muzak
Have you heard the new Lucinda Williams song? It’s called Are You Alright? The first time I heard it I thought it was so lame and boring and the repetition uncalled for. I rolled my eyes when I heard it and said, “oh pleeeeze.” XM plays it often and I’m mysteriously drawn to it. I’ve heard it maybe ½ dozen times now. I’m not a huge fan of hers and her voice irritates me sometimes. But this one really pulls me in.
I tried to find it on-line but discovered it’s not even released as a CD yet, but iTunes has it if that’s your cup of tea.
It’s a song where she just quizzes a friend of hers, mentioning she hadn’t heard from him in awhile, where did he disappear to, wanted to check in and see if he’s okay. That’s the sum total of the entire song and at the end of every stanza she asks, “are you alright?”
Today while driving home, they played it again. At the refrain she sings:
Are you sleeping through the night
Do you have someone to hold you tight
Do you have someone to hang out with
Do you have someone to hug and kiss you, hug and kiss you
The combination of her voice, the gentle country melody and these lyrics … I teared up. To the point where I had to pull over cause I couldn’t see. I realized how many times I’ve felt this way about so many people. Many of you here reading this, in fact. And I realized how many times I’ve been on the other side hoping for someone to ask me, are you alright?
Music is so amazing. There’s no elaborate poetry in this song at all. It’s as simple as they come. If poetry’s purpose is to evoke emotion, this one works. At least for me, anyway. Listen for it and see what you think.
(EDIT: There is a small portion of the song Right here)
I tried to find it on-line but discovered it’s not even released as a CD yet, but iTunes has it if that’s your cup of tea.
It’s a song where she just quizzes a friend of hers, mentioning she hadn’t heard from him in awhile, where did he disappear to, wanted to check in and see if he’s okay. That’s the sum total of the entire song and at the end of every stanza she asks, “are you alright?”
Today while driving home, they played it again. At the refrain she sings:
Are you sleeping through the night
Do you have someone to hold you tight
Do you have someone to hang out with
Do you have someone to hug and kiss you, hug and kiss you
The combination of her voice, the gentle country melody and these lyrics … I teared up. To the point where I had to pull over cause I couldn’t see. I realized how many times I’ve felt this way about so many people. Many of you here reading this, in fact. And I realized how many times I’ve been on the other side hoping for someone to ask me, are you alright?
Music is so amazing. There’s no elaborate poetry in this song at all. It’s as simple as they come. If poetry’s purpose is to evoke emotion, this one works. At least for me, anyway. Listen for it and see what you think.
(EDIT: There is a small portion of the song Right here)