I am gonna be honest about this however blasphemous it sounds – I had not really heard Pink Floyd till a dear friend of mine recorded me a tape that had 3 masterpieces in it (am coming to those in just a bit!). This was when I was in my first year at college-and the only other Pink Floyd song I had heard till then was ‘Brick in the Wall’-for obvious reasons ( Any self-respecting high school kid has felt an adrenaline rush watching the video of that one!)
One of my best friends from school and the rest of the guy-gang I spent my growing up years with, just went on and on about the album covers and ‘Coming Back to Life’ and the guitaring genius of this Brit band. As for the ‘Gilmour Vs Waters’ argument, I was positively sick of hearing it go on without having an opinion. So I was pleased to finally get a tape that captured the best of Floyd, amongst others.
I have to admit: I have not looked back since. If there ever was a song that captures yearning and heartache and all things you feel after you’re 2 LIIT’s down- it’s Coming Back to Life. No matter what, you can always relate with being one of ‘two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl’ (coz life is like that). And as for being ‘comfortably numb’: don’t we wish we could be that way in the middle of a horrible Monday morning! I have lost count of the number of times we requested for one or all of these at the places where we hung out regularly and because we were recognized as good customers –duly indulged.
Since that first taste of Floyd magic-I have had some wonderful times in the company of these songs. On Wednesday night Happy hours during B-school, at fashionably hip rock bars in Delhi and Mumbai, and lately-on Friday nightcaps of wine with trusty old You Tube.
This is not to say that I lean heavily towards intense, heart-wrenching rock. I remember hanging out of a hostel window late night with 2 of my favorite people in the world and singing ‘I want to Break Free’ specifically directed to our poor watchman who probably thought we were insane. That was one of the high points of my B-school education and I have an irresistible urge to giggle just thinking about it! I have driven my guy insane with my continuous need to hear Shakira’s ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ . I’ve dragged him back into a pub just coz I heard ‘Crazy in Love’ as we were leaving. i owe a thank you to yet another close friend and her brother for introducing me to the sheer thrill of ‘Gasolina’s brand of Spanish rap. And how do I explain why my head starts bobbing from left to right when I hear ‘Lemon Tree’ or I start to smile when the video of ‘Bad Day’ comes on.
So there it is-the truth about music and some songs in particular. They have a treasure-chest of memories residing in them, they can stir up your soul or be the perfect pick-me-ups after a bad day. They remind you of people, they possess a therapeutic quality that works better than aspirin some days. Or they just bring you up on your 2 left feet and get you in a happy place instantly. How awesome is that?!!
