Running Through Songs

I have this problem...I love music! I love it so much that I have a tendency to get intoxicated by the instrumentation and brilliance in the intertwining sound in the phrasing of a song's lyrics. From time to time I get so wrapped up in this level of enjoyment that I often do not pay full attention to the actual lyrics.

I am far better at this than I used to be. While in undergrad I had friends that were baffled by some of the songs I loved. They would often ask me things like "You listen to this...have you paid attention to the lyrics?" I would try to brush them off by saying "But do you hear that beat?! Listen to how they..." I would go on to list a few pieces of the musical artistry I noticed, and that would generally bring the conversation to a close.

One day my attempts to deflect did not work. My friend really made me listen to a song with some less than desirable lyrics. I was somewhat embarrassed, because I had found away to rap along without a care for what I was saying. This moment changed how I listened to music forever.

I am far from perfect. I still listen to songs that my mom would stare me down for. The difference now is that I am aware far sooner than I was back then. However, sometimes I relapse into full enjoyment of a song as I did 20 years ago.

This recently happened as I first experienced "Runaway" by The Amours. After I proudly posted the song to my IG story, I quickly hit repeat...and started to listen to the lyrics. As the chorus began to unfold:

I gotta run don’t know how much I can take
I can sense a heart break from a mile away (I’ll go)
This is too familiar, I gotta leave
Imma lace my shoes, pack a bag and runaway

My mind began to whirl.

April 2020