What's Your Superpower?

Two things I love: words and music. And the marriage of both is a powerful potion that makes me weak in the knees; which is why songwriters are magical creatures. And if they can sing? They might as well wear capes, travel at ultrasonic speeds, and be bulletproof!

Art in all its forms satisfies our need to be in the presence of something we cannot fully explain. As our physical bodies require air, food, and water to survive our souls long for the rush of adrenaline we feel when we see a captivating painting, hear a catchy melody, behold the intricacies of an architectural wonder; we crave to be transported to another version of reality inside a movie theater, on a Broadway stage, or within the pages of a book.

Art gives our frustrations a voice, expresses our love, quantifies our disappointments, and sorts out our dilemmas. We slather our anxieties, joys, and unspoken desires all over a canvas, put them on a pedestal, dance them out of our systems, string them up in verses, and collect them all in a page. However, nothing quite purges us of our angst the way words lined up on a staff in 4/4 measure can. Some scream their hearts out to the tune of I Will Survive. Or cry at the first four notes of Für Elise. Or swoon at the words, "I found a love for me..."

My grandmother sang to me every night when I was a child. She was a songwriter herself. I thought the songs she sang were known to everyone until I asked people about them. It saddens me that I have forgotten many of the lullabies she hummed. But there is one that's imprinted in my brain. It could be because she always sang it on nights when I had a bad day. It's not a wonder that until now, I sleep better when I have music on.

I could be driving, shopping for clothes, eating, or going about my normal work day, a melody is never far from my mind. I hum when I'm anxious, happy, scared, excited, or tired. And when no one is watching, I'd dance and sing till my lungs give out. In grade school, I used to climb on top of a table and pretend that I was performing for an audience (But ask me to do that in public and I'd pretend not to hear you.). 

Tribes, cultures, ethnic groups... everyone speaks the language of do-re-mi. A song in another dialect could still catch your attention; gosh, even mere drum beats could do that. There is something that music does that's not readily evident. Even those we think would not be musically-inclined would respond to a tune, although it might not be in ways that an average person would. 

A research study on children with autism showed that incorporating music into their daily lives could help them focus. I, for one, could vouch for the veracity of this conclusion based on my experience working with kids with special needs. A child on the floor with a tantrum would seldom respond to soothing words; but sing them a soft song and chances are, they'll come out of that funk. So you can bet that Usher's version of the alphabet song is in my professional toolbox.

Animals, too, behave better when they hear classical music. A study done on elephants at a Belfast zoo revealed that Beethoven's fifth, Elgar's Nimrod, and Nessun Dorma among others help quell these tusked behemoths restlessness brought about by their difficulty in coping with captivity. [I have something to say about animals in cages; but that's a thought for another time.]

Superheroes are those that make a difference in this world. And there is no doubt in my mind that musicians, singers, and songwriters, with their power to bridge cultural divides, calm a raging soul, heal a broken heart, unite a divided country... Well, let's just say The Justice League and The Avengers combined couldn't hold a candle to this elite breed of humans. What's your superpower?

(P.S. It was hard choosing which art form is my favorite. I was going back and forth between movies, books, and music because they're all equal in my assessment. It's kinda like choosing which child is your favorite. So my writing about music does not mean the other two are lacking somehow; just that I needed to pick one. 😉)

Strumming my pain with his fingers, singing my life with his words, killing me softly with his song...