I was very fortunate to grow up in a home that introduced me to all genres of music and develop an appreciation of international sounds.
One of my favourites to listen on on the 8 track player (I know I am dating myself), was Simon and Garfunkel. They were the perfect duo – the songwriter and the voice. Their melodies were captivating and their lyrics were thought provoking. However, I am typically, first and foremost a melody person. The lyrics are generally secondary for me. But Homeward Bound, was the perfect combination of the 2. I would listen to the live version a lot, and lyrics such as the below stayed with me:
Tonight I’ll sing my songs again
I’ll play the game and pretend
But all my words come back to me
In shades of mediocrity
Like emptiness in harmony
I need someone to comfort me
Shades of mediocrity…….the perfection of the phrase still resonates with me more than 40 years later from when I first heard it.
But what is equally as drawing to me is the melody and harmony. I love it and recently watched Sabrina Carpenter and Paul Simon do their own rendition of Homeward Bound, which was original in its own right. The harmonizing was great.
Again, for me, the melody, harmonizing and instrumentation have always been really compelling for me and I believe that originates from a love of South Asian music. I grew up listening to classical singers riffing off of the scales and creating beautiful ragas without any words. We sang as a family – my Dad’s influence and we sang English, and Bengali songs. I sang my first solo of a Bengali song when I was five, with my Dad accompanying me on the harmonium.
When I was older, I started listening to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, a popular Pakistani singer, known for qawwali, a form of Sufi devotional music. Again, I do not understand what he is saying and yet, the music has always been deeply moving for me. I imagine being able to play the harmonium, while someone of his caliber is singing. It would be a dream come true.
Jagjit and Chitra Singh also continue to provide me comfort, with their beautiful ghazals.
And now, isn’t it great the range of music we can hear from all type of backgrounds and countries? One of my favourite tracks this past year was APT, a song about a Koren drinking game featuring Rose (from Korean super group Black Pink – LOVE!!) and Bruno Mars. Calm Down by Rema and Selena Gomez remains on rotation for my playlist and I adore all of the AfroBeats I hear. Bad Bunny is perfection and again, I don’t understand what he is singing, but I love it.
At my kids’ school, they listened to French Pop Music and had to vote for their favourite tracks with songs battling each other until the winner was chosen. The kids would play their favourite songs and we provided our picks as a family. And again, the French tracks were a mix of African influences, reggae, dance, rap, traditional; it was eclectic.
In a world where there is a lot of divide, I am glad that we have music, to allow us unity and joy, no matter its origins.
But that’s just one Diva’s view!
Diva's View 