Identity Playlist

Over The Rainbow/ Simple Gifts by The Piano Guys

I chose this song because I have lived in Kansas since I was 5 years old (yes, make all the Dorothy and Toto jokes to your heart’s content) and also because the song Simple Gifts has resonated within me from the first time I heard it. Almost every time I listen to it I get chills. I identify with the lyrics as well: “tis the gift to be simple, tis the gift to be free, tis the gift to come down where you ought to be, and when we find ourselves in the place just right, twill be in the valley of love and delight.” I can’t speak for my brother, but throughout my life my father has indirectly instilled an appreciation for simplicity through the way he lives, the art he likes, and the music he listens to. I really adhere to the notion of beauty through simplicity and try to incorporate it into the way I live, the way I do things, and how I carry myself.

Green Garden by Laura Mvula

            The bells and hand claps in the beginning of this song indicates a childlike playfulness, and I know I have many childish tendencies that will most likely stay with me for a long time (I can already picture myself in my ROTC class swinging my legs because my feet don’t touch the floor). The lyrics speak towards a love of and appreciation for nature, which I have possessed for as long as I can remember. Another connection to this song is the friend who introduced me to it--she is probably the one person with whom I can connect on the most levels of emotion and depth of thought.

The Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel

I have four specific lyrics I’d like to address to explain why I chose this song other than for its acoustic sound and simple but effective harmonies:

1) The opening line “hello darkness, my old friend”

            I like the contradiction this line poses by having the personified word “darkness,” which is usually viewed in a negative light (haha), paired with the positive noun “friend.” In recent years, I have recognized the juxtaposition of positive and negative in an endless variety of situations. Charles Baudelaire put it much better than I when he said, “I can barely conceive of a type of beauty in which there is no Melancholy.”

2) “But my words like silent raindrops fell”

            Other than loving the imagery, I’m reminded of the phrase “people listen to respond, not to understand.” I feel that too often people are speaking to selectively deaf ears.

3) "And the people bowed and prayed to a neon God they made"

             This line speaks towards the prevalence of materialism and consumerism in society, traits that I recognize as inevitable but also wish they weren't as pervasive.

4) “The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenement halls”

            To me, this line says that wisdom and insight don’t have to come from the Queen of England or the Dalai Lama. Our internal contexts give each of us a personal wisdom that would not be completely understood by anyone but could be at least acknowledged if it was only heard. Beautiful and profound epiphanies can come from the most mundane of activities or encounters.

After Hours by We Are Scientists

            I chose this song because 1) the first time I heard it, I probably played it between 5-10 times consecutively and I still get chills from it every once in a while and 2) the best way of describing the feeling I get from this song is the quote from Perks of Being a Wallflower: “and in that moment, I swear we were infinite.” Yes, the song is about getting drunk and going barhopping “after hours” which I cannot relate to, but I have been out late with friends after a performance or dance, and have been up at a friend’s house into the wee hours of the morning. In these situations, a certain feeling comes about when you’re just having fun or are in a deep conversation—it is a feeling of freedom from responsibilities and inhibitions and, like the song says, “as always at this hour, time means nothing.” Which makes me think of the phenomena of flow described in the book that I have had the pleasure of experiencing countless times, including while reading said book.