Lyrically Speaking

There are two things I love to do. Listen to music and read. The latter seems to have diminished as my work load increased , but music has been my constant companion through my life. But I just realized, that more than the beat or the composition, it’s the words that capture my heart and my soul. Each favorite line linked to a memory that seems to flash as the tune played. So I have decided to start a couple of posts with my favorite lyrics. These songs mainly English pop, country and rock, from the 50’s to the present and some Indian music thrown into it to make it a potpourri of emotions.

My favorite performers through the years have been AR Rahman, Elton John,ABBA, Carpenters , Queen and of course the list of boy bands (on whose members I mostly had a teenage crush on :) ).So starting with my favorites,

“Such a feelins comin over me
There is wonder in most everything I see
Not a cloud in the sky
Got the sun in my eyes
And I wont be surprised if its a dream”
:- Top of the world, The Carpenters

This is a song that’s stuck in my head since I was five. My mom used to sing it to me when we did the dishes together and as I danced around furniture.The song means to me unadulterated joy , as only a child would feel. Of course most of the times this was because I cut school feigning sickness, but that’s a whole another story.

“I have a dream, a fantasy;To help me through reality

And my destination makes it worth the while

Pushing through the darkness still another mile

I believe in angels

Something good in everything I see

I believe in angels

When I know the time is right for meIll cross the stream - I have a dream”
:- I have a Dream, ABBA

Ever had a exam that you thought you couldn’t get through (In my case that was 95% of all the tests I took ) , this song helped me through most of my really bad times. It was a mantra of hope . Also this keeps me from killing colleagues, who take the credit for all the work I’ve done! :D


“The hills are alive with the sound of music
With songs they have sung for a thousand years
The hills fill my heart with the sound of music
My heart wants to sing every song it hears

My heart wants to beat like the wings of the birds
that rise from the lake to the trees
My heart wants to sigh like a chime that flies
from a church on a breeze
To laugh like a brook when it trips and falls over
stones on its way
To sing through the night like a lark who is learning to pray”

:- Hills are alive – Sound of Music Soundtrack

This was the first movie I saw in the famous Pilot Movie theatre in Chennai. The first scene with Julie Andrews running on top of a green mountain took my breath away. This song automatically came to lips when K & I were driving through Yosemite. Nature in all her glory decidedly needs a song, and this one captures it beautifully. For any child , this is an excellent first movie (of course in Pilot theatre at that time, all the kissing scenes were deleted !! )

"I got my first real six-string
Bought it at the five-and-dime
Played 'til my fingers bled
It was summer of '69

And now the times are changin'
Look at everything that's come and gone
Somethimes when I play that old six-string
I think about ya wonder what went wrong"

- :Summer of 69, Bryan Adams

Any kid who has been in a college culturals worth its salt , had air guitar’ed to this song. Be it a bathroom singer or the next “ Idol” contestant, you cant help shaking your head and then start an unusual screaming to the lyrics . Of course the next day you can always blame it on the cough medicine you taken or the beer drunk (optional poison of choice ). College for me is integrated into these lyrics, which speak about a yearning for a time which went by too quickly.

"ONNae oNNu sollaNum
uN mughaththai paaththu sollaNum
thanimai konjam kidaikka koodaadhaa?
naanum maaRi poanadhaen
eN naLinam koodi poanadhaean
adhu therindhaal neeyum solla koodaadhaa
yaarai naan kaetppean...nee sollvAyA
yaarai naan kaetppean...neeyae sollvAyA

yeNNai konjam maatri...yeN nenjil uNNai ootri
nee mella mella yeNNai kolladhae "

- : Ennai konjam matri – Kaakha Kaakha

This one is dear to me, because it was my favorite song during my engagement ( for obvious reasons!!) . But the lyrics seems to be simple to encompass what I was feeling. As for K – he was singing “Azhagana Rakshashiyae” from Mudhalvan which is not very flattering, thinking about it :D

Anyway that was a quick glimpse into my musical memories.. lots more to follow

Now for the jokes

1) Did you hear about the classical pianist who was not a good speller? When she went out to buy something she left a sign on her door that said: "Out Chopin. Be Bach in a minuet"

2) A blonde, a brunette, and a redhead show up for the same job interview. The brunette is the first one to go in, and after filling out the forms and going through the questions, the interviewer decides to ask her last question:

"How many D's are there in "INDIANA JONES""? The brunette thinks for a second and responds "One".

The interviewer sends her back with a promise that he'll get back to her after he had interviewed the remaining candidates.

The redhead is next. The process goes about the same, and at the end: "How many D's are there in INDIANA JONES"? She immediately says "One". The interviewer says, "OK, we'll let you know".

Then the blonde comes into the room, goes through the questions, and finally gets asked: "How many D's are there in INDIANA JONES". She gets a very serious look on her face and starts counting her fingers, muttering: "2, 4, 6 ...., hmmm - wait,... 2, 4, 6 .... can I borrow your calculator please?"

After going through 15 minutes of intense calculating, she finally comes up with the answer: "Thirty two"

The interviewer is stunned and asks her: "Ok, now tell me, how the hell did you arrive at this answer?"

She starts singing "Da Da Dah Dahhh Dah Dah Da Da Dah Dahh Dah Dah ..."
(The theme song for Indiana Jones)

Keep Smilin ppl

Anu