These Days: Nico.
I chose to do Nico’s These Days,as it is indeed one of my favorite songs, and that it is a song that strongly evokes mood for me. This song is extremely painful- set amidst tremulous strings and the sombre timbre of the artist. the irony of the music is that the driving melody of the instrumentation is adante- a walking pace. The walking pace really moves the song along- neither too hurriedly, or lethargic- in tandem with Nico’s lyrical expressions. This song was not written by her, although she was the first to perform it. The song is evocative of all that is bittersweet. These Days, one has foregone spontaneity, dreaming, lovers- In a way that seems as though one has been confronted with death- or has at least considered it. These sentiments are set among rolling guitar picks in a predominantly major key. It has been suggested that one is most Happy before death. Even though the lyrics reflect this Wabi Sabi realization of fate, the instrumental compilation is altogether hopeful. beautiful.
“Please don’t confront me with my failures, I have not forgotten them.”
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Part 2
Within my family discourse, I have always been seen as a black sheep. My family is the family that gets together every year to tell the same jokes, same stories, same childhood memories, same experiences. I was a rebellious child of sorts- going against the “duty” of my family’s religious, societal expectations. My biggest frustration resulting from people misunderstanding me. I have interacted in ways that I could be better understood. I engage in a conversation to understand, learn, discover. I hate small talk. As far as dissemination of ideas, Orality can be undervalued- the ability to understand another person, gauging values, personality, and experience through spoken word is an ability I cherish as a communicative being. My job is to converse with people, read people, communicate with people. I never believed myself to be particularly rebellious for wanting more from personal interactions, but the more I look around, the more I realize just how seldom people communicate that way.
The irony is that, for as much as I aim to communicate to understand, I am often the most misunderstood person in the room. School was an interesting scenario for a girl who graduated Valedictorian without a whole lot of effort. People are eager to cast judgement. People are eager to tell you when you don’t deserve something. But if one were to view my life through a different lens, they could believe that hardship, abuse, loss of health and disaster might cause a person to be deserving. who knows? I am not an accepting person of True/ Flase ideologies. I question everything- which can get you into trouble and presents many challenges for your life. It’s take many years, but I’ve learned I like this about myself, and for once, I won’t be compromising it. Literacy has been a defining part of my life, as a major form of expression is writing. I find myself using literacy to pick my words wisely- a chance to finally say the words that will lead to a greater sense of understanding. It is surprising how words even take a turn for the worse- judged for excessiveness, “fluff”, or lack of necessity.
If certain words are excessive or unnecessary, why do they exist in our language? That’s the problem with literacy- even the way we write our ideas is often regulated.
Electracy is my most predominant form of expression- Although I would not have known how to identify it without Ulmer’s neologisms. (yet another example for my overwhelming need to express myself, and literacy’s inability to facilitate it.) Emotion, Passion, Expression along an electrate dimension allows for the highest form of communication- almost a glimpse into a person’s very being. Desires, Hopes, Fears all expressed in poetic language in Music, Film, or Internet. I write and perform music- to myself, to friends, to whatever audience I seek understanding. A chord can evoke an entire mood- and a transition can tear your world apart. Music is something entirely intangible- although everyone on the planet can experience it. The human voice can never speak the way it can sing. Vocal chords are powerful instrumentations, and I express myself in this sense.
Nico’s “These Days” and myself are in this state of yearning… If you’ve ever questioned your existence before, you know the feeling.
