PERSONAL & RELATIONSHIPS
5 Songs That Changed My Life (Part 1)
A very personal writing prompt
My inspiration
Thank you KL Simmons for your great and inspiring article! It referenced the initial article, which included two writing prompts. Pierce McIntyre wrote:
Write about 5 songs that would help people get to know you better. Write about 5 movies that would help people get to know you better. The songs and movies can be favorites of yours or ones that you feel some sort of special connection to for one reason or another.
I was honored to be mentioned in KL Simmons article and about her nice comment:
I’d like to participate in this prompt: “Write about 5 songs that would help people get to know you better.”!
These 5 songs are not my favorite songs. I don’t listen to them often. But they had an impact on how I see things and how I lived my life.
I put them in the right order. The first song changed me as a kid, and the last as an adult. Here are the 5 songs that changed my life:
- Elton John — “Your Song”
- Fools Garden — “Lemon Tree”
- Staind — “Fade”
- Chris de Burgh — “Turn, Turn, Turn”
- *NSYNC — “Tearin’ Up My Heart”
1 — Elton John — “Your Song”
This song changed me when I was a kid.
My musical taste was shaped😊🎼🎵 My mom had a vinyl record of Elton John. Actually, she had many. As a child, I listened to several of these records with her.
Today, thanks to my mother, I listen to Elton John, a-ha, and many 80s bands.
The lyrics [1]
It’s a little bit funny This feeling inside I’m not one of those who can easily hide I don’t have much money, but boy if I did I’d buy a big house where we both could live
If I was a sculptor, ha But then again, no Or a man who makes potions in a traveling show I know it’s not much, but it’s the best I can do My gift is my song, and this one’s for you
And you can tell everybody This is your song It may be quite simple, but now that it’s done I hope you don’t mind I hope you don’t mind That I put down in the words How wonderful life is while you’re in the world
[…]
How it changed me
The lyrics themselves didn’t change me. Although I still like this song and Elton John today. My mom and I saw him live a few years ago 😍 It was my birthday present for her. We had a great time!
By listening to a lot of 80s music, I became interested in that decade in general. I borrowed many tapes from the library. I listened to many 80s bands. Read books about the 80s and the music of that decade.
Through this, I became open-minded to new things. I have not only listened to Westlife, Backstreet Boys, and other bands of “my decade”. But also “older” music.
I have a wide range of tastes. Not only in terms of music.
For example, I also like vintage cars and am interested in the history of various things. Watched older movies, read older books, and so on. My character has been developed.
I’m also pretty much open-minded about everything today.
2 — Fools Garden — “Lemon Tree”
This song changed me when I was in school.
I always liked the English language. My English teacher in secondary school was great. We interpreted many English song lyrics, and sang some of them.
We listened to music. We also interpreted many newspaper articles and read great English books. My favorite was “Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson.
The lyrics [2]:
Only a part of the lyrics, as they are not actually relevant:
I’m sitting here in a boring room It’s just another rainy Sunday afternoon I’m wasting my time I got nothing to do I’m hanging around I’m waiting for you But nothing ever happens And I wonder
I’m driving around in my car I’m driving too fast, I’m driving too far I’d like to change my point of view I feel so lonely, I’m waiting for you But nothing ever happens And I wonder
[…]
How it changed me
I started to enjoy English literature and the song text interpretations. My English teacher and the great songs and their lyrics inspired me.
I was interested in languages. I chose English as my advanced course, then French, and later Spanish in my studies. I chose an international course of study and also lived abroad for a few months.
Languages are a hobby for me. At the moment, I’m learning Danish.
“Fools Garden — Lemon Tree” was the first song we interpreted in English class in 5th grade, and we listened to it a lot. It has therefore influenced me in my private and professional career.
I’m a sucker for foreign culture, songs, food, and much more. I love to travel and learn the languages of the countries I visit.
3 — Staind — “Fade”
This song changed me when I was a teenager.
This song made me realize something important about my father and changed me sustainably. The lead singer of the band believes that “parents, on the whole, have forgotten how to be parents”.
He explains the lyrics of “I just needed someone to talk to — You were just too busy with yourself” were about him feeling as if he had no one to turn to while growing up as a child [3].
The lyrics [4]:
I try to breathe Memories overtaking me I try to face them but The thought is too Much to conceive
I only know that I can change Everything else just stays the same So now I step out of the darkness That my life became ‘cause
I just needed someone to talk to You were just too busy with yourself You were never there for me to Express how I felt I just stuffed it down Now I’m older and I feel like I could let some of this anger fade But it seems the surface I am scratching Is the bed that I have made
So where were you When all this I was going through You never took the time to ask me Just what you could do
How it changed me
“I only know that I can change Everything else just stays the same”
→ I understood my father would never change. He only thinks about himself. I tried to make him show affection, care about my feelings, and let me finish my sentences.
But I understood that I can’t change him. I can only change myself: my behavior towards him, my view on things, how I handle our relationship, and my feelings,…
So now I step out of the darkness
→ I understood that I am not dependent on him. I can take my life into my own hands.
That’s what I did: I looked for an international study program, and went abroad during my studies. I reduced contact with him to a minimum.
I don’t let his hurtful words and rejection get to me anymore. I don’t need him.
I just needed someone to talk to You were just too busy with yourself You were never there for me to Express how I felt
So where were you When all this I was going through You never took the time to ask me Just what you could do
→ He never listened to me, I had no one to talk to about my feelings. My mother did everything he wanted and wasn’t there for me emotionally, too.
I was emotionally alone. Due to the fact that I grew up as a member of a religious sect, I had enough problems.
When I grew older, my parents looked away as my narcissistic ex-boyfriend insulted me. My dad heard his insults several times but took it as a joke, even when I was crying.
Now I’m older and I feel like I could let some of this anger fade
→ Today, I’m not angry anymore. I understood that he is how he is. He won’t change. I can forgive him and myself for having bad feelings. I found my way.
Read part 2 here.😊
sources: [1] lyrics by https://www.musixmatch.com/de, [2] lyrics by https://www.musixmatch.com/, [3] https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/staind-dark-stars-48045/