Physics Rocks Raps!

On a heavier note, the Large Hadron Collider rap is making waves on YouTube.

Country Music

I don't really get into Country music much.  It's not that the music is bad or anything, but it seems so often that the music sounds sad - and I don't like listening to sad music all of the time.  However I was flipping through the channels yesterday and I found a song that caught my eye, I mean ear.  At first I thought it was an interview with an old man.  I generally find that by listening to old folks I'll learn something important.  (Wise and old don't go together because they rhyme or roll off the tongue easily, but because it takes a long time to get wisdom.  As an aside, how often have you heard a phrase containing "wise young" - it exists, but not nearly as much as "foolish young" or "wise old.")

So anyway, CMT started this interview thing and it turned into a song:  Kenny Chesney's Don't Blink.  The family photo/video montage looks cool, the music sounds alright, but the words have great meaning.  I'm sure it will get lots of play because of it being the end of 2007. 

2008 is nearly here? Wow -- time flies.  Don't blink and don't waste it. 

Pavarotti

As many of you most likely know, Luciano Pavarotti (from Three Tenors fame) has died at the age of 71.  His (I guess) web site has an interesting quote up right now:

I think a life in music is a life beautifully spent and this is what I have devoted my life to.

He may not have been the best tenor ever, but he is surely among the most popular.  I love classical music, but when I was young I maintained that I did not like opera and especially not this guy -- he reminded me of Stromboli from Disney's Pinocchio.  I didn't speak Italian and I didn't like sopranos (chiefly because the piercing voice was unbearable). 

However, as I grew older, I found myself liking a few pieces and found that they were Pavarotti.  I might be less cultured and more willing to accept the mass-marketed appeal of Pavarotti and not be discriminating enough for the refined artists.  But one thing is undeniable, the music that he did sounds beautifully.  Here are my two favorite songs he did.  Perhaps not the best of recordings, but the songs nonetheless.

Three Tenors - Nessum Dorma

Ave Maria

What is most unfortunate is that apparently his life was devoted to music and not to the Lord.  A search for "Pavarotti's religion," "Pavarotti's religious," and "Pavarotti's beliefs" all turn up no results.  Searching his personal life reveals this:

Off-stage, Pavarotti's personal life was often as colourful as his performances. He was, as U2 rocker Bono said, "a great volcano of a man who had a love of life in all its complexity". -Mirror.co.uk

That makes me sad, quite unlike his music.  With that in mind, here's an encore of perhaps his most famous song, Nessum Dorma.

AudioA winds down: 'There will be tears'

Found in a Alabama paper... 

AudioA winds down: 'There will be tears'

If Your Life Was a Movie...

What would the Soundtrack be?
Ok, so this might seem like a cheesy posts, but I found this one quite interesting. (Scroll down to find out why)

Small disclaimer: I wasn't going to list the fourth category,
but when the title appeared, I thought it carried an extra meaning. This list was not filtered or manipulated in any way.

So, here's how it works:

1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button

Opening Credits: Basics of Life – 4 Him
Waking Up: The Messiah Came – Lydia Ranger
First Day At School: Jar Jar’s Introduction – Star Wars Episode I
Sex Song: Pray – Rebecca St. James
Party Song: 1941 (March) – John Williams
Falling In Love: Symphony No. 6 – Allegretto - Beethoven
Fight Song: Brave – Nichole Nordeman
Breaking Up: Now’s the Time - Carmen
Prom: He’s Been Arrested for Espoinage – Spy Game Soundtrack
Life's OK: I’m Back – Back to the Future, Pt. II
Mental Breakdown: Blessed Assurance – Traditional Hymn
Driving: Concerto No. 8 Allegro - Vivaldi
Flashback: Untitled Track on Jesus Freak – DC Talk
Getting Back Together: Breathe –Marie Barnett
Wedding: Emmanuel – Michal W. Smith
Birth of Child: I heard the Bells on Christmas Day – Burl Ives
Final Battle: Are You Ready for Love – Audio Adrenaline
Death Scene: Patriotic Medley – Armed Forces Band
Funeral Song: Sure Shot – O.C. Supertones
Closing Credits: Here I am to Worship – Rebecca St. James

Interesting, no?

Sure, the randomness of a playlist has no real impact on your life. Out of 2300+ songs on my computer, these are the ones that showed up. But the real impact is that our play lists DO say something about us. Want to know what you are feeding your soul with? Look at your playlist.

Music has the power to capture the heart as well as the mind. Lyrics put to music have a greater memory retention than just ordinary prose. Music has it's own wavelength (pardon the pun) on which to carry meaning.

Music is a tool just like any other: it can be used to worship God, build others up, and teach important lessons. It can also be used to exalt ourselves, hurt others, and corrupt our minds. What is your playlist doing?