Chicagoans woke up this morning to learn that thus far this has been the 28th snowiest year on record. The kind of figure that statisticians love. But what about the rest of us...?
It would be anti-intellectual to dismiss the role of stats and facts in our age of science. But would it be anti-intuitive to suggest that we -- even as advanced and modern as we are -- live, love and leap more from feelings than from figures? Surely not even evolutionists would deny us our emotions.
So it's settled then. Modern humanity relies increasingly on the empirical data of the day, but at the same time is allowed room for its many and complex emotions.
How best to conflate the two? How best to cognitively saddle our bronco emotions? Well, that's what psychologists and psychiatrists are for, right? But wait...what about composers!
Most people will grant that even the greatest intellects can be swept off their feet and their game by great composers. [The New York Times just completed a study of the world's 10 greatest, starting with Bach to Bartok]. Most people would also include the popular song writers. You know, the tin pan alley and Broadway crowd who don't write for Carnegie Hall, but for lovers. Make your own top ten list, but surely it will include song writers like Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Harold Arlen, Rogers & Hammerstein, the Beatles, and Bob Dylan.
Want to pinpoint exactly how important such song writers are in our lives? Fill in the blanks below with the name of the song that first rushes to your mind [check that, your heart] >>
* They were playing ______ the night of my prom
* They were playing ______ my first year of college
* They were playing ______ the year I met you
* They were playing ______ at my last music concert
* They were playing ______ when the news broke in with that terrible tragedy
Remembering this is the 28th snowiest year in Chicago history is interesting. Remembering the music when that special someone/something happened is virtually instant. Is it still permitted to say: "Music is the language of heaven inside our hearts."
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I actually can fill in every blank. Wow...
ReplyDeleteI can't for any of the occasions mentioned ... which seems strange for a radio announcer with 42 years under his belt ... butI do remember a song that has stayed with me throughout my life ... "My Cup Runneth Over" ....
ReplyDeleteGeezer ~ even a radio announcer's memory banks run a little bare at times. What kind of announcing did you do for those lucky Canadian audiences??
ReplyDeleteI ran the gamut Jack {Rock DJ, Classical Music Host ... etc} We had time as a Manager and Program Director ... then News Director for local AM & FM stations .. as well as announcer for the local CBC TV and afternoon TV program host with all the local 'celebrities/businesspeople' as guests ... Commercial production and event MC'ing were our forté ... Later years we slipped into "instruction" in all aspects of 'Electronic' media ... several hundred badly trained students can attest to my dearth of knowledge in providing them with an adequate skill set .... Tee Hee ...
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