Friday, August 29, 2003

L needs to critique a song for music class. He wanted to do "Istanbul" by They Might Be Giants. He asked me what style of song is it? I said, "I'd classify it as swing." He was very disappointed, because swing was not a music style on his list. No swing? What kind of music class lets seventh graders review jazz, but not swing???

Anyway, he asked me what my favorite song was. Yeah, like I can choose just one! I spent the rest of the day with my head full of songs I love. I woke up this morning and told him, "There's one song that I really do like. I can't say it's my favorite, but it's one I've never gotten tired of hearing."
Thanks to sglyrics, here it is:

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The Sound Of Silence (3:08)
P. Simon, 1964
Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence

In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
'Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turn my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never shared
No one dared
Disturb the sound of silence

"Fools," said I, "you do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you"
But my words like silent raindrops fell
And echoed in the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls
And whispered in the sound of silence

I love the harmonics, I love how the music takes you on a walk with it, rising to a crescendo and ending with a few gentle notes on a piano. It's a song that fills me and makes my eyes water. Sigh... Love it.

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