Carol Bontekoe

This blog has been keeping track of my adventures since 2004. The stories and the adventures have come from my college dorm room to Uganda, Peace Corps Kyrgyzstan, learning Dutch in the Netherlands to living in the wilds of Homer, Alaska. I went back to school in Amsterdam to study Theaterwetenschap (Theatre Science) at University of Amsterdam. And now my adventures as a Fruit Fly, a Sexy Unicorn, and creating a movement with Team Sparkle in Chicago.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

That's just how I feel.

I love Nick Drake.
I just want to get that off my chest before typing-I can't listen to Nick Drake.
His music makes me too sad. Too moody. I often refer to his music as Melancholy music(I like to feel as if I'm in a Shakespearean play sometimes)
The definition of Melancholy from Merriam-Webster is:
1 a: an abnormal state attributed to an excess of black bile and characterized by irascibility or depression b: black bile c: melancholia
2 a: depression of spirits : dejection b: a pensive mood

A depression of spirits...Definitely... In case you are like me and have no idea what that Black Bile stuff is all about I looked it up:
Black Bile- a humor of medieval physiology believed to be secreted by the kidneys or spleen and to cause melancholy
If you are like me you want to move past this, because you still have no idea.
anyway...

I feel that the fact that I feel Melancholy while listening to his music is a testament to how amazing his music really is. He killed himself when he was my age and when you listen to the music you can see why and if you listen to it for too long you start to contemplate it yourself. That's AWESOME! That means he was so good he got you to truly feel what he was going through.

The thing is I can listen to really melancholy music, I just need it jazzed up a bit. I love music that has a jazzy beat and has just the saddest lyrics. One of my favorite examples of this kind of music is Blind Melon's No Rain.
With its little snaps and wooooooooooooooooooo oo oo oo ooooooooooooooooooo oo oo oo ooooooooooooooo and cool 90's sound it's easy to over look lyrics like:

And I don't understand why I sleep all day
And I start to complain that there's no rain
or
Its not sane......it's not sane

The latter goes on for a long time of him singing its not sane
That's quite sad. Yet if I hear this song in the bar I'm singing right along snappin' with one hand holding my beer in the other.

I have tons of examples but I will just give one more:
Stephen Stills-Love the One You're With
It so upbeat sounding that you can't help but bop and jive(bop and jive...what am I sixty?) along with the music. Once you start actually listening to the lyrics it is so sad. It's all about settling for someone.

Don’t be angry, don’t be sad, and don’t sit cryin’ over good times you’ve had. There’s a girl right next to you, and she’s just waitin’ for something to do.
and the most famous part
and if you can’t be with the one you love, honey, love the one you’re with, love the one you’re with, love the one you’re with, love the one you’re with.

Sometimes when I hear this song I imagine a couple sitting together in the car and this song comes up. The man turns up the music and looks at the girl and says, "Yep, definitely. This should be our wedding song"

3 comments :

  1. Tom said...

    I always love the differences between the tempo of songs and the lyrics. Johnny Cash has a few of these. Delia, for example. He sounds so sad about his woman being gone... except that he says how evil she was so he tracked her down and shot her.

  2. Rachel said...

    Carol! I love your blog, and your flickr photos (especially the 365 days series...I think I'm addicted). I don't really know you, but I just wanted to tell you that I've been appreciating!
    -Rachel

  3. caitlin said...

    hahaha this is great, give more examples! interesting how sad sad lyrics can be sugar-coated with uppity beats.

    and we still have to find you a bee costume!!! if we're ever together again for halloween and you dress up as that, then i will gladly dress up as a flower.