FMD: Stealth Attack

Pepper shared the following quote with me from some thing she read that I admittedly haven't gotten around to reading yet (it'll happen... it hasn't even been 24 hours since she sent me the link):

As a delivery device for moments of inner emergency, no art form can approach the immediacy of popular song. A novel cannot assault you while you wait in line at the supermarket; a painting cannot reach out and turn your head as you walk on by; a poem’s feet cannot chase you down the street; a movie cannot screen itself. A song, though, can steal upon you in the dark, on a road, far from home, blow out your tires and leave you sobbing, in gratitude, at the wheel. All other art lives and dies in a medium that mandates we engage if we are to receive its gifts. Songs live in the air.

It's a great enough idea that I'm sure different parts will hit people differently, but the thing that really stuck out for me was the idea of a song "steal[ing] upon you in the dark". A song can come out of nowhere and hit you, big time. It seems like these are often sad songs, but not exclusively. I've had the same happen happily too.

So this week, I'd like to talk about stories of a time a song hit you, by surprise. What song. When and where were you, what were the emotions, how do you relate to that song now, have you ever captured that lightning in a bottle again, etc. I think I like this topic.

22 thoughts on “FMD: Stealth Attack”

  1. My contributions (at least those I've thought of so far):

    1. At my sister's funeral they played the song "Be Not Afraid". A couple months later that song got played at church, like it often does, and I was left a teary mess. That's kind of an obvious entry though...

    2. After leaving a terrible job experience, with a horrible employer, I was having some trouble landing that next opportunity, and I ended up agreeing to an interview in a place where I had next to 0 interest, even though the job itself was significantly more prestigious than the one I'd left. On the drive out I actively prayed that I wouldn't get an offer. Nailed the interview, and then some, and felt like it would be a tremendous fit. A huge surprise, all around, really. As soon as I got into the car for the drive back Toby Keith's "How Do You Like Me Now" started up, and it just felt oh so right. A huge, cathartic bird, flipped at the previous employer and the difficult months all at once.

    1. It must have been at the old basement, but I wrote about how "Still Light" by the Knife was the saddest song I know.
      It hit me while driving my kids somewhere around the time my wife's friend had a child die a few hours after birth, for the second time.
      From a known genetic issue; at some point during the pregnancy they knew this child had it.
      Last I heard, they had two healthy children, but it's been years (that group of friends kindof dissolved as some moved away).

      The doctor came in the morning,
      She held my hand, asked
      "Was it worth it?
      "Could it be worse than this?
      ...
      "If this was the last time now you should tell us what to do"
      ...
      I was so concentrated
      On keeping things together

  2.     a. Western Grebe “Calls” (Stokes Guide Bonus CD)
        b. European Starling* “Song and Calls” (Stokes Guide Bonus CD)
    1. Andy Stott “Butterflies” Too Many Voices
    2. Trentemøller “Take Me into Your Skin” The Last Resort
    3. Mitski “The Last Words of a Shooting Star” Daytrotter Session 4/29/2015
    4. Robbie Robertson “Making a Noise” Contact from the Underworld of Redboy*
    5. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy “Strange Form of Life” The Letting Go

        c. Cedar Waxwing “Calls from Several Birds” (Cornell Master Set)
    6. Low “No Comprende” Ones and Sixes
        d. American Tree Sparrow “Song” (Cornell Master Set)
    7. Lennon P. Bone* “Careless” Lost/Accolades
    8. Horse Lords “Side A” Mixtape III
    9. OutKast “13th Floor/Growing Old” ATLiens (Clean)
    T. Ken Boothe “Ain't No Sunshine”* Darker than Blue: Soul from Jamdown 1973-1980
    E. Black Dice “Gore” Load Blown

    *Notes:
    b. "Starling" comes from the diminutive of "Stare", which was used for this type of bird early in English but is now obsolete.
    4. A neat album produced by Howie B., blending Robertson's work on the soundtrack of The Native Americans with the British Trip-hop/pop/rock sound of the moment without obscuring Robertson's more traditional rock leanings. A few points are too "on the nose" lyrically and elements are now a bit dated, but still worth listening to. I wish he would have re-recorded "Broken Arrow" with Howie B., or had Howie B. remix it as a B-side. I've tried Robertson's albums since and they don't have any real appeal for me.
    7. Formerly of Ha Ha Tonka
    T. Bill Withers Cover. My Dad had the same lunchbox.

  3. 1. “Break It Up” Patti Smith Horses
    2. “Gypsy Flee” Katzenjammer A Kiss Before You Go
    3. “Go Home” Julien Baker Sprained Ankle*
    4. “Can’t Wait Until Tomorrow” Angel Olsen Half Way Home
    5. “On a Freezing Chicago Street” Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s The Dust of Retreat
    6. “Dixie Cups and Jars” Waxahatchee Cerulean Salt
    7. “Quiet as a Mouse” Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s The Dust of Retreat
    8. “Into the Spin” Dessa A Badly Broken Code
    9. “Shiva” The Antlers Hospice
    T. “Autumn” Joanna Newsom Have One on Me

    *I was already a fan, but I listened to this yesterday while mindlessly putting data into a spreadsheet, and now I’m completely smitten.

  4. Because I listen to a lot of soundtracks, this FDM brought movies to mind. There are wonderful examples of soundtrack music, either themes or incidental music, which bring the activity on screen closer to heart.

