Music in the Soul

Music is often called “the universal language.” Older than words, music transcends geographies, cultures, and quite possibly thought itself. Which ironically might explain why some people enjoy mindless music.

Archeologists claim to have identified human civilization’s very first song—that is,  it’s the oldest surviving physical example of a musical composition in recorded history. This strongly suggests that long, long ago in a cave far, far away our primal ancestors were dancing to rock music. The creators of The Flintstones were on to something big!

At the very dawn of consciousness, early humans came to recognize and celebrate sound patterns, rhythms and music. And it has served our species well. To the enlightened, music has always been predominantly spiritual in nature. Chinese philosopher and founder of Taoism, Lao-Tzu, said: “Music in the soul can be heard by the Universe.”

Which makes me wonder: Is the Universe playing my music? BMI sure as hell doesn’t seem to know.

But music has been playing in my soul—like my own personal movie soundtrack—for as long as I can remember. Seems no matter where I go, I’m feeling a groove or rocking a beat; every moment a melody, every movement a song. Sometimes I can’t seem to turn the volume down!

One of my earliest childhood memories was watching the Ed Sullivan Show on the night The Beatles made their 1964 debut in America. Though I was barely 4-years old at the time, it made such a huge impression on me that even today I can feel that “vibe” resonating inside me. I’ve been tapping my feet ever since.

My parents weren’t terribly musical. They kept a large number of 78’s boxed up in our basement but, at least through grade school, we had no turntable to play them on. Fortunately, my older brother and most of my friends had major sound systems—and great taste in the music of the times.

Detroit was a very cool place to grow up in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s. All the big bands came through town vying to blow each other up, and “The Motor City” became an essential rock and roll destination. I was privileged to go to dozens of amazing concerts starting with Rush when I was just 13. My ears rang for two days straight!

Of course, Motown Records was an epic musical influence in the 1960’s and 1970’s, and the radio stations in Detroit seamlessly rotated rock back-to-back with R&B like it was always meant to be. The invisible airwaves emanating from my hometown were other worldly…

(to be continued)

Share
Tweet
Email

One Reply to “Music in the Soul”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.