Emotionality in Music

I have always gravitated towards emotionality in everything I do, I always needed it to feel "real" somehow. Music has been the most powerful generator of such emotionality for me. It has the power to change my mood instantly, or milk the mood I am already in. When I space out to music, I can feel so many things, I can daydream, escape or tap into that shadowy side that lies in the deep recesses of my mind. Along that vein, I have included some songs here that I have a deep emotional connection to, for whatever reason, be it lyrically relatable, a beautiful composition or arrangement or something even more personal. I tend to attach certain music to parts of my life, so much so that they become inextricably entangled, where I can't disassociate one from the other. That's why I love music, it makes the experiences I have feel akin to something larger. It adds an air of significance. It makes me feel as though I can grasp some little piece of relevance in a wholly existential world. And it's a good antidote to my pervasive misanthropy. All right, enough of this ethereal chatter, on to the music.

Navajo Rug- Jerry Jeff Walker
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gIXPhlDzwE
Although I like the version I have on Itunes way better, this one will have to do. It is weirdly more peppy than the one I have, even though the atmosphere in that room seems kind of solemn to me, which kind of takes away from the purpose. This song perfectly expresses the beautiful sadness of by-gone relationships, they are significant, but dramatically fleeting and before you even had time to quantify it, it is a distant memory.

Jambalaya (On the Bayou)- Fats Domino
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDj7VfU3368
Probably one of the most covered songs in history, definitely in N'Awlins, but I love this song nonetheless. Most likely because my dad used to sing this to me when I was little while he was cleaning the grill at his restaurant, the last step before we could go home for the night. As for Fats Domino, he is the pinnacle of 50's for me, everything he touches turns to gold in my mind. This song has more energy and life than a thousand songs of today put together.

Magnolia- Tom Petty
I couldn't find a copy of this anywhere, so you will have to look it up on Itunes.
This represents the nostalgic Americana that is young summer love. You can never forget that feeling of falling in love for the first time, and how quickly it can all dissolve into nothingness before you even knew what you had.

When I Paint My Masterpiece- The Band
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wq2e7DPhyHg
I love the carnival-esque sound of this song. It conjures up images of street performers wearing those Venetian masks, endless open-air cafes, and lovers walking hand in hand along the banks of the river. People trying so desperately to to find some connection and meaning. This is new to my collection.

Girl From the North Country- Joe Cocker and Leon Russell (Mad Dogs & Englishmen)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMSY3WBkyoM
This is simply just a beautiful song which I think showcases what Joe Cocker and Leon Russell do best. They can take any song and make it their own, separately or in this case together.

Love Reign O'er Me- Bettye LaVette
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJi6maTueSc
This is completely self-explanatory. I was brought to tears the first time I heard this version, even though I had heard it a million times before, it was like it never existed until that exact moment she preformed it at the Kennedy Center Honors. Sidebar: The album this is on; Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook was the coolest idea for an album ever. She recorded popular British classic rock singles from bands known for covering and being influenced by early blues and soul artists in a clever role reversal.

Try a Little Tenderness- Otis Redding
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjoMSfPQUCA&feature=related
I have a particular penchant for 60's/70's era soul music. Otis Redding, is hands down the most soulful of all the soul artists. He could just sing a song like the entire world depended upon it, that power and that raw emotion. You can just imagine the beads of sweat pouring down his face, the strain and contortion of his movements as he begins to growl from that unbridled place inside. (Weird note- I don't know why the beginning of soul songs have to have those unnecessary horn intros, like that weird call of Triton trumpeting at the beginning of the Delfonics' Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time.)

Dr. Wu- Steely Dan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxEsUiPm17c
I am going to try my damnedest to make you a convert yet. This is the quintessential Steely Dan song, by far. This encompasses fully what they are about. Metaphor on top of metaphor, the smokiness of the saxophone and piano, the seediness that oozes out of it's pores. When I listen to this track, I imagine an underground world, or something on another plane, a dank and outdated bar, some hold-over tiki nightmare, tones of deep mahogany and maroon abound next to lackluster brass, scuffed by years of wear, filled with those depressed souls that life has chewed up and spit out.

Darling Be Home Soon- Joe Cocker (Mad Dogs & Englishmen)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhJ8Sdp3Ny4
This is definitely one of my favorite songs of all time and I would be remiss to not include it. Joe Cocker may have not penned this tune, but he owns every second of it. The sheer emotion that radiates from not only his voice, but his frenetic movements and flailing limbs. He lives each one of his songs as he sings them. He feels every sentiment as the lyrics escape his body, and it translates into a full-on sensory experience for the listener. A particularly beautiful line: "I think I've come to see myself at last. And I see that the time spent confused was the time that I spent without you. And I feel myself in bloom." One of the most poignant lines ever written in music. It's so easy to feel the affinity John Sebastian had with the woman he wrote that about. It's those types of prolific connections that make music, music.