I went to see James last night, and they were as wonderful as expected. Also, my James-loving girls out there, I can hook you up with an
As you may have gathered, music is very important to me. So much so, I actually had to tell The Dude at the beginning of two of the songs (Tomorrow & Out to Get You for the two people who give a shit) that I would probably get teary. Fast forward mere moments later when yes, I did cry. With regard to "Out to Get You", I actually had some tears streaming down my face. I must have (quite rightly) looked like a mad woman, swaying to the music, mouthing the lyrics, and crying. Welcome to my emotionally unbalanced world. I'm a freak, right?
I could pontificate on why James' lyrics are so important to me, but that would be boring, and no doubt cheesy. Essentially, the truth and power of their lyrics resonated with me at a time when depression and lonliness dominated my days. To hear these songs live makes all of the resulting emotions flood back. I'm 15, sobbing to my Mom that I hate being me. I'm 19 realising that the body I had just the previous year wasn't as bad as I thought. I'm 23, in a new country, starting a new life. Now here I am, nearly 30, in this country which is now my home, a mother, a wife, still singing along to the same song. Life has changed dramatically, but the music is a constant.
In case anyone wants to have a listen to this song that embarrassingly brought me to tears, "Out to Get You":
My question to you is - what musician/band/song does this for you? What song, or performer would bring/has brought you to tears based on your connection?
I'm assuming I'm not the only soppy git out there. Please don't prove me wrong.
P.S. For the James fans out there, there is another song that would evoke even more crying than the first two I mentioned - Lullaby (off Laid). Sob. Lucky for me they would probably never perform it.
14 comments:
I generally cannot listen to Josh Groban without crying. I know, I know . . . totally cheesy. But he really does have the most amazing voice I've ever heard and I am so moved by the depth of his talent.
Leonard Cohen.
oh I am so so so jealous. so jealous.
Just reading the title of the song "out to get you" made my entire body have a sort of summer of 1993 reverb. Oh God I would have cried too.
I get emotional when I hear songs that got me through my childhood. Anything from Carol King's Tapestry album can do it. Cat Stevens ALWATS.
More recently it is pretty much anything by Ray LaMontagne. I think he is the soundtrack to my 30's so far.
any photos from the concert?!?!?!
I feel that way about Joni Mitchell. But then there are musicians that evoke a former feeling of anger/angst when I was trying to figure out who I am...like Ani Di Franco or NIN.
Tori Amos. Hands down.
I've seen her perform a dozen times now and cried every. single. time.
Thunder Road - Bruce Springsteen. I saw him perform it live and bawled the entire way thru it.
Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley
The Luckiest - Ben Folds
It's Not Easy Being Green - Kermit The Frog (yes, seriously)
There's one that gets me everytime.
Let Love Speak Up Itself, by the Beautiful South. Dunno what it's actually about, Paul Heaton could be on about literally anything, but it always makes me poignantly remember the 3 pregnancies I lost.
'From the day it came unto us, till the day it wants to leave.
For it will, it will go,
and it will not say goodbye, just like it didn't say hello.
There will not be a send-off, a funeral or mass.
Just a pathetic little vodka from a dirty little glass,
'To the world's greatest mum...'
Oh God, I'm off now.
Absolutely nothing used to make me cry. Nothing. Now? Give me a shlocky beer commercial and I'm all over the kleenex. Really. Given my mood, if something sounds dicey, I turn the station. I'm into a lot of superficial fast cheeze, lately.
Oh, the jealousy. It's painful.
U2 is what does it for me. I'm actually watching Rattle & Hum right this very moment, ruminating on this very subject. U2 has been my favorite band since 1983. I was 7, and my aunt had made a tape of "October" for my mom, and it was the first time music had ever made me sit up and take notice.
U2 is the closest to religion that I am going to get, I think. Some people have God, to whom they turn when things go sour or when they're feeling less than whole.
I have U2. Their music inspires me. Challenges me. Lifts me. Carries me. Heals me.
Sappy it may be, but it's probably the barest truth I have ever put out there on the internet.
As for James, the song that does it for me is "Seven." It is such a classic mix-tape ender! Also my Life Theme Song: "Born of Frustration." And "We're Going To Miss You." Ohhhh and the list goes on.
I even have an iTunes playlist of these kinds of songs.
Sap away, friend. Sap away.
I can completely relate. The Smiths do this for me, in particular "Asleep." Tori, too, especially "Tear in Your Hand." As far as James goes, your favorites are two of mine as well.
I get quite emotional over Old McDonald had A Farm...sorry...what... music for adults? Is it anything by the Wiggles? I thought your rave on Miss P was sublime by the way, have just caught up now. Also...can see you have the ads going. How is that? How does that work? Can you retire now?
Oh, dude. I so have you trumped on the embarrasing crying thing. Firstly, my cry-instinct is kind of broken, in that I have a tendency to cry mostly when I'm really, really angry. Or when I'm just overwhelmed emotionally. But rarely when I'm just sad or touched do I have the full-blown, tears-streaming like I do when I'm mad.
So weirdly (and here is the odd/embarrasing part), I have tears rolling down my face every time I hear the national anthem. I am not particularly patriotic. I am a musician, so I appreciate a good tune perhaps more than the next person, but crying? That's just fucked up. Our anthem isn't even that well written or anything.
Of course, I recently caught the opening of a Euro Cup game with Germany and Austria, and I cried during the performances of both of their national anthems as well. Appparently, I'm an equal-opportunity anthem-cryer.
Of course, there are plenty of more normal songs/lyrics that make me cry, but none so interesting as the anthem thingy. Michelle Shocked's Anchorage is a sad one for me because I thought of it (and heard it) often during the time when I was moving from Texas to NC. And Indigo Girls Leaving is another that hits me sometimes for the same reason. And then there's all the standard Cure/Smiths/Depeche Mode type stuff that make me cry for my sad youth.
But yeah. Really, it's the powerful anthems that get me.
Hairy Farmer Family has set me off too, now. 'Let Love Speak Up Itself' always does my head in. Sob sob. It'll be even worse now. Sob sob SOB.
Hallelujah, but sung by K.D. Lang.
Mr Bobby, by Manu Chao
'Hey Bobby Marley
Sing something good to me
This world go crazy
It's an emergency' and then he gets to the last verse about looking out of his window and not seeing any lights and I go 'bWahhhhhh...'
It Doesn't Matter Any More, sung by either Eva Cassidy or Martin Simpson.
Aretha Franklin singing 'Operation Heartbreak'.
I could go on, but this is getting embarrassingly long...
Hi there
Here via nacomleavmo.
I have a couple of songs that reduce me to tears - we used both at our wedding.
The biggie is Bobby Caldwell's version of "What you won't do for love" which i've just put on and has brought tears to my eyes and lifted the hairs on the back of my neck. It was our first dance.
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