Songs For Your Day

Masochism isn’t the word, but I love getting emotional watching the human interest stories on ESPN. The small town that battles funding issues and somehow wills its high school to a state championship, the blind boy that gets to take a few snaps on senior night out in Oklahoma. I wouldn’t say the floodgates open, but my eyes will get watery.

And I hadn’t really thought about it until after watching the ESPYs this year. The first award that really got me concerned a football coach who pulled his town together after a tornado came through and ravaged everything. I was sold after the first act. Thing is, last year, that same coach was shot and killed by a former player. I guess, then, the ESPY was given to this coach’s legacy. I don’t know. Later on in the show, NBA coach George Karl was given the Jimmy V Award. Not to make light of cancer and death, but the award is a weird event. It’s effectively saying, “hey, as the recipient this year, I’ve got cancer and you can probably expect me to die in a few years.” Yet again, however, I found myself being swooped up in the highlight reel and leaving my critical eye far far away. It’s like McDonald’s food, you know? There is some truth there (there are a few grams of protein, etc), but it is designed to make you cry (taste good).

Oh man, this all to say that I’m getting stoked on ballads right now. I remember when “Maps” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs came out, and er’body was bummed because it was not punk rawk. It was straight-to-mixtape-cheesy or something. It was Weezer going “green album.” Well, I’m here arguing for the ballad now. And I should probably start by talking about “Patience” by Guns ‘n’ Roses, but for the sake of going over the top, it has to be “November Rain.” It’s perfect. It is unnecessarily long. It is accompanied by a mini-”film” which seemed to saturate the mid nineties. It has a string section. Bad boy deluxe, Axl Rose puts himself behind the piano. Slash plays a solo in front of an abandoned church. Etc, etc. I’m limiting my thoughts and observations of this song to surface qualities, things anyone can make because that is what’s best about the ballad. I’m sure some real work could be had in talking about this, but a good ballad is perfectly accessible. Anyone can project his or her relationship struggles, life struggles onto it.

And now, some Hoosier pride (though maybe Boilermaker is more appropriate considering Axl and Izzy hail from up north):

Dude, yes. The Slash solo in front of the church is as ingrained in my childhood memories of watching MTV as is my memories of Sesame Street.

Comment by ce. July 21, 2010 @ 9:00 am

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This was one of the first music videos I ever saw. So epic.

Comment by lcrelyea July 23, 2010 @ 9:33 am

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