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Weekend Engagement # 84 - A Soul-Piercing Song

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Introduction

I knew fate had intervened once again, when I read @galenkp’s announcing this week’s #weekend-engagement topic.

For one, I love music. Well, who doesn’t, right? I mean that is the cliche of the century for someone to claim a love of music, even if it is a feigned love. But you misunderstand, I have an immense adoration for music that has roots based in several generations of utilizing song as a medium of story-telling from one generation to the next that has a foundation in everything from vintage spirituals to modern classics. So, when I say, “I love music”, it comes from a place where music is intertwined throughout the essence of a person. Music is as much a part of me as the air I breathe and the blood that moves through my veins to the tempo of our primal ancestor’s drums.

And it is just not a song here and there from a particular artist or genre. I enjoy Cosmic Psychos (slipped that one in for you galenkp…lol) as thoroughly as I do Chopin. Velvet Revolver embraces my heart as completely as Vivaldi. The Chats entertain me as much as The Cure. I love music!

Secondly, I literally finished an all-too-often music compulsion mere moments prior to reading his post and knew instantly that I needed to convey some thoughts and emotions from that experience. The song I will expound upon is not my favorite, maybe not even close, but it is saturated with raw emotion and the ability to shift the soul of the universe and I pray my humble writing can do it even a modicum of justice.

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Soul-piercing?

Soul-piercing? Is that the proper description of this song? I think every song that is endeared to one’s heart has this quality as an integral part of its essence. A good song….a real good one….should move you on some emotional and spiritual level….it should pierce one’s soul. It should have a quality that etches a part of its core onto our own deepest being. They truly, truly great ones become part of us…..of who we are. It was just such a song that rose from my memories yesterday morning.

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Remembrance of a Modern Requiem

As happens frequently for me, I ended up with a song stuck in my head that led to a rabbit-hole adventure consisting of having a compulsion to listen to a song stuck in my head. This is usually initiated by a particular event and then gains traction until I end up at the song my brain “needs” to process. Yesterday it started when I got work and we have an employee who’s nickname is “Sunshine”, of course having an innate need to sometimes be the center of attention I began singing “Ain’t No Sunshine”. This triggered several songs in my mind who had soulful lead singers and my mind settled on having a compulsion to watch Charles Bradley perform a cover of the iconic Black Sabbath song, “Changes”.

One thing I absolutely appreciate fully about YouTube is the “suggestions” feature on the right side of the video you are watching. I can’t begin to count the amazing songs I have found by following the rabbit hole of exploration for hours upon hours. This is how I discovered this version of “Changes” several years ago. Few things hold my attention as deeply as interesting covers of songs and beautiful renditions of songs could be an entire post unto itself. Just briefly a few artists who excel at this, in my opinion, are Chris Cornell and Drake White, go check them out.

I’ve seen various performances of this song by Charles Bradley but the one recorded and published by the Toronto Sun is the most powerful one. The beginning of this divine experience allows us to share in the process of how Charles Bradley approached the song and the intimate connection he was able to make with the lyrics. The result is one of the most fascinating covers of a song I’ve ever witnessed. It is so very interesting to me how one artist makes the vision of another artist their own, how they mold that vision with their vocal talents and the sacrifice of a small part of their soul. Here we have one of the best songs by Black Sabbath recreated by an artist with the life experiences, demographics, and historical background at complete opposite ends of the spectrum of life from the original artist. The commonality of the two, and for us all as well, is pain. This rendition is how pain, and a myriad of other emotions, mold us, create something in us that needs to get out, and leaves within us an indelible impression that we will carry for the rest of our existence. I can think of few other renditions of songs that punctuate that more poingnantly than hearing Charles Bradley’s rough, soulful voice express that to us. He pierces our soul and we are better for it existing.

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I can’t begin to describe how thoroughly I enjoyed writing this week’s engagement topic as I explored, and shared with you all, my love for music and this wondrous cover of a soul-piercing song. I’ve added Black Sabbath’s version below for comparison. Do you have a favorite cover of a song? If so, I would absolutely be ecstatic to go check it out if you leave it in the comments!

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