however, my need to listen to music has melted away. The need for fiction has replaced that for music. And though I’m not sure if anything will change, I think it’s nice to know and recognise ways that you’ve changed. It’s good to realize how you are different especially if you want to reclaim parts of your old self. So thank you, Adam Lambert for making me want to listen to music again.
Still Listening
“They don’t know what it’s like to love one band,
one silly piece of music so much it hurts.” – Almost Famous
Sometimes I find it hard to believe they exist. I temporarily forget about the hours of love I’ve put into this band. I forget about how A Song To Sing was the first song I listened to when I got This Time Around. I forget that Underneath reminds me of developing photos in the dark toom at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.
It’s nights like last night when I am going to see them as if it’s a regular occurrence that gets me. Nights when I stand there and it’s all so surreal. Instead of feeling the anticipation, I am confused because this isn’t the way it’s supposed to be. It’s supposed to be instant friends and sing alongs in line. It’s supposed to be hours of excitement, necks craned to sneak a glance and endless wonderment. It’s supposed to be a group of my friends who know all the words, not me and my own doubt to memorize the new album.
The shows start off surreal in an odd mixture of familiarity and something else all together. Just before Isaac, Taylor and Zac appear, my excitement is at its highest. The moment the music begins to play I’ve forgotten how to breathe, I can’t stop smiling and the beat takes over. Everything comes rushing back in the form of cords and piano keys. I am at home, where I’m supposed to be.
I used to be so proud to shout it out, tell others that Hanson is my favourite band. I was happy and defensive, stubborn when I tried to convince you of their worth. Now I find myself trying to avoid announcing it to the work crew that Hanson is who I am going to see. It’s not that I’ve stopped caring, it’s that I’ve realized that no one else does. I can go without a round of co-workers singing Mmmbop terribly (and with the wrong words). This makes me feel like I’m harbouring a secret, indulging in a guilty pleasure, but it isn’t that at all.
It’s that Hanson is so ingrained in who I am, I don’t need to explain it to anyone else because they will not get it, even if I want them to. To them, Mmmbop it a long forgotten one hit wonder by boys who don’t exist anymore. It doesn’t matter though, because I’m still listening and that’s all that really does matter.
Tagged almost famous, college, concerts, experiences, hanson, love, mmmbop, music, passion, shout it out, still listening
