One of the first things you should know about me is that I love popular music. I am a big fan of numerous genres of music, including soul, pop, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll. I have a large record and CD collection and listen to lots of stuff when I'm driving and at home. Since I listen to a lot of music, I kind of "play out" the big hits from the 1950's through the 1980's and get a bit tired of them. As a result, I frequently explore some of the songs that weren't hit. Songs that really flopped! In fact, if I like an artist I will search out all of the music they recorded and explore the clunkers as well as the songs that made the charts.
The reason I bring this up, is that I purchased a CD of pop songs from the 1960's and early 1970's the other day. They were a collection of obscure songs that I'm pretty confident you've never heard of. They were on a collection called, "My World of Make Believe," which is subtitled, "Sunshine, Soft & Studio Pop 1966 - 1972." I listened to a few of the songs on YouTube before I purchased the CD and liked them enough to order it.
Since all of the songs were designed to be singles (i.e. songs that were meant to be played on the radio), they all have musical hooks in them designed to make them easy to remember long after hearing them. Anyway, to make a long story even longer, here's one of the songs I liked best on the CD. It's called, "It's Waiting There for You," and it's by a group with one of the weirdest names I've ever heard for a pop group, The Furnacemen. Have a listen!
Yeah, I know, it's light pop and there's not much grit or bite to it. If you're a hard rock or new wave fan, it ain't gonna do much for you. However, there's something extremely valuable that I noticed in that song. Did you hear it? It's a song that's filled with HOPE! There was an idea in the society at the time that the world is open to you with very few limitations. Whatever your interests, there's something for you in the society. Do people still feel that way? Do they still have the hope that the world is a welcoming place where whatever you want to do is "waiting there for you?" I certainly don't see it these days in my friends or my clients. And I miss it. When I was a kid, I had this overwhelming sense of hope. A feeling that I could have the life I wanted and that my future would be bright.
I'm wondering how many people reading this feel a sense of hope in their lives? When I speak to young people I get an overwhelming sense that they're feeling overwhelmed by the society. I get a sense that they feel restricted by people in authority and that the sense of a positive, hopeful future is not something they feel in the forefront of their minds. Am I wrong? I'm just judging from the people I know and relate to in my life. I'm happy to hear your thoughts as it would be really great if hope could return to our world. It would sure make me more optimistic about our futures as well as hopefully generating some new, hopeful music in the world!
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