Those Songs That Make You....

Stop in your tracks or in the middle of whatever thought was going through your head. You know the songs I am talking about. Your wedding song, the song on the radio when you first made out with your partner in the car, the song that played when you first had sex...or the song that was in your head anyway HAHA.

We all have those songs that mean something. Maybe you think about a certain someone when you hear it on the radio. Maybe you stop and think that song is speaking to you, to your life, to your very soul and you can't help but stop and catch your breath. Until I was able to hear, I never truly understood how powerful a song could be. I want to take this a step further though. Is it the song or the singer? Is it the lyrics or the manner in which they are delivered? does it matter? For me personally, its the lyrics and then the manner in which they are delivered. For example, I have heard three different versions of Elton John's, "Levon". I have heard Taylor Hicks sing it, Bon Jovi Sing it, and Elton sing it. For me, Elton delivers it the best. Is it because it is the original? maybe but not quite. I think there is a little something extra that you feel in Elton's voice. This is just one example though. I guess it begs the question, can a cover be as good or better than the original? More on that in a minute.

Throughout my blog, I have spoken many times about the power of music. I have shared songs that mean something to me or to my relationship with Caleb. For me, it was more the lyrics than the singer, but truth be told, there are some songs that simply sound better when they are sung by a certain person. Now, is that because the artist themselves are better or is it that they made better use of artistic impression. An example of this would be "Praying For Time" by George Michael. In my humble and limited opinion, his Unplugged version is FAR AND AWAY better than the original...and yet its the same artist. Carrie Underwood covered the song using the same slowed down, ballady approach and I think she is almost as good as the original. Maybe not quite better than, but definitely near as good as. Interestingly, had I never heard the George Michael unplugged version, I would have said that Carrie was far and away the better version. So again, is it the song, the singer or the way the singer delivers that makes the difference?

All good questions and ones I wont be able to answer in one entry, if I can answer them at all. What I will do though is leave it to you to tell me what you think. Is it the song? the singer? or the artistic impression that makes you stop and make a song special for you? what songs are close to your heart? share them with me in the comments section...its how I find new music to listen to and enjoy.

On that note, I will leave you with a song that really hit me. It made me think of Caleb and his experiences when I heard it. Its definitely an emotional song if you make the connection. Even if you don't, its still very powerful in its own right. Interestingly, it is a cover of the original and yet I personally feel the cover is better. Don't get me wrong, the original is good but the cover is more contemporary and it feels as if the dust was blown off the song and it was given a new lease on life.

Okay, enough talking, I give you, Kris Allen of American Idol fame and the cover of "Falling Slowly"

LiveSTRONG!