Music and lyrics
Three albums to write to
A wonderful thing happened when I began writing INCIDENTALS, a few weeks ago. I discovered that I could do it while listening to music.
Listening to music has historically been among my top three hobbies. Growing up in suburban New Jersey, I spent many a childhood afternoon parked in front of a Sony boombox, playing and re-playing a cassette tape compilation of rock ‘n roll hits. (The name of the compilation escapes me; it included “Crocodile Rock,” “Surfin’ U.S.A.,” and “American Pie.”) Later, in the throes of an obsession with R.E.M. (1995 — 1998, or thereabouts), I went online, Asked Jeeves for lyrics to Automatic for the People, Monster, and New Adventures in Hi-Fi, printed them out, put them in a three-ring binder, and studied the words like they were the magna freaking carta. My mom discovered the binder at some point (hi, Mom👋) and was shocked by what it contained. By then, the entirety of Green Day’s Dookie had been added to the canon, so perhaps her reaction was warranted.
I digress! Point being, music is on par with literature, in my proverbial book, and for this reason, I’ve never been able to listen to music and write at the same time. Even reading can be a struggle. This can make for mundane workdays, scored to the tune of a humming refrigerator and the leaf blower across the street.
I’ll save you the explanation of how it happened because I frankly don’t know, but the other week, I put on one of my all time favorite albums and pounded out a thousand words. The spell hath broke. Maybe! Who knows what the *~process~* has in store? For the moment, I can only abide by lyric-less jazz played at a low volume. I recall reading that Haruki Murakami listens to Metallica while writing. I cannot now find the reference, so don’t hold me to that, but hey, #goals.
Here are three albums that have been keeping me company and might help you find your groove, too:
Kind of Blue, Miles Davis
This is my desert island album. I’ve gone on record about my in-flight ritual of listening to Miles Davis with a glass of wine and a bowl of olives (if I’m lucky), but truly, there is no occasion this album does not fit. Writing time, cocktail time, up at 3 a.m. and listless time — in all scenarios, it hits. I prefer the original to the legacy edition.
The Essential Stan Getz, Stan Getz.
Oh, Stanny (Carrie Bradshaw voice). What can’t you do? Getz/Gilberto is the definitive magic hour album in my household, and while I cannot listen to that while writing — lyrics! Even in Portuguese, they fell me — Stan Getz without a vocal accompaniment suits my brain just fine. Pretty much all of his albums slap, but this is one I keep coming back to.
Straight, No Chaser, Thelonious Monk.
Wouldja believe I’m listening to this as I type? Yesterday, I discovered that Mr. Monk’s piano stylings pair excellently with my own keyboard … we’re going to stop this metaphor here (is it even a metaphor?) before it gets worse. This is great album with an even better title.
If you’ve got favorite tunes to churn to, comment below and let ‘em (and me) know.