I have said it many times before, and I don’t mind saying it again, I love and respect my uncle Thomas. His aesthetic more than anyone else’s has had the greatest impact on my own sensibilities, though I must admit ignorance when it comes to his favorite musical genre, jazz. He will spend an evening in it. After a long day on his feet defining gourmet he craves a softly lit room, a comfortable chair, preferably one that rocks, and he will just listen. “It’s mediation, nephew. Just listen and let your mind go with it for a while.” I won’t say that I don’t enjoy jazz music, my uncle has introduced me to some interesting songs that will always stay with me. Songs like…
Instruction Playlist
God Bless the Child, by Ella Fitzgerald
Stand By Me, by Ben E. King
Lively Up Yourself, by Bob Marley
Give it Away, by The Red Hot Chili Peppers
ATLiens, by OutKast
…God Bless the Child, by Ella Fitzgerald
Her voice changed as she got older, but if you know her as well as I have come to know her, listening to her music over the years with my uncle as he taught me how to cook on the grill as a kid, then you will hear a type of evolution, the graceful aging of vocal chords that can be beautiful if used by a vocal expert as Ms. Fitzgerald proves herself to be in the recording of her that I experienced. Listening to it recently brings me to the third reason why I like music so much; there is wisdom in it.
I don’t know how old I was when I first heard the song, I must have been young because it used to be the song for the opening credits of that show Roc that starred Charles S. Dutton in the early nineties, but I must have been slightly older the first time I heard Ella Fitzgerald sing it. Regardless of the singer, though, the song always retains its meaning and the message is clear; a boy must do for himself or face a pretty bleak future.
The song is one of my uncle’s favorites. He says that it’s a motto for him and it might explain his “lone wolf” tendencies (he’s the least likely to attend a family get together in Ladoga, but usually he has the excuse that he is hundreds of miles away and can’t fly in for a weekend).
Stand By Me, by Ben E. King
Don’t get me wrong, every song has a message, no matter how hard it tries to be insignificant drivel, and no matter how mute the message. But there are some songs with a message so clear and poignant that they can’t be drowned out by intoxicating instrumentals; the songs with words more recognizable than the instruments.
Stand By Me sung by Ben E. King is poetry, it is the penultimate of a true expression of romantic love and devotion to another person (just short of a well cooked meal, rendered over long hours in a hot kitchen for the satisfaction of the beloved, but I’m a foodie so that may not be true for everyone). The instrumental helps, the sweeping horns that raise the listener’s soul to ethereal heights, and King’s delivery is not flawless, but it is real and it feels live even today. He sings the song like he is singing it to someone deserving of the instruction. And the man taught me that love is a very heavy responsibility. it requires fearlessness in the face of doom. But maybe it doesn’t require it, maybe King is telling us that love will make us fearless and capable of staring down imminent danger.
Before my uncle taught me to regard music in such a heady way, I enjoyed Stand by Me because it is nice music; catchy and inoffensive. I was oblivious to the subliminal message that I was learning about the severity of romance and the maturity that it must require. I have been married twice, so maybe it wasn’t completely effective, but when my daughters are older and I reluctantly agree to them dating and having boyfriends, I will implore them not to make my mistakes.
Lively Up Yourself, by Bob Marley
My daughters make me think of Bob Marley, he’s my ex-wife’s favorite and she played him a lot when we were still together as a family. I asked her what “lively up yourself” meant and she said that it meant what it said, to lively up, to resist negativity, to shun a frown (she said all of those things, and imagine it with a Jamaican accent). I may think of this particular song because she would play it to get me excited about going out on the town in DC when we could find a babysitter; but I was really into that show Dexter around that time and my idea of a fun Friday night was binge watching multiple seasons until the sun came up (because I was a very romantic man back then).
I can’t say that it ever worked (I watched a lot of Dexter back then), and maybe if I had followed Marley’s instructions, I would be lively in DC right now.
But then I wouldn’t have Valeria, my amazing wife who is the Stand By Me love that I have been looking for my whole live. So maybe this is the litmus test, folks; what song are you playing for your significant other on a Friday night? It can be very telling.
Give it Away, by the Red Hot Chili Peppers
Look out for the clues, don’t spin in a wheel going nowhere, that is what my ex-wife taught me and I’m better off for it. You have to know when it’s time to give it away (see what I did there?).54
I’m sure that this song is about drugs, though, it really seems like it’s about a very good drug that Anthony Keidis is passing around at a neighborhood block party and everyone who takes it just hordes it, and he’s like “puff, puff, pass” or whatever. But, then the song continues and he’s talking about Bob Marley, which has to make you think that this “drug” must be something beneficent, like happiness, or good will, or liveliness.
I like the song because it reminds me of the Beastie Boys, and Keidis makes saying “give it away” such a fun activity, with the tongue roll and all. It’s a catchy message, an exclamation that is sudden and forceful, easy to repeat. The song makes sharing cool, or making other people share.
ATLiens, by OutKast
Some messages are not so heady, some are simple and fun. Like “throw yo hands in the air! (or a-yer).” And they remind us that we can just have fun, just be the fun loving people that we. So after we have made a life for ourselves, and found lasting, meaningful love, and learned how to overcome inevitable depression and sadness, and imparted our wisdom onto others who can use it, then we can throw our hands in the air and have a good time, free of guilt or worry.
Music can lead us to many things and when we listen close enough, internalize the worthwhile messages, then we can know happiness. (There are countless other things that can help us find happiness, but the versatility of music is fascinating, it’s everything we are and can be as human beings.)
Next week, Wes’s final reason why music matters to him. The conclusion of the Instruction Playlist follows. And Wes says that you should listen to these songs the way you watch a movie; curl up on the couch with some snacks and someone you love and press play.
You Can’t Judge A Book By It’s Cover, by Bo Diddley
Come As You Are, by Nirvana
Hit The Road Jack, by Ray Charles
Your Cheatin’ Heart, by Hank Williams
If You Don’t, I Know Who Will, by Bessie Smith
God’s Gonna Cut You Down, by Odetta
Sixteen Tons, by Tennessee Ernie Ford
Ready Or Not, by The Fugees
Waterfalls, by TLC
Lay Some Flowers on My Grave, by Blind Willie McTell
Lullaby, by Matt Costa ft. Jack Johnson
PRL Serials 