30 Day Song Challenge Day 1 - One Song to Rule Them All

So it’s November, and that means National Novel Writing Month. Instead of writing a novel I’ve decided to blog the 30-Day Song Challenge. I’ll not likely approach 50,000 words, so it’s not a direct replacement, but this is a little more interesting to me, and is more along the lines of the kind of writing I want to practice right now.

So, without further ado…

Day 1: Your Favorite Song

I’ve always found the concept of a “favorite song” to be kind of ludicrous – with the exception of songs that are tied specifically to a certain event or memory. First dance at your wedding, somehow playing in the background when your first child was born, etc. But such occurrences are rare. Seminal moments don’t happen very often and – outside of the first wedding dance which is usually a pretty deliberate choice that shows a prior connection to the song anyway – when they do happen the odds aren’t great that a song will happen to be playing, let alone a song you like.

In light of all of the possible great songs to pick from having one favorite has always seemed like an indicator that you’re not listening to enough songs. People are multifaceted, and if there’s a song that speaks equally to every aspect of anyone's personality I have not heard it.

And yet here I sit, trying to rifle through all of the possible #1s to find a single song to fit into this little online quiz. I’m not going to bother listing all of the possibles and will just skip to the pick of the day, which – I should point out – should not be taken as an accurate measure of my favorite song because that will change depending on my mood and which contender I’ve heard most recently. And because such a measure is stupid.

I picked this song for several reasons, not least of which being the fact that I love everything about it. I love its sparse simplicity, and how the heavy reverb emphasizes the song's cavernousness before the space is filled in by a fuzzy, dissonant, detached 90s guitar. I love the pace, and the metronome-steadiness of the high-hat which sets the stage for the impartial, analytical, naval-gazing lyrics. I love that the introspection is dispassionately delivered but is, at the same time, deeply personal.

At various times I’ll see myself as a scientist, solving problems logically and sifting through experience with fact to attempt to make sense of my own world, or as a journalist, trying to clearly communicate events or ideas. Sure I’m not handing out pills to anyone, but I like to think that I try to ease the pain of people close to me with a triple cocktail of booze, food and conversation, and anyone that knows me at all probably knows that I’ve been shooting myself with rock and roll steadily and in large volume for over a decade now.

While it’s not terribly emotionally impactful this song has a lot of utility for me. It calms me down when I’m feeling anxious or stressed. It centers me when I feel like I’m drifting in a direction I don’t like. It speaks to me clearly during the times I’m desperate for clarity.

Oh, and by the way, the song is Guided by Voices – "I am a Scientist".