I never learned how to read music. That says something about a guy who played in rock bands all through high school.
But while others in the bands were following the sheet music I’d follow my heart.
I still do that in other things, but especially in music.
When a song I like comes on the radio or the CD player, it’s like my brain shifts into another gear.
I’m not one of those high-fallutin’ music snobs (although Vivaldi always makes me stop and listen). I listen to the secret message every good song delivers.
But more than anything else, I like happy music.
The other day, I was in the gas station making my bi-weekly donation to the oil industry when I heard the song, Happy play on the tiny speaker hanging over the display of Hostess cupcakes.
That song, by Pharrell Williams, came out and was played endlessly seven years ago. You couldn’t turn on a radio without hearing it. On YouTube, it has been played more than 1 billion times.
I’ll bet that made him happy.
But I do love happy songs more than any other. They give me a little glide in my stride.
The other day I was thinking about the George Jones and Tammy Wynette version of We’re Not the Jet Set which brings out my inner redneck – in a happy way, of course.
“We’re not the jet set, we’re the old Chevrolet set… Our steak and martinis is draft beer and wienies.”
Profound lyrics.
Country music has a special place in the heart of this old country boy, who went to elementary school in north Florida and Louisiana and lived in two of the finest trailer parks in those states. Some of the best times I remember as a kid were hanging around by the ditch in back of the trailer park catching crawdads with Buzzy, my best friend in fourth grade. We would laugh so hard we couldn’t breathe, talking about God-knows-what.
I bristle whenever someone bad-mouths the South. I guess they’re just jealous that they never got to go crawdad hunting with Buzzy and me.
Any genre of song can be happy.
Take, for example, I Can’t Stop the Feeling recorded by Justin Timberlake. I know someone’s going to make snarky comments, but that may be one of the all-time happiest songs. While the video he did was great – check it out on YouTube – there was one that featured the mayor of Fresno, California, that was just as good. In fact, I’d like to see the mayors of Stayton, Sublimity and Silverton bust a move or two to that song.
A dance-off, maybe?
Then there’s Uptown Funk recorded by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars. If that doesn’t get your motor running, I don’t know what will.
But one of the all-time great happy songs is Cotton-eyed Joe. It always lights up the room. I especially like the version by Ricky Skaggs and the Chieftains.
Now if I could only dance….
