Write me a song...

Hi, students! In a further effort to get to know you all and learn a little bit more about your personalities, I'm asking that you introduce yourself to me and the class by naming and describing a song that has particular meaning to you. Maybe it makes you think of a specific event in your life or is just a song that has always struck a chord with you. Maybe it's one you just really like. Be as creative as possible with your descriptions. If you are musically inclined, by all means, illuminate us in your description of the song. You can also talk about the band/artist. Feel free to quote specific lyrics. I expect at least a couple of good paragraphs. See mine below. We'll share these when everyone is done writing.

"Mrs. Potter's Lullaby" by Counting Crows

I could never pick just one favorite Counting Crows song; they’ve continued to be one of my favorite bands through every album. But I will say “Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby” is one that always pulls me in. It’s mellow but upbeat, unlike some of the Crows’ more melancholy songs, but that in no way means it’s a shallow “good times” tune. One thing I love is that it’s never been a truly mainstream hit. “Lullaby” is one of the marathon songs that I could listen to anytime, anywhere, despite its length at almost 8 minutes. I don’t attach it to one specific event in my life; it usually just sneaks up on me and manages to influence my mood.

The lyrics strike me as simultaneously thoughtful and strange, and that’s what makes this song quietly powerful. It’s not the chorus, which is in itself infectious, but the many verses that truly make the song. I like that I can’t ever quite pin down what it’s about. It seems to tell a collection of short stories with lines like “If dreams are like movies, then memories are films about ghosts.” I get a different vibe every time I listen to it. Perhaps the line “There’s a piece of Maria in every song that I sing” refers to the song’s namesake, Mrs. Potter. Another of the varied storylines just strikes me: “And when the last king of Hollywood shatters his glass on the floor and orders another, well I wonder what he did that for.” I can’t quite put into words what feeling this song stirs up in me; it’s something subtle and simple. I think it takes listening to it for yourself to understand.