Monday, January 4, 2010

Dance like there’s no one watching

Gawd there's just something about certain songs that speak to my hind brain. Joe Cocker's You can leave your hat on is like that for me.

The opening strains hit me like a tsunami and my hips start circling, my hands start traveling my body and I have to find the nearest solid surface to gyrate against. Every part of my body has to meet and mingle with this music.

Why are humans wired like that? Why aren't all humans wired like that? I know that there are some people who claim to have never been affected by music. Then there are those of us who burst into tears during The Circle of Life in The Lion King.

[ok that might just be me]

For the sake of this posting's accuracy I tried experiencing The Circle of Life with and without the visual of the tiny lion king being presented to his subjects.

It turns out that I have to have both the visual and the song to get me to well up.

But funnily enough if I watch Joe Cocker sing it makes me want to cry.


 

18 comments:

Marisa Birns said...

Well, I've been known to hit the dance floor when Shakira or Lady Gaga find my ears. You know hips don't lie, especially if one presents a poker face while dancing.

I cry at so many things it's embarrassing.

Karen from Mentor said...

"A poker face while dancing?" ALIEN concept to me. I either smile/laugh/grin at/with my dance partner or look at him til steam comes out of his collar.

Either way is fun.

:0)

Anonymous said...

I don't really know about dancing which has never really been a forte, but I love to sing along whenever I hear a song I like :) (even if on the street... except then I do it in my mind... talk about weird :P)

Karen from Mentor said...

I often sing along with songs in my mind Estrella. It keeps the voices in my head company.

I love it when you see someone walking with a rhythm like they've got music in their head. That delights me every time.

Weezel said...

I also am a crier . . . okay, hate to admit it, but sometimes I even cry about what happens to my own characters in my stories . . . Music plays in my head at different odd moments in my life. I didn't think everyone could hear it -- your post gives me hope! How do you spell schizophrenic?

Karen from Mentor said...

I think if something you've written makes you cry it's a winner Weezel. Same with if you can read something you wrote more than once and still be surprised by the ending.

But that second thing usually only happens when you wrote the story during Nano or blind drunk...which for some people [only in November mind you] overlaps.

Wouldn't it be cool to have a theme song that preceded you into rooms?

[looks off into the distance with a wistful smile]

Mark Kerstetter said...

Whenever I hear The Circle of Life I sing at the top of my lungs. I don't care who hears. (Actually I get great amusement out of people thinking I'm crazy.)

Kris said...

Oh, I have so had the Circle of Life Moments! And I'm never so patriotic as when I hear God Bless the USA. (We played that during my glory years in marching band, and I got to do the big cymbal crash solo near the end! Total rush!)The tear-jerking, Cat's in the Cradle songs are great, but it's the ones that give me chills and make me hyper that are the best!

Karen from Mentor said...

Wow Kris reading your comment was liking talking to a kid on too much sugar. So...right up my alley...lol... Ok, now I can totally envision you in your band uniform crashing the symbols together with patriotic fervor...and just have to say...Love the plume.

I have several songs that as SOON as I hear them there's a visceral reaction.

Don't want to list them all...wouldn't want someone to make a play list and just turn me into putty in their hands....

:0)

Karen from Mentor said...

@ Mark. giggling. just giggling.

harmzie said...

Mine is "I Can't Live" the Harry Nilsson version (not Mariah Carey or Celine Dion). I have to sing along, and I can't do it without bawling my fool head off. Confuses the kids, but so much of what I do does that, so whatteryagonnado?.

The other one is O Canada. But usually I can get away with just mouthing the words.

Timothy Hallinan said...

Mine is Peter Gabriel, "In Your Eyes" from a live performance. Impossible to remain seated.

And for us old folks, "You Can Leave Your Hat On" will forever be a Randy Newman song, even though I love Joe Cocker.

Karen from Mentor said...

I LOVE In your Eyes....man you guys must be reading my mind or something...

And lets substitute "classic" for "old folks" in your comment. I think classic is a much more apt description sir.

:0)

Karen from Mentor said...

Can't live? YES!!! Harmzie that is an Inspired choice.

O Canada? now that one I get FOR YOU....but for me? not so much darlin.

[but now I have to go look up the words]

:0)

Lauren C said...

oh my. I have so many songs that affect me - and in such a variety of ways. songs that make me cry, songs that make me dance, songs that make me laugh, songs that make me all amped and crazy and make it possible for me to get through boring stuff, like cleaning the bathroom or doing situps...

that said, it's time to go dance in the living room: best cardio in the world!

Karen from Mentor said...

Since I have seen you dance so many many times Lauren dear I can totally picture you in your living room dancing right now...

But the problem is I can also suddenly picture you doing sit ups while cleaning your bathroom....and that's just wrong on so many levels


[plus it's probably unhygienic]


:0)

harmzie said...

Just coming back to say how I usually *hate hate hate* having an earworm, but just noticed "You Can Leave Your Hat On" stuck in my head & I like it! I think I'll use it as my go-to to try & arm-wrestle lesser earworms out of the conscience! (I'll do everyone - including myself - a favour by not trying to come up with an example)

And O Canada, yes - for me. The words are pretty patriotic, but you have to have 12 years of standing every morning to have it do anything for you! As I'm sure you may get from GBA or the Star-Spangled Banner.

Karen from Mentor said...

It's "My Country Tis of Thee" for me. Mrs. Hughes always used that for tryouts for choir and it just kind of gets to me for a bunch of reasons.

I like to use the Blues Brothers version of "Rawhide" to rid myself of earworm. Plus there's the added bonus of picturing the scene where the lady says that they have "both kinds of music...Country AND Western..."

glad to give you another song to fight the dreaded earworm.
:0)