Over the last 28 hours I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying some really, really good, catchy songs. The first is “We Don’t Stop” by Michael Franti & Spearhead, off their album Everybody Deserves Music, and the other is “The Promise” by When in Rome, which I heard on the credits to Napoleon Dynamite1.
There are songs that I consider good, in that they are memorable tunes that leave a lasting impression and are worth owning on CD. But some songs are beyond just being called good. There is usually something in them that tweaks some emotion that just makes you want to hit the repeat button over and over again.
We Don’t Stop and The Promise are two songs that I would put into that special category. Slowly it grows as I listen to more music I haven’t heard yet. But the existence of these sort of songs, while being a source of great joy, are also a major source of frustration.
You see these two songs are just two of many more songs that have the same special quality that have been recorded over the last century. What if there are others that are just as good? Surely they would be worth knowing about and listening too also. Considering the shear volume of music written they are sure to exist. In fact it is very likely that better songs exist, in which case the desire to hear them is even greater.
But how does one find the diamond in the rough, that one song that stands out and demands to be repeated over and over again? How can anyone sift through and experience all the songs ever written or recorded? It’d be impossible. Which means there will be songs that fall into the special category that I will never hear. Frustrating!
However there is an upside: there will always be great new music for me to discover. There will always be some special, forgotten track for me to uncover and enjoy. In an overwhelming sea of music I am certain to find something new that stands out above the rest.
Bittersweet
1 - While of_flawed travels around Española, rather_hazy and I plan to watch Napoleon Dynamite, 27 times - once for each day she’s away (its a long story). On day 2 I’m well on track for success.