Brave is Sara Bareilles’ new single for her upcoming album.
The title seems to be a give away on what the song is all about. Midst its inspirational and motivational tone, I am more interested in how it suggests the power of words. A word is but a small element that makes up a statement or a story. One word suggests an array of meanings and one placed after another could mean so much more. It can convey feelings and emotions and beliefs. It can be a weapon, a shield, an armor, an amulet.
Words can hurt, liberate, and inspire.
Listen to the song. What words went right through you?
I was never a fan of Valentine’s Day. Years ago, I just had dinner with college friends for our so-called Single Awareness Day dinner. Even the recent Hearts’ day with the boyfriend was spent in the couch, in front of bad TV with too much food stuffing.
This year however, we decided to go out and watch the Stars concert instead. I was actually so excited for this, I already got tickets in December. Stars is a Montreal based indie group with songs I have sobbed and slept in tears when I was a lonely, lovesick human being. I never thought they’d be coming to Manila, it was so surreal to see them perform live.
God, they were amazing! Well, that was actually an understatement. I still have no words for them.
My emotions! My feelings!
They performed twenty-five songs, the longest set they ever had. Guess they were taken away by the crowd which sang to every word of every song. I cried when Torq made the Intro to Your Ex-Lover is Dead and bawled so much more when they played My Favorite Book and Calendar Girl in encore.
I had such an awesome night! I still re-watch their concert videos and play their tracks non-stop on my iPod.
This is so far the best Valentine’s date I ever had. My emotions overflowed.
*Many many thanks to my boyfriend who accompanied me to the concert, who was never a fan of Stars but listened to their tracks for the concert (I guess he was converted into a fan afterwards), and who had almost all songs recorded on video for me. I love you more than I love Stars! 😀
If I am lost for a day; try to find me
But if I don’t come back, then I won’t look behind me All of the things that I thought were so easy Just got harder and harder each day
December is darkest and June is the light but this empty bedroom won’t make anything right
While out on the landing a friend I forgot to send home
Who waits up for me all through the night
Calendar Girl who’s in love with the world Stay alive
Calendar Girl who’s in love with the world Stay alive
I dreamed I was dying; as I so often do
And when I awoke I was sure it was true
I ran to the window; threw my head to the sky
And said whoever is up there,please don’t let me die
But I can’t live forever,I can’t always be
One day I’ll be sand on a beach by a sea The pages keep turning, I’ll mark off each day with a cross And I’ll laugh about all that we’ve lost
Calendar Girl who is lost to the world Stay Alive
Calendar Girl who is lost to the world Stay Alive
January, February, March, April, May I’m alive
June, July, August, September,October I’m alive
November, December, you all through the winter, I’m alive
I’m alive
*Because I found this pretty apt for my birthday and for the past year and for the 276 months of existence. Birthday blogs (yes, that came with an S) coming up soon.
One of my favorite Stars tracks to make up for the blog backlog. It’s actually pretty appropriate for today.
I was always late, you never afraid, that we could be falling
All our friends would say, maybe we should wait, but they can’t see what’s coming
And to this day, when everything breaks, you are the anchor that holds me
And that is why we’ll always make it
How I know your face, all the ways you move, you come in, I can read you
You’re my favourite book
All the things you say, the way you shift your eyes
I never knew there was someone, to make me come alive
When the days are long, and the thunder with the storm, can always get me crying
You can make my bed, I’ll fall into it, shattered but not lonely
Because I never knew a home, until I found your hands, when I’m weathered
You come to me, you’re my best friend
And that is why we’ll always make it
How I know your face, all the ways you move, you come in, I can read you
You’re my favourite book
All the things you say, the way you shift your eyes
I never knew there was someone, to make me come alive
And when we’re making love
I’d give up everything up for your touch
How I know your face, all the ways you move, you come in, I can read you
You’re my favourite book
All the things you say, the way you shift your eyes
I never knew there was someone, to make me come alive
When you go to work all the day I wait
For you to come home, recount our time, in our little place
I have mentioned in my previous blog that I am to answer the generic 2011 survey, but I chose to skip it this time since a.) friends have already done it in their blogs b.) I’ve done that in facebook and multiply some N years ago and c.) I don’t feel like answering a roster of questions as if I’m in a talkshow or something.
I’d opt for a mixtape of sorts instead. 11 tracks for 2011. Yes, what a concept concerning numbers! I guess I will have to try to be more creative next time. Also, all links lead to last. fm since it’s the easiest way for me to search and backtrack my 2011 playlist and ponder about last year through music. FYI, I had my last.fm resurrected/reactivated last year. 🙂
So here goes a little of 2011:
Friends Lovers or Nothing by John Mayer – Vague boundaries and uncertainties. Proof that one small lacking thing makes a whole lot of difference to the whole. Lessons in unity of opposites learned.
This is the last time I’ll ever say I love you/This is the last night I’ll fall among these graves/The first and last time that I’ve cried/And walk beneath the dark lonely sky
Happy by Natasha Bedingfield – Instant get-happy song. Reminds me of good little things around and all the reasons to foster a positive disposition.
Keep your pride young girl/It’s your life, it’s your world
The Quiz by Hello Saferide – My questions and riddles. Your wit and unpredictable ways. Exactly the prelude to our story.
One Sweet Love by Sara Bareilles – To being lost and found, and the anticipation between. Because all Sara Bareilles songs need not be sad and sappy, some just have to be slow and sweet.
Your Song by Ellie Goulding – Part of the random mixtape of us I made up in my head. When no song seems to fit us, this might be probably apt. Or so I said because this is one song I wish I could sing you, or maybe I would, one day.
The other day’s raging storm has afforded me to spend its entirety at home. It has also provided me a pensive feeling of sorts, which I usually acknowledge, but chosen to discard since I had deadlines to beat.
In the midst of lay-outing and putting in data for the catalog I am working on, a friend sent me a message asking what our song was. Initially, I was drawn to the Stars’ Heart album which was playing on loop since god-knows-when-time I started working that day. But no, not a single record seemed relevant to us. My phone signaled an arrival of another message. It was my friend again, with some cheesy line of a song she deemed perfect for her and her boyfriend of four years.
“Tides they turn and hearts disfigure but that’s no concern, we’re wounded together… All the wait was so worth it.”
So it said. We are in no way synonymous to that. Not even a tiny portion, I guess.
But I am not in a hurry looking for that perfect song. All I have now is words, hundreds or even millions of them, and a playlist of more than a thousand songs.
“I know it’s not much, but it’s the best I can do. My gift is my song, and this one’s for you.”
Our young hearts and yet short history can offer one each day. You can even play a different song with your guitar every night. Let’s make a random mixtape of our songs for now – we shall settle for whatever fits the moment.
No need to worry, no need to hurry, because one day we shall just find our hearts singing to that one song over and over again.
between black and white 