I recently toured the Buffalo AKG Art Museum and among all the Monets and Warhols hanging in its beautiful halls, one of my favorite paintings was the above William Harnett painting. The oil on canvas is entitled “Music and Literature” and was painted in 1878. Crazy, right? Sooooo long ago! I was drawn to the piece because it depicts two of my favorite things: music and books. I’ve been thinking about music a lot lately and figured it’s worth a visit here.
Unless you’ve been under a rock lately, you’ve probably heard all about Taylor Swift and Jason Aldean. Swift is setting every live concert record on her current and extremely popular Eras tour, which is the highest grossing tour of all time and the first to shatter $1 billion in ticket sales. In North America alone, Swifites are helping Swift gross $2.2 billion in ticket sales alone. It’s estimated that each of her shows collects $10,000,000 in ticket sales, resulting in a $4 million profit. Merchandise sold at each tour stop averages $2.5 million and Swift’s total profit per show per night is said to be $5.7 million. It’s no secret that, even back when albums were selling, artists make most of their money on tours but this one is off the charts. Excuse the pun.
Aldean is also making headlines thanks to his “Try That in a Small Town” song and video. Truth be told I am a long-time and huge Aldean fan and when I first heard his new song that laments what’s going on in cities across this country, I loved it. I think it’s raw, honest, and somewhat needed. Critics, as you may know, have slammed it but their objections have only helped the song climb to #1 and become a certified hit and anthem. Same with Oliver Anthony’s “Rich Men North of Richmond” song out of nowhere that is currently topping the charts.
So, what is it about music that gets to our hearts and gets to our souls? Why is it I we can remember every word to “American Pie” but can’t remember what we had for dinner last night? I, for one, am never really without it and can’t imagine a music-free flight or road trip. Music hits so heavy in my life that on a recent trip to London with our daughter, my highlights included watching and singing along to “Mama Mia” in the West End and seeing Bruce Springsteen live in Hyde Park. Yes, I loved all the royal things and had to pinch myself several times, but when it came down to it, singing “Dancing Queen” in a historic theatre with our daughter and “Born to Run” with a bunch of crazy Brits was beyond amazing and incredibly memorable.
And speaking of Bruce, my ever-loyal husband has seen the Boss 40+ times (and yes, he’s beyond jealous about the London show) and actually proposed to me with Bruce’s “Wanna Marry You” song. We walked down the aisle at the end of our wedding to Elvis’ “I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You” because Bruce sang it during the “Born in the USA” tour and my hubby liked it. To this day, it’s our song. Suffice it to say Bruce Springsteen’s music is important to us.
Something else my hubby and I love doing is making playlists. Him especially. He has a mountain playlist, a beach playlist, a desert playlist, and a host of Bruce playlists. My range of music varies widely and my playlists include everything from country to chill, rock to pop, Christian to spa, dance to instrumental. A listen to my main playlist will take you from Van Morrison to Sound of Music to Kool & the Gang to Willie Nelson to U2 to Bach to Toby Keith to Jimmy Buffet to Abba. It’s quite the journey and quite the fun!
Fun can also describe live music, which is something my husband and I both have a passion for. I was privileged to work for the main arena in town doing publicity and promotions and got to meet many a star. To this day it was the most fun job I’ve ever had. Austin is deemed “The Live Music Capital of the World” and when we moved to town 37 years ago, we frequented many a live venue. Sadly, Austin’s growth has become unmanageable so attending a show is now more hassle then fun. It also doesn’t help that we’re getting up in age but we like to remind ourselves and others that we saw live music in Austin during its glory days.
I can honestly close my eyes and hear certain songs and they will forever remind me of something. “We Are Young” takes me back to Moms Weekends with our daughter when she was in college and Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA” takes me back to driving around with a dear friend. From way back, I can hear “Urgent” by Foreigner or “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic” by the Police and be transported to a frat party during my college days and a fellow coed’s boyfriend’s truck, respectively. “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by the Rolling Stones will always remind me of that great funeral scene in “The Big Chill,” Darden Smith’s “Little Victories” reminds me of being in labor and us driving to the hospital to welcome our daughter into the world, “You Were Meant for Me” by Jewel ushers me back to helping a dear friend pack things up during a divorce, Lyle Lovett’s “Nobody Knows” was beautifully included in a scene out of “Beverly Hills 90210” as was Abba’s “Dancing Queen” in “Firefly Lane, and I’ll never forget Tom Petty’s haunting rendition of “I Won’t Back Down” during a 9/11 TV special. Random, right? These don’t even include expected ones and the list could go on forever.
Music is powerful. Music is moving. And music helps you move. I can’t even imagine a treadmill workout without it and the same goes for running errands. Sadly and regrettably, I am not musically inclined at all. I did take guitar lessons when I was young and I love to sing and was in choir, but knowing notes and reading music are not skills I have. I might be able to write a good song if I had to and would love to be able to play the piano. It’s never too late, right? My dream? Playing a piano in the privacy of my own home surrounded by a library and shelves full of books. I’ve always said if I could be anything or anyone in life, I’d pick either a professional tennis player or a singer a la Stevie Nicks or Shania Twain. “I Feel Like a Woman” by Shania is forever my go-to karaoke song. Let’s go girls!
Perhaps no one said it better than the great Dick Clark. What about you? Do you have songs that take you back to certain people or places? Are you a music lover and listen to it whenever and wherever? What music is the soundtrack of your life? Let’s end here on a high note and share your songs of life.
Beyond Words 