The day after my grandfather died, I exclusively listened to “Starting Over” by Chris Stapleton. I did not know what to do with my ball of grief, but I did know that there must still be beauty in the world. For me, it’s music and literature. Always, they reaffirm humanity and remind me of the joy in the world. Holding onto the lyrics of, “And some days we might fall apart, And some nights might feel cold and dark, But nobody wins, afraid of losing, And the hard roads are the ones worth choosing,” made me think of my grandpa’s fighting spirit. Just remembering his smile and tenacity provided me solace in a much needed time of comfort.
Some people listen closely to lyrics, others have little care for what is being said in the background of their favorite song. But when we do pay attention to the deeper meanings, we hear the words and stories the artists are begging us to absorb.
Not all stories are in books, some of the most powerful, breezy or even most beloved accompany a beat. Like me, Villanovans carry a song with lyrics close to their heart.
For one student, hearing her comfort song, “That’s Life” by Frank Sinatra, happened for the first time while strolling through her local grocery store.
“Now, I play it every time I have a bad day at school, or lose a game or honestly after anything that’s not too fortunate,” she said. With lyrics, “you pick yourself up and get back in the race and that’s life,” she finds everything put into perspective and is provided the strength to continue moving forward. For her, this song also serves as a reminder that, “life is so up and down, so much good mixed in with the bad and you need to accept this balance.” You may be “riding high in April and shot down in May,” as Frank Sinatra put it, but “that’s just life.”
Other students had similar responses to “That’s Life,” in that many chose songs with motivational reminders and grounding lyrics. One student cherishes, “Humble and Kind” by Tim McGraw, even going so far as using the lyrics, “when the dreams you’re dreaming come to you and the work you put in is realized, let yourself feel the pride but always stay humble and kind” as their senior quote. This student chose this song to be enshrined in their yearbook because they view these lyrics as a life philosophy.
“It is completely fine and normal to feel good about yourself and do something you are proud of,” they said. “But, it’s the way that you deal with that pride that matters. The point is to carry yourself with grace and the way to do that is to remove ego and turn back to help others.”
Another student loves a song more for its story rather than a specific lyric. “Backwards Down the Number Line” by Phish is a song this student’s dad would always play on their birthday. The song describes two friends who come together each year to wish each other a happy birthday.
“The overarching message is friendship. The main characters in the song begin this birthday tradition when they are eight and nine years old and always find each other again,” the student said. The song lyrics describe a promise: “every time a birthday comes, Call your friend and sing a song, Or whisper it into his ears, Or write it down just don’t miss a year.” Now this student plays this song for all of their friends every birthday, just like their dad did for them.
“26” by Caamp tells the story of a narrator reflecting on a moment where everything is almost perfect: a barefoot beach walk, a flowy sundress and an all-consuming love. He envisions life when they turn 26 where they can get married, move away and begin a family. It is an exploration of young love and indefinite commitment. For one student, when they hear songs they associate it with smells. In the case of “26,” it is rosemary.
“This song makes me think about love and nature and how the two of them overlap so profoundly in my life,” the student said. They describe this song is about appreciating, and being in, the simple things in life. Loving someone is perhaps the most simple and important aspect of human experience.
“Being in nature brings out a similar sense of being in love,” the student said.
For this student, with both love and nature, there is a similar feeling of just, “a pure, organic, almost human, very lovely way to be.”
Throughout all of civilization, music has been used as a vehicle to tell beautiful stories. It is a means of connection and exhibition in humanity. From lyrics with powerful messages of how to handle life, to silly stories of friendship, music taste from fathers and even an exploration of love, the songs we hold close remind us of where we’ve been, who we’ve loved, and the challenges we’ve overcome. Musical moments can so easily become part of our personal narratives.
