That one question that we
will probably get asked around 417 times in our life time. That one question which
makes our brain scan through every single album on the shelf at home, every
playlist on our iTunes, every tune that was played on the radio that morning;
the undeniably torturous question “what is your favourite song?” I proceeded to answer this oh-so-easy
question with ‘Hey Jude’ by the Beatles but than a wave of panic washed over me as I remember how much I love ‘You Really Got Me’ by the Kinks.
Oh yes. This question really had got me. We could hover for what seems like 3 hours
as the questioner taps on their watch, but no. Dozens more songs flood our head
and the ability to answer with an individual, all time, favourite song is somewhat impossible.
And if this applies to you then I applaud you. You
do not need a favourite song. You have simply demonstrated that there are too
many exquisite songs, many of which are pointless to compare to one another, to
single out. Clearly music holds a great power that should not be reckoned with.
The fact that an array of songs can bring such joyous feeling to an individual
is amazing; this cultured and diverse world we live in is continuously
supplying us with songs for everybody’s needs, tastes and pleasure. Expression
through words is one thing, but expression through music brings an entire new
dimension to freedom of speech - Lily Allen, I bow down to you and your tremendous use of free speech/wit/'unrefined' approach to music.
Whether it the lyrics in a song which you can
relate to, the story that a song tells, the melody which stays in your head for
days on end, the distinct voice of the artist, the memories attached to that
song, or simply the upbeat tempo; songs are the playlist of our lives.
‘Purple Haze’ by Jimi
Hendrix, an undeniable classic piece of music that breathes talent and passion;
place this next to ‘Single Ladies’ by Beyonce, which Rolling Stone said "the beat is
irresistible and exuberant. The vocal hook is stormy and virtuosic,” and you
have two admirable masterpieces which are essentially unattainable to compare
to one another. Music, for me right now, acts as escapism. Being able to
shuffle between The Smiths, to Haim, to Oasis, to Idina Menzel (yes musicals
are my secret pleasure), takes me to a whole other place. It’s just like a good
book, just without the necessity of deep concentration. But the magic of music
doesn’t finish at the end of an album; nothing beats live music. That is a
fact, unless the artist lip syncs which is of course, a travesty to the music
industry. (Britney Spears is a prime example of being a repeat offender of the lip-syncing crime. In fact her miming began to be so obvious that during a concert in Australia, her fans walked out. Oops! Britney lip synced again.)
The intimacy of a gig, or the large scale buzz of being in a swarm of
sweaty, excited festival goers, or even the background melody of a jazz singer
as you chow down on your seafood linguine, all take you to a place that no
social media site, no television programme, no app, no amount of Jack Daniels could take you to. I am ninety nine percent certain that magic happens when
live music is being played. There is that one song which the entirety of the
crowd knows word for word and before you know it your arms around the stranger
next to you. There is the slight awkwardness of the intro to a song of which
nobody’s ears have had the pleasure to listen to before, but soon the melody
will be ringing in your ears for days on end. And there is that moment that you
are on such a high, enjoying that very place and moment that you don’t even
consciously realise that a truly wonderful song is acting as an accompaniment
to that truly wonderful moment. (My hippocampus has just taken me back to
Benicassim in July 2013, when dancing on the bridge with two of my best friends,
we realise we are shaking our hair to Johnny Marr singing ‘There is a Light
That Never Goes Out, an irrefutable classic.)
Who said we need one
favourite song? Just keep adding to your list of favourites, it’s much more
pleasurable. Our ‘favourite song’ tends to be one that touches us at that
certain point in our life. But our lives are ever changing which makes not
having a favourite song even more wonderful; you can hold on to the old songs
which brought you happiness and you can inundate yourself with the swarm of
current, never been heard before music.
How can a person
determine their favourite song? Why would one need to determine their favourite
song? We are blessed to live in a world with such diverse, variety of music.
Music needs to be appreciated, not measured.
"I don't have favourites, I think, when you play, you have to be like a prostitute, you have to love the piece you are playing. Even if you don't like it, you have to play it as if you would like it. Then you are a good interpreter." Ruggiero Ricci
