Theme songs…
For the last 24 hours I have had Jimmy’s Song in my head. I know Jonathan’s calling it “Ocean” on his CD, but it’ll still be that song that my dad always hums along to with a bit of glistening wetness in the corner of his eye when we go out to one of the Ventura cafes to hear music.
I tend to find songs like this when I’ve had something shift beneath my feet. The last time I got hooked on this one, I had no recording of it and I’d just been through a massive change of living situations… that’s something they understood in Alberta. I’ve been incredibly remiss in my conference recaps, but for some reason I’ve felt that it was better left to my own memories. Anyway, they played the same song (this year: “Days Go By” – Keith Urban) twice a day and followed it with a reflection each time. It had the desired effect. Each time they played it, the memories and layers of emotion of each day got settled onto this one song.
The way it works for me… I transfer all these memories and emotions onto the song. Maybe I cry along to it, if that’s what’s required. Then, it starts to be okay again. The song takes on all those meanings and relieves me from having to feel them fully each time. I take it to the point where I’m sick of the song, and then I play it just one or two more times, this time listening closely to it and seeing all the layers. When I’ve done that, usually I’ve made my peace with whatever was on my mind. When I’m ready for a new song, I’m ready to go on. Maybe it takes a day, maybe a week. And the playing doesn’t have to be constant. Sometimes it is. Sometimes it’s just a recurring theme.
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