One can hear a song dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of times and never realize it was not written specifically for oneself. I recently heard a song on the radio. This song I have heard over and over for years on an irregular basis. In all the times I heard the song, I never thought it could be written for anyone other than me. I never thought anyone else could relate to the song as I have done. When I speak of relating, I mean this: Having the song as a part of me, rather than connecting the song to a particular point or space or place in my life. Not conjuring a memory of a place or time, but as a part of me. Now, writing this, my thoughts sound rather elementary and silly. And let’s not forget egotistical. And pretentious.
You are right.
No, that is not exactly true.
A song written years ago that everyone likes because it makes them feel miserable is not what it is about to be human. That sounded strong to my brain until I typed it out. Now it sounds more real. It sounds more truthful. This song is what it is about to be human.
This is what I mean to say: I want to find out if everyone experiences the same thoughts, emotions, or moods. Why is this important?
Let us take the song. Am I truly the subject this song was written for? I think not. So therefore, there is someone else out there that expresses the same thing I feel. They had to write this song, because I certainly did not. Now why did it become a hit? Why did it go into heavy rotation at MTV? Why did I hear it on the radio, years after it was released? Because people relate to it. Many people must relate to the message of this song. (The song’s lyrics express the sentiment “I am worthless and you are perfect.” The song relays the message more poetically.) This logic, in turn, leads me to believe many people feel as I do. But where are they? I feel as if I am alone, as if idiots surround me. Yet the numbers do not lie. MTV would not play a video of this band if there weren’t support for it. But where are these people? Why do my peers seem to be the fools? I heard the song in Jason’s car that week. It pained me immensely to see him singing along to the song in time with both the radio and me. It was not fair. Am I wrong to be frustrated? I did not see him as passionate or emotionally charged. I cannot grasp how this song would have appealed to him. How he related; how the lyrics meant anything to him.
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