A Letter to the U2 Lover
Last night, as we were talking about your love for U2 and how you remembered the details of the moments you connected with their music and lyrics, yours stories brought back a lot of Bjork memories for me. Even though I rarely listen to her music now, I remember how her music followed me through my years in college and some more.
The first time I listened to Bjork was when Sruthi came home from her college in Michigan in 1999. I was morose because I didn't like being stuck in Hyderabad while all I really wanted was out. So when she played Hyperballad for me in the hope that I would say "Wow, this is really cool", I actually looked really sullen and said "Wow, you have to be really fucked up to enjoy this". Ha, imagine her face. By fucked up I meant on drugs where your sensibilities would allow you to be carried away by the song.
Sruthi coyly left the CD with me, just in case and I played it a few times. I began to notice that each time Hyperballad played, my heart would begin to race and as the song progressed I'd have this desperate desire to run really fast and jump off a cliff. The song would mostly be playing in the background with me barely paying attention to the lyrics and the layers the melody are what got me first. And then I listened to the words:
I wonder what my body would sound like
slamming against those rocks
and when it lands
will my eyes be closed
or open
It was unbelievable. How did she know that's exactly what I wondered?
The next song that captured me was I Miss You (I've already sent this to you). I remember the exact details of the moment I fell in love with it. I was in the "will I ever meet my kind of guy" mode. I was in Ohio, driving to my uncle's place, and was parked at a traffic signal when this song started blaring on the radio. I recognized it but had, again, never paid too much attention to the lyrics. This time I listened, especially since the words were an echo of what was going on inside, and I felt really high listening to the song. Even today, I love this song. It's a fantastic foot tapping number with a hip hop swing in the undertone.
I've got so many songs of hers floating in my head right now. I'll just have to play them for you in person and tell you the stories.
The first time I listened to Bjork was when Sruthi came home from her college in Michigan in 1999. I was morose because I didn't like being stuck in Hyderabad while all I really wanted was out. So when she played Hyperballad for me in the hope that I would say "Wow, this is really cool", I actually looked really sullen and said "Wow, you have to be really fucked up to enjoy this". Ha, imagine her face. By fucked up I meant on drugs where your sensibilities would allow you to be carried away by the song.
Sruthi coyly left the CD with me, just in case and I played it a few times. I began to notice that each time Hyperballad played, my heart would begin to race and as the song progressed I'd have this desperate desire to run really fast and jump off a cliff. The song would mostly be playing in the background with me barely paying attention to the lyrics and the layers the melody are what got me first. And then I listened to the words:
I wonder what my body would sound like
slamming against those rocks
and when it lands
will my eyes be closed
or open
It was unbelievable. How did she know that's exactly what I wondered?
The next song that captured me was I Miss You (I've already sent this to you). I remember the exact details of the moment I fell in love with it. I was in the "will I ever meet my kind of guy" mode. I was in Ohio, driving to my uncle's place, and was parked at a traffic signal when this song started blaring on the radio. I recognized it but had, again, never paid too much attention to the lyrics. This time I listened, especially since the words were an echo of what was going on inside, and I felt really high listening to the song. Even today, I love this song. It's a fantastic foot tapping number with a hip hop swing in the undertone.
I've got so many songs of hers floating in my head right now. I'll just have to play them for you in person and tell you the stories.
posted by apoorvi at
11:20 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home