The Song Remains The Same...

Life is a song...

A gorgeous blend of rhythm, harmony, melody, tonality, theme, and motif. An antiquated balance between form and function, between studied theory and whimsical talent, between percussive dominance and rhythmic passivity. A continuous interplay between instrumental equivalents finding a voice within a construction and settling into a comfortable role. Think Jazz with me: any instrument can lead the musical arrangement, it just depends on the intended construction and the moment in the song. Sometimes, each instrument has it's time in the sun. Now the lead guitar vacillates all over the musical staff - major, minor, thirds, sevenths, diminished, augmented, pentatonic - the direction is left to the guitar. Now the bass takes hold, the grooving bass that forces you to bob - not nod - your head in calm and collected coolness. Then the drummer kicks it with some rolls, a bit of a high hat, syncopated beats, speed ups and slow downs that beg for toe-tapping.

Life is similarly constructed of a confluence of elements that result in a symphonic and harmonious output. Some lives are psychedelic, some rock and roll, others are classical, and still others are somewhere else. Some people do a lot of talking in their lives, just like some songs focus on the lyrics. Some people do a lot of waiting in lives, just like some songs focus on the music. Some people do a lot of crazy things in life, just like song solos are all over the place. Some people stay very close to the chest, just like some songs keep it very simple. There is no life that is definitively and objectively better than another, just like there is no definitive and objective way to place songs in a particular order.

Though our verses tell the story of the goings-on that make up the fluidity of our lives, it is the chorus that is the real meat and potatoes. Those battle-tested beliefs and ideals that we continuously fall back on. Our cheat-sheet that we use as the basis for all of our decisions. Just like the song, our lives always come back to the chorus or the hook. And just like a good song, if you have no hook, then you have no song. It's the "Bye, Bye, Bye" and the "Oops, I Did It Again" that pulls you back in. It's the "Let It Be" and the "If You Want Blood" that grabs our attention. It's the "Sipping on Gin and Juice" and the "It's Tricky To Rock Around, To Rock Around the Clock" that sticks with us. It's the "Lovin' Is What I Got" and the "Whoa, Amber is The Color of Your Energy" that bobs the head.

A great song is like a beautiful work of art. Whereas artwork stimulates your mind visually, music stimulates your brain sonically. Both are constructed with interconnected complexities that add or subtract various levels of depth. The most important correlation between the two, however, is that the power both have over the individual. Moreover, that power is directly proportionate to the ability of the artwork to impact the audience through the reflecting of life back towards the audience. Every great piece of artwork - paintings, songs, symphonies, sculptures, novels, theater, television, films - is characterized by the ability to reflect an aspect of life back to the audience. Some for humor and some for drama and some for both. This is no matter. The point is to remember that these artistic creations reflect our lives and we are not supposed to make our lives reflect them.

Sometimes, even, art can be an even better representation of the realities of life than life:
"And, in the end, the love you take,
Is equal to the love you make." - "The End", The Beatles, Abbey Road