I've actually got a playlist in my iTunes called "Soul Songs". It does not refer to the genre of music known as soul, but instead to songs that, as I've said, make my soul happy. I can have a sort of eclectic taste in music at times, so though many of the songs are singer-songwriter type songs, don't be surprised to find rock, pop, hiphop, country, broadway, and many other styles.
So anyway. The song I've been listening to today is "Country Roads" by John Denver.
Now, I've known this song, or at least parts of it, for almost as long as I can remember. When I was little, and we'd go on long trips somewhere,
I remember my mom always used to sing the chorus of this song to us:
Take me home, country roads, to the place I belong. West Virginia, mountain momma. Take me home country roads.That, until recently, was the only part I knew, but it would always remind me of long trips on warm summer's days, driving home on abandoned country roads, the sweet smell of the grass in the air, the warm breeze, the kiss of the sun. Those are the days I long for with my entire body, mind, and soul. I can't think of a happier place to me. For me, driving on a sunny country lane, with the sweet air filling my nostrils, a fresh warm summer's breeze hitting my face, the warmth from the sun on my skin, blasting some feel good music...that's a recipe to make my soul soar high. And this song is one of the songs that makes me feel like that. It brings those memories back. (After a few of these, I'm sure you'll begin to see that what's most important for me with songs is how they make me feel, and along with that comes a description of the sorts of images, memories, etc. that they stir up.)
I hadn't listened to the full song much before. I think I heard the actual song for the first time when I was 9 or 10, and I was up too late at night, and public television was having some sort of special or something, and they played this song. I remember telling my mom the next day that I'd heard someone singing the song we always sang on trips. But still, I didn't listen to the full song much. I only ever sang the chorus along with my mom on roadtrips.
Recently, I listened to the full song again, and I fell in love with it, because of all the memories and feelings it can bring. The opening of the song is so beautiful... just sit and listen to it. Close your eyes, listen to the words, let the images flow. "Almost heaven, West Virginia, Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah river. Life is old there, older than the trees, younger than the mountains, growing like a breeze."
When I close my eyes and listen to this (and not just the words, of course, but the music, too), I see the rolling hills of a prairie, just before sunset. Maybe an old farm house, with a wooden front porch. An old rocking chair on the porch. A bench swing swaying the the wind. The soft rustle of leaves. The sweet smell of grass. The light warm breeze. I can hear the trickle of a stream. You can almost taste the sweetness of the air. Children are playing out in the grass, not a care in the world. There's an old country lane by the house, a small dirt road, rarely traveled. It's a simple life, but full of so much natural goodness and wonder. And then the chorus comes, and suddenly I'm in a car (half the time I picture myself in a convertible, even though I don't own one...probably something to do with wanting to feel the sun), driving along a nearly empty country highway in the summer sun. The sun is starting to get lower in the sky, the sky is blue tinged with orange. Warm breezes, the smell of corn fields, golden corn fields all around. The sun warms your skin and makes you feel like you haven't a care in the world. And you're traveling to somewhere familiar, somewhere you want to be. Going home, to a childhood happiness.
Now can you see what I call these songs "soul songs"? The power they have is amazing.
In case you haven't heard it, here's "Country Roads" by John Denver:
-Beth
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