    On the flip side, here is a track with a very melancholy sci-fi story to tell

  5. 01. “Every Beat Of My Heart” – Gladys Knight & The Pips - Every Beat Of My Heart
    02. “Ghost Robot” – Willis Earl BealAcousmatic Soul
    03. “Long Wat” – Khun NarinWGOM Summer Mix 2016
    04. “Dirty Hands Prayer” – Southside DesireSouthsdie Desire
    05. “Never Ever” – The OrwellsRemember When
    06. “All The Way Down” – KelelaHallucinogen EP
    07. “Little Mascara” – The ReplacementsTim
    08. “Fearless” – By Divine RightAll Hail Discordia
    09. “Oh! Staving” – Car Seat HeadrestTeens Of Style
    10. “I’ve Said” – ViolinistsSafe

    Also, it's on my other phone, but I've been listening to Venice a lot lately. I know Malibu is the better one, but I want to work my way up to it.

  6. I was accosted by a song on a gorgeous October day in 2012 while driving to ballet class. The sun was shining, the leaves were in full color, and I can picture exactly where I was at the moment when I suddenly had tears streaming down my face.

    The only thing I can’t remember is . . . the name of the song. I was listening to the radio, and I know it was something by the Avett Brothers. Presumably it’s a song off The Carpernter, since the album was released in September 2012.

  7. Recently at a friend's funeral/life celebration, a song from the past--one I'd heard a gazillion times--completely blindsided me. My childhood/HS friend Rich's ceremony was held at his home on Prior Lake. Like, literally on the lake. A huge tent was erected on the ice as several hundred guests gathered inside to remember him.

    First, I should tell you a little about my friend. I met him when we were eleven or twelve. Rich had the longest hair of anybody in little league. In 1974, that was saying something. He was already close to 6 feet then, so he towered over the rest of us, making him a pretty intimidating figure. I always dug the fact that he wore his jersey half unbuttoned so we could see the concert t-shirts he wore underneath. Bad Co, Led Zep, Foghat, Nazareth, Aerosmith, Lynyrd Skynyrd--He had everybody. Rich was also the first dude I ever smoked pot with and we listened to a lot of rock and roll together.

    Anyway, I digress. Back to the lake. I stood in the rear of the tent with some other late arrivals for most of the service. As it was an unseasonably warm Feb day, the ice was melting faster than the sawdust that had been spread inside could absorb it. I looked down, and my grey, suede wing tips were taking on water. So I slipped out the back and stood off by myself looking into the overcast skies. Soon giant snowflakes appeared and fell in slow motion. A moment later I noticed the preacher had stopped talking. Then, over the PA system came a familiar guitar, piano and organ intro. Immediately I was sent reeling back to my youth. By the time the slide guitar kicked in, all the tears that I'd been holding back began flowing like streams down my face. And there I stood sobbing on a frozen lake remembering my old friend. It felt perfect.

    1. That's pretty awesome.

      A friend's dad died the week before graduation from high school. I remember that they played "And When I Die" by Blood, Sweat, and Tears at his funeral. I found the used vinyl with that song on it.

    2. That same song was used to usher out one of my best friends at his funeral. The episcopal pastor granted a special dispensation to play the song over the church pa in 'peterville. It's been nearly 20 years since he died, and I still can't listen to Skynyrd without seeing that guy's face.

  8. Ooh, I thought of another one. I was riding a train from Lourdes, France to Paris, by myself in late 2001. It had been overcast for days. Somehow things timed out just right that the random mix CD I'd made played "Hey Jude" just as the sun started shining across the countryside as we rode by, and... somehow everything was right with the world. I could have sat in that moment for the rest of my life. Love that song more than I should because of that moment.

    1. Elaine was in the band in high school and it was tradition that at the end of every concert they ended with a rousing version of Hey Jude. I never saw it of course but it sounded spectacular. Because of that Hey Jude was one of her favorite songs. A couple weeks after Elaine's death I was having lunch with her sister just kind of recapping all that happened over the last few weeks. We were about wrapping up and what comes on the p.a. was Hey Jude. We just looked at each other stunned, then laughed.

  9. My freshman year in college I was at a party at a frat that I wasn't a member of but they were recruiting me pretty hard. The guy who was assigned to me put on Bad Boys Get Spanked by the Pretenders. A bunch of us started slam dancing a little bit and at the end of the song I took his desk chair and smashed it into pieces. He just looked at me and laughed then took his roommates chair and smashed it too. I never joined the frat but the two of us are still friends 35 years later.

  10. I once saw the Meat Puppets play Led Zeppelin's Rock and Roll that would make Jimmy Page blush. Talk about rocking your face off.

    I saw U2 in the Joshua Tree tour at RFK Stadium. They end with 40. The crowd sang along to the ending line: How long to sing this song. We sang it as they left the stage, we sang it as we were leaving the stadium, we sang it in the parking lot and sidewalks, and we sang it in the subway car. One of the most spiritual experiences of my life.

    1. Saw the Puppets do a monstrous version of "Immigrant Song" at First Ave in '84 or '85. They also did a blistering cover of ZZ Top's "La Grange" that kicked into double time after the first verse. Man, they were good in their prime.

  11. Any track off of Elliot Smith's XO takes me right back to 2322 5th street, Duluth MN. I totes remember making out with soon to be BA Chop as XO played in the background. Good times.

    California Stars will always transport me back to the jet bridge walking onto my first flight home from Belfast. Tremendously emotional trip, and that song really capped off everything.

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