My Views on Love- #3, concerning music...

This post is going to be a little different than the my other posts about love. After going to a concert the other night, I felt like it was extremely important for me to write about falling in love with a song.


The other night, I kept up my status as a "concert girl" and attended a free concert at the Galavant Center in downtown Salt Lake. Now, let me give you my background with the musician I saw there that night..... His name is Andrew Bird.


About a year ago, a friend introduced me to a song by Andrew Bird. The song was called "Sovay." It was VERY good but his music reminded me of the male version of Regina Spektor. A few months later, a friend who had gone to California to hear Andrew Bird, introduced me to all of his music. I put it on my ipod in a playlist called Birds and during a boring day in December, I listened to it blindly. I was at work and around 4 in the afternoon, I came across a ten minute instrumental piece with violins and crickets in the background. The piece was called "Ethiobirds" and it literally sounded like a mass of birds moving. I was blown away. It was beautiful. I told everyone about it! No one could quite get why I loved the song so much. But, slowly, I got very interested in this guy. I googled him and looked him up on Wikipedia and found Andrew bird was a thin, angled man from Chicago, with a suzuki education in violin. His lyrics rarely made complete sense to me, but usually they appeased my ears. He was an expert whistler and his voice was cool and relaxing in more than one way. I was hooked right away.



So, Back to the concert... That night, the crowd was annoying and about 85% were drinking and NOT paying attention to the entertainment. Being packed onto the grass with sweaty, stinking, people who were not aware of the music, created a plenty of tension. I was beyond frustrated. But then, Andrew Bird, lanky and dark haired, sang softly in the microphone and played long lines of his melody with the chaos of the guitars and drums. My head moved to one side and I connected with this guy. It was like he was playing and only I could hear. I fell in love with the music.



So, yeah. It sounds cheesy, but it is soooo real. It is possible to fall in love with a song. Don't believe me? Read the book The Awakening. It is totally possible.


Anyway, I want to give a few more examples of songs that I have fallen for harder than any teenage crush. Usually after hearing the song, I was hooked. I bought other songs and albums by the artist. But the greatest part is that I've listened to these songs over and over again and I still feel as much love for them as I did during the first listen . Some are popular some are weird. But, I feel it is my duty to share them.


*Till the Sun Turns Black- Ray LaMontagne: The whole album is wonderful, but when I heard this song and how it described the simple beauties of life, I lost myself in it. Plus, I've mentioned this guy's voice before and it is an instant aphrodisiac.


*Summertime- The Fire Theft: I think the rhythm moved me first on this one. Plus, Jeremy Enigk has the type of voice that is very rough and somehow it is strangely endearing. I somehow get drawn in every time. Oh, I also love the sea sounds at the end of the song. It makes me miss the ocean.


*The Scientist- Coldplay: Ok, I think everyone knows by now how much I love Coldplay. But, this was the first song that helped draw me in. I had heard "Yellow" and "Clocks," but this song was just so sweet and I am a sucker for the sweet ones.


*Silent Sigh-Badly Drawn Boy: I had never even heard of Badly Drawn Boy until a dear friend introduced me to the movie, About A Boy. I HIGHLY recommend it. It is British and the language is a bit rough for a pg-13. But... It has a wonderful moral and this song comes at such a pivotal scene! I used to listen to this song when I wanted a true dose of bittersweet. That word describes the movie perfectly too.

*Time is Running Out-Muse: I found out about Muse when I went to the "Twilight" website and read the playlists of songs Stephenie Meyer recommended as a soundtrack for her books. I like this song a lot and seeing it live last September was AWESOME!!!

*Atlantic-Keane: When I came across this song, I had an album of Keane already. However, when I heard this song, I was sold. This song builds and builds and then breaks. It is such a good one to listen to with headphones so you can hear all the layers.


*Daisy-Switchfoot: I think this has been of the most therapeutic song for me of all time! Switchfoot is a Christian Band, so they have awesome lyrics and messages to share. But, this song has really helped me when I have not had the courage to let go of something.


*Past and Pending- The Shins: Ok, I love "New Slang" as much as everyone else, but this song has always been soooo much better. I loved it and I think it is because it is so simple.


*Nothing Better-Postal Service: This one was introduced to me at the perfect time. It is a song of dialogue between two indie legends (Ben Gibbard and Jenny Lewis). The guy wants to get together and the girl needs to say no and stick to her answer. Postal Service came right when I was ready for a change in my music and this song stood above the rest on the Give Up album.

