Songs of Joy!

“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain” Bob Marley; lyrics from “Trench Town Rock”

Is there a song that you know, and when you hear it, the song immediately puts a smile on your face? I have a couple. One is Eric Clapton’s “After Midnight”. The song has so much joy in it. I love hearing it, the tempo, vocals and melody all come together to make you feel great.

Another song is “I Ran”. I remember when the song came out in 1982. I was only 19. I became friends with this girl and we danced a lot at the Stone Hearth which was on Park Street in Madison, WI. We had an arrangement that when we heard “I Ran” we immediately headed for the dance floor. If we were in the bathroom and we heard the song, to the dance floor we went. If we were getting a drink, waiting @ the bar and heard the song, to the dance floor we went.

The lyrics are not the best part of the song but still they certainly convey happiness. When you hear the lyrics, “A cloud appears above your head; A beam of light comes shining down on you, shining down on you. The cloud is moving nearer still, Aurora Borealis comes in view…”, you have to feel the warm glow of wonder.

I love the melody and the instrumental arrangement. There’s a part of the song that is just before the guitar solo where there’s a long, sustaining note that grows louder, and it just gives me a rush of joy. I hear that and I want my radio as loud as it will go. Then the guitar solo and the guitar throughout the song isn’t brilliant, but it fits the song perfectly. The echoing guitar is a very nice effect. (The guitarist is in the center of the picture with his big glasses.)

Early in March of this year, I had the kids all with me. I just got my huge tax refund and we were getting a new computer. The song came on, I felt like it was1982; I was a mere 19 yrs. old. There was just a warm, happy glow that came over me. I played the song loud, and the kids enjoyed it as well. But they were saying, “Dad can you turn it down?!?” That’s not the first time I heard that question. There’s times when I act more like a kid, and they are they are the voice of reason/grown up (like the time I spun the guinea pigs in this hollow ball…but that’s another story).

The song also has a music video. The band plays the song and are spinning around. So you see them play their instruments and the background is moving past them. The drummer and vocalist aren’t noteworthy, and I don’t even remember if there is a bass guitar player in the song. The guy I’ll never forget is the lead guitarist. In any other context, he would be considered a nerd with his smallish build and large glasses. But when he plays the song, he just seems awesome cool!

“I Ran” played just after I got off of work and was driving home, and I remember the joy and turning it up as though it happened a minute ago!!