Someone Saved My Life Tonight

I heard the Elton John song "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" earlier today-- it was a gift from the radio gods, or maybe the radio devils at Clear Channel. A lot of songs remind me of my closest friends, and a lot of songs remind me of my siblings; when I hear one of them, I get a sense of connection and affection for my loved ones. Some songs tell a different story because they were the soundtrack for a specific event. That particular song tells a bittersweet story.

I remember being at one of my several hourly retail jobs a few years back when a close colleague came in to start his shift, and the expression on his face really struck me. I asked him what was going on, and he told me that his roommate/best friend had attempted suicide. His troubled friend sought help in time and was able to recover. When my colleague had asked what had been the spur for his friend to call for help, he replied that he thought of their friendship and what he'd leave behind. When I drove home from work that night, I heard "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" on the radio. As my colleague and I became friends, I was going through a transition and trying to sketch out my next step. Had it not been for him, I wouldn't have taken the path I did, and I would've missed out on some very important lessons. So, in a way, he saved my life, too. I wouldn't be surprised if he's saved a few more since then! I read that the song was written about a friend who convinced Elton to not marry a woman to whom he was engaged, and to follow a path that was more genuine and authentic to his ambitions and desires. Good job, friend-of-Elton.

There are some other songs that have such specific memories, some happy, some not.

"Heart of the Matter"-- especially the India.Arie cover-- will always remind me of when my grandpa died. The first line of the song is "I got the call today/I didn't want to hear/but I knew that it would come". I've gotten two calls since then that have hit me as hard. I'm looking forward to a nice, long vacation from those calls.

The Dixie Chicks' "Sin Wagon" was always the chosen soundtrack for the almost weekly trips my friends and I made from our school in Roanoke, VA to the closest co-ed campus 45 minutes away. Whenever we pulled off the highway to drive into Lexington, someone would always make sure that "Sin Wagon" was playing. This was probably not a good idea, because the lyrics aren't like, "Tonight I'm going to have sober, responsible fun/ I might give a guy my phone number/ but only after I find out that he's close with his mother/ and wants to go to Harvard Law." The lyrics are very...hmm... enabling. And restless 18-year-olds who've spent 6 days surrounded by Southern manners and stern professors need no further persuasion to go native.

My brother always had music playing in room, and most of it was unfamiliar to me, but "Ripple" by the Grateful Dead was a favorite. I remember him playing it when he was in high school, and when I got to high school, I know I included it on several mixed tapes. It has a really simple melody, and I always really loved the last line: "If I knew the way, I would take you home."

I remember visiting my friend Andy when he was at school at U-M, and we'd just hang out for a few hours. On a few occasions, he'd have me listen to a song, and I highly recommend that method for connecting with an artist or album. "Sit here, we're not going to talk, just listen." I remember hearing Jeff Buckley and Death Cab for Cutie, most specifically. And "Ghostwriter" by RJD2-- played specifically for its lovely sampling of Elliott Smith. A few years later, a common friend of ours, Fabian, got into the mix, too. I distinctly remember sitting on Fabian's couch, he put his headphones on me, and played "Overkill" by Colin Hay-- and when the song was over, he seemed satisfied with my reception of the song because he could hear my breath catch at a specific point in the song when it gets into a higher gear. (Whatever. A crescendo? A bridge? Those who've heard it will surely recognize what I mean.) I am very grateful to Andy and Fabian-- my ears would have had a lot less fun had I not met them.

I love that quality to music-- even if a song is awful, it still has the power to take us on a journey. It's a great fortune to find artists that don't take that for granted.