With a song in your heart

This past weekend we observed Memorial Day. It is a solemn day of remembrance when we honor those of the military service who gave their all for the sake of this country. Memorial Day has also grown to be thought of as the unofficial opening of summer. That’s ok, I guess, as long as you don’t forget what Memorial Day is really all about. This year, the music that accompanied the different services and ceremonies was, I thought, especially moving. The military bands were exceptional, and if the hair on your arm or the back of your neck doesn’t stand up straight when they play the national anthem or God Bless America, then you should immediately stop by the Emergency Room at Emanuel Medical Center because something has come unplugged, and you need to be rebooted. It’s easy to forget what an important part music can play in our lives. Sometimes, those rare occasions like Memorial Day can bring it all back in an instant.

The story of our country has an amazing soundtrack, and you can just about identify any decade of our history by the music that accompanied the time. Since the 1920s, musical styles have changed faster than clothing fads. But one thing never changes, and that is the fact that everybody has their own favorite song, or two, or half a dozen. When you hear that certain chord or lyric, it can take you back faster than a magic carpet to a life-changing, half-forgotten moment in time. They say “Music hath charms to soothe the savage beast”. Translated, that means music can turn your sour coworker into a decent human being (at least for a few minutes), and if you let your teenager choose the radio station she automatically transforms back into that sweet little first grader you used to know. The right song can change your whole day’s attitude. A song can leave you humming the tune over and over until you hate it, but of course you can’t stop. It happens to everybody. You can learn a lot about people from the music they say they like. That should probably be a question on every employment questionnaire or loan application at the bank. “What is your favorite song?” That information should also definitely be part of getting a marriage license and probably a divorce decree too. “Well, your Honor, he just wouldn’t stop playing those Andy Williams albums, and l will tell you right now, I just couldn’t take any more trips down “Moon River”, said the disenchanted young bride. The results of misguided music can have serious consequences. In the seventies, the popular theme song from Smokey and the Bandit almost cost one employee his career for playing his favorite song a little too loudly while he worked. Fortunately, the funeral home let him keep his job if he promised to use headphones while he was driving the hearse in the procession.

Music, they say, is the universal language, and like everything else, our country has the best there is. I know that sounds like something Donald Trump would say, but don’t take his word for it, just listen to Willie singing “On the Sunny Side of the Street”, or Lee Ann Womack and “I Hope You Dance” or Alan Jackson and “Don’t Rock the Jukebox”. You might notice I lean on country cause it’s cool, but whatever your jam is, just keep the tunes coming. You’ll have a better day for it and like Mr. Louis Armstrong said, “It’s a Wonderful World”. I’ve been humming that one for about a week and half now. It’s still great!