Today I was chatting with my sister and she remarked that she was having a stressful day at work the other day and she realized she needed to change her "theme song" in her head. She couldn't remember what was playing but it was something frenetic and stressful along the lines of the flying monkey song in The Wizard of Oz. "I've got to change my theme song!" She exclaimed.
It made me realize that just like when we were younger and were coiffing for a big night out, or prepping for a good workout, or joyriding after we just got our license, music was and is so key to setting our mood and the tone for our experiences. If our internal "theme song" is negative, or fraught and frenzied, then it is most likely reflecting how we feel, maybe even setting the the tone and directing our emotions, showing the world where we are in our lives "movie montage". And most likely everyone around us is picking up on the beat and feeling it too, good or bad.
In my 20's if I was out at a bar that was lame and feeling bored, my friend and I would watch the door and assign a "theme song" to every guy that walked in. (Try it sometime, it is actually very entertaining and rather funny. Throw in some vodka and it becomes downright hilarious.) Is he strutting to the Bee Gees "Staying Alive"? (In which case you should become suddenly interested in your drink as he walks by because this one thinks he's pretty fabulous and probably resembles one of the guys from the Jersey Shore in 20 years). Or is he skulking along to Radiohead's "Creep"? (Again, become engrossed in your friends unexpectedly very interesting convo and do not make eye contact, this one is about as fun as a bag of bricks.) Same goes for "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred, (Link omitted purposefully, I mean, do any of us really want that drivel stuck in our heads all day?) way too easy and totally unoriginal, therefore making it completely "unsexy". Now if he enters in slow motion, with it appearing as if a wind machine is whipping though his hair with ANY Duran Duran song playing as his theme song, well, you have a total sexy beast on your hands, make moves fast. (You think I'm joking, I'm actually dead serious. Truly.) For years my brother-in-law had Usher's "Yeah Yeah" playing on a loop in his head. As cheesy as I think Usher is, this is a brilliant theme song. It totally gets you amped and psyched. (I also love the mental picture of my brother-in-law getting ready for a big meeting and pausing in the doorway to hum a few bars of "Yeah Yeah" to himself.) During the Avon Walk I had "Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves" on a loop in my head. That was my jam right there and it totally kept me motivated during that time.
Since I am gearing up to run a 5K (Theoretically, I mean, I haven't actually gotten to the actual running part yet, so...) I enlisted the help of my friend Katie who has become my running guru (Who knew anything about heart rate monitors? Or wearing TWO bras! Who knew??!) I asked her for some ideas for a running mix and true to form she sent me this amazingly thorough list of songs, songs I wouldn't have thought of but when I saw them on her list was like, "Hell yeah!" (How perfectly amazing is a list that includes both Bon Jovi and Frou Frou? Perfection M'lday, perfection!) So as I set out to make my "running" mix I am also setting out to make my life mix. I want it to be powerful, fun, energetic, upbeat, and a little sexy. We all need a good theme song for our lives, right? We need to be putting out rhythms that others can feel and that set the tone for how we want to live, how we want to be perceived. Are we confident, happy, positive, excited? Or are we marching to the beat of a sad song?
What is your life "theme song"? While I figure out mine, I'd love to hear what yours are!
For me this song is it. It encapsulates so much for me from finding lightness in a heavy world to not wanting to be weighed down by by physical limitations. Please it gets stuck in my head.
I have other happy day songs, but for me this song has been my theme song for a while. Well this and Bang, bang, banggity bang from HIMYM! Hahaha.
Great post. Christy has a great running mix that she listened to at her 5K last weekend.
Life in Technicolor ii by Coldplay
There's a wild wind blowing
Down the corner of my street
Every night there the headlights are glowing
There's a cold war coming
On the radio I heard
Baby it's a violent world
Oh love don't let me go
Won't you take me where the streetlights glow
I could hear it coming
I could hear the sirens sound
Now my feet won't touch the ground
Time came a-creepin'
Oh and time's a loaded gun
Every road is a ray of light
It goes o-o-on
Time only can lead you on
Still it's such a beautiful night
Oh love don't let me go
Won't you take me where the streetlights glow
I could hear it coming
Like a serenade of sound
Now my feet won't touch the ground
Gravity release me
And dont ever hold me down
Now my feet won't touch the ground.
Posted by: Michelle | 03/25/2011 at 01:07 PM
Love this! It makes me think of us all dancing in the kitchen to "Daddy's music".
I know it can elevate my mood. I have music that I play for exercise,work,remembering and spirituality. I must work on the one for in my head. Is" live ,laugh,love" a song?
Posted by: Eileen | 03/25/2011 at 01:39 PM
Sadly 99% of the time it's the Price is Right theme song :)
Posted by: Jamie | 03/25/2011 at 04:58 PM
JAMAJESTY!! Hysterical!
Posted by: Missy | 03/26/2011 at 06:08 AM
Michelle, that is a great song, love it.
And "Daddy's Music" always brings out the kitchen dance party, who knew he was such a gifted "mixmaster"?
Jamie, you are too hilarious, that is amazing. Maybe deep down you are desperate to be one of "Barkers Beauties" or perhaps you are just dying to try your hand at Plinko??
Posted by: Manda | 03/26/2011 at 12:19 PM
"Eye of the Tiger"...try it the next time your doing something challenging a little cliche but it works!
Posted by: Jen | 04/14/2011 at 09:11 PM