Music that Soothes the Soul
By Thomas Morrone CFP®, CPA, MSA
Having grown up in the 70’s, in my opinion, I was exposed to some of the best musicians that will stand the test of time. The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Eagles, Aerosmith, CCR, Dylan, Chicago, The Beach Boys, The Boss, CSNY, Carole King, Jackson Browne, Journey, Billy Joel, Michael Jackson and that is to just name a few. It was definitely a Rock and Roll era. The same genre just a decade or two earlier had Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons, Temptations, Elvis and the 4 Tops to also name just a few. Rock and roll was here to stay and is part of who I was then and who I am now. As Bob Seger sang about rock and roll, “it’s the kinda music that soothes your soul”. I still enjoy cranking the volume with a rock classic regardless of the artist.
In our new home I made sure we had the SONOS sound system to cover the entire house including a sound bar, sub-woofer and three other strategically placed speakers. No matter where in the house I may be, I can control what music is played, adjust the volume and control each speaker independent of each other. I can even play different music in each room and to each speaker, though that would not make much sense, but it is cool that I could if I wanted to. All this can be controlled right from my iPhone. Cathy was reluctant at first with the technological aspect but now she enjoys it as well.
Many people can be transformed by music to a very specific date, time or event and the song or artist then defines that moment just as much as the moment itself. I continually have my musical flashbacks being transformed to some random point in my life. Ironically, the song or artist does not have be in your list of favorites but the fact of linking the music to an event is etched in stone.
There are so many musicians and great songs and the mood at any given moment will dictate what is the best music. There are times when cranking the volume is an absolute must and then soft background music is much more appropriate. The artist and song selection from a given artist can set the mood as well. One artist from the endless list who will always resonate with me is James Taylor. His story telling through his songs truly “soothes my soul”. He is not known as a rock n roller but he kicks it up a notch with some of his classics. I guess all musicians tell a story through their music but some do it with such passion and emotion, not just volume. One of James Taylor’s most famous songs was written by Carole King. When I am down and troubled, it is nice to know that I’ve got a friend in James Taylor……
As a matter of fact, “You’ve Got a Friend” is a song that has very special meaning to me as it was a song I sang to Kelly countless times when she was a little girl. It meant so much to both of us it is what we danced to on her wedding day.
Until the Next Tom’s Take…