*Casimir Pulaski Day-Sufjan Stevens: Sufjan Stevens is a favorite of mine and always will be. His gentle voice, strange arrangements, and uplifting messages have always caught my attention fully. But, this song is sweet and about loving someone who is gone. It is the song that made me realize how awesome Sufjan really is.

*Carousel- Iron and Wine: It took me a while to recognize the beauty of this song, but one day when I was doing the dishes, this song came over the ipod and it struck me hard. Sam Beam sounded like he was singing underwater. Then, I saw it live and now the song is a classic, beautiful example to me of Iron and Wine at their best.

So, that is my little list of first loves. If you read this blog and like it, please make a comment and let me know what songs you have fallen in love with. I am always looking for new music!!

My Views on Love-Installment #2

It has been a little too long since I posted anything new... and the time has come for me to write! Many of you know I don't usually use the blog to write about new things in my life, as much as I write about ideas and the current musings of my mind. Let me see if I can do something that will appease both.

So, yes. I am engaged to be married. I got engaged June 13th at Red Butte Gardens and it has been a CRAZY ride since then. Mostly because I have no idea how to plan a wedding and those plans, combined with preparation for a new job teaching Kindergarten (starting just a little less than a week before I am married this Fall) was enough stress to throw me off into my wild orbits of craziness.

But, I want to say, I am very, very lucky. I am marrying a man who is kind, dedicated, loving, passionate, and my best friend. And, this leads me to an issue I wish to address.....

Most of you will remember my first post on love and my definition of love (love is having faith in someone). This definition is as true now as it ever was. However, since I started dating and since I got engaged, I have been VERY frustrated with Chick Flicks. Some of them make a mockery of love and faith. I am sorry if anyone is offended by this. I must admit, I still watch them... but to me, Love is not what the movies portray. It is not a hurried, flashy, gooey story where the man and woman fall deeply in love on the spot. I guess a prime example of this movie is Sleepless in Seattle.

Now, I love the movie for its humor and its hilarious portrayal of the differences between men and women. But, can we really believe that "magic" is the one and only thing people need to survive? No. Love is so much deeper than that. I agree there needs to be an element of passion and excitement, but to me love is literally a divine connection between two people. Not something strange and unknown.

Ok, so you say, "Katie, what chick flicks are good chick flicks?" Well, first let me preface these suggestions by saying they are not the typical "chick flicks." But I believe they do a nice job of showing different aspects of love.

If I were to pick a movie of the Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan vein, I think I would choose Joe Vs. the Volcano. I like the love story in this one. I also like how Joe Banks meets three different variations of Meg Ryan before they seem to connect and make a strong relationship. I think that is very true to life. In many ways we date and meet people who are "versions" of the type of person we are to eventually be happy with.

Um, another movie I love that seems to stand well against my standards....The Village. Yeah, I know. It is a scary movie, but the love story is soooo heart-warming. Love is the only virtue that can truly save us. Heck, I think Harry Potter incorporated that same theme too. (Note: Believe it or not, the love story in Walle was quite touching too and I cried. That is pretty rare for me, the heartless wench that I am, who never cries).

Though all of these movies are great, I still feel the best Love Stories were written by the All-Knowing Queen of Love, Jane Austen. Yes. I am sure any guy readers of this blog have now rolled their eyes or clicked off the page. But what I am trying to say is, that Jane Austen's love stories involve the exact elements that make love real. And NO, I am not talking about marrying millionaires. But, I am talking about a flawed man and a flawed woman, working through their own faults before they can love each other.
I am talking about two best friends who have grown up together and have never thought about love and then almost let fear stand in the way of their happiness. And I am talking about recognizing true love, over the flighty opinions of others. Or recognizing devotion and happiness over the prideful reckless behavior that can sting so badly. This is why I believe it.
The last element that makes Jane Austen's love stories REAL... the very real element of TIME. Love takes time. Love is all about Patience. I always think of Lizzie and Mr. Darcy and how much they had to go through before they got together. I think they learned a lot about each other and a lot about what true love is. But I bet things weren't always perfect after they were married, even if they were living in that trillion dollar mansion, Pemberly. But, I bet they loved each other enough to work through anything.

So, maybe in the future I can write a long list of the chick flicks that portray love as it really is. But I really just wanted to say I am grateful to of had the sense to recognize love in my own life. I understand the connection between two people and their own personal connection with God. I firmly believe you can't love someone until you love God and you love yourself. I'm just glad God wants us to be happy and that he is endlessly patient with me. Knowing that, has always given me the faith to love without fear.