A Life

A Life

Too overwhelmed to make a Best of 2010 list this year, I instead directed my energies toward a project that quickly became even more absorbing. I attempted to create a playlist that would begin in the womb, end in the afterlife and include every major life stage between. Once I’d begun, I realized that I wasn’t satisfied making a guitar-and-drums playlist. To Americanize the human experience would be an incredible crime. I scrapped my old playlist, created another, and this is the final product:

[P.S. I'm not including a link to videos because most are either lacking a video or have a crap video that would really damage the integrity of the song.]

-Birth: Samskeyti by Sigur Rós (Iceland)

First of all, I thought it was important that the birthing experience be instrumental because lyrics would have taken it to a level of consciousness that doesn’t exist at this stage. I love that this song begins quietly, swells, and returns to silence. I can’t help but imagine that I’m emerging from a place of complacency to a different, but equally as complacent place. The song is the perfect marriage of wonder and purity. The fact that it’s the first track of the second disc of the album it comes from (Hvarf-Heim) is also perfect; it’s singly able to tie the first part of the album to the second, as birth does from the life before it to the life after.

-Infancy/Early Childhood: Sala by Abigail Washburn & The Shanghai Restoration Project (China/America)

Fast forward to a child’s first steps, his or her first words, or the child’s growing ability to have fun and be curious. That’s this song. The simplicity and purity of the harmony and melody, the vocals and instrumentals, give this song a childish vibe and a sweet playfulness.

-Youth: Children Go ‘Round (Demissènw) by Dee Dee Bridgewater (Mali/America)

I first debated whether I should include this song or the former, but decided to keep both. This one is a bit more mature than the last, with what seems to be more layers and a deeper vocal. The child we’re now watching grow is becoming more mischievous and is taking on more responsibilities. There’s a more complex dynamic between the child and his or her social surroundings, as Bridgewater notes about 3 minutes in.

-Adolescence: Girl You Move Me by Seu Jorge and Almaz (Brazil)

Teenage angst. Tortured lust. Dark confusion. Seu Jorge and Almaz get it perfectly. The song itself, which transforms from calm to rough and stormy, is much reminiscent of the spikes in hormones and moods that leave most adolescents groaning. This is the stage of life rock and roll speaks to best.

-Sex: Fire Dance by Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 (Nigeria)

Sex: The ultimate fire dance. No, this song doesn’t speak much for passion. It’s not loud and rough and grimy and it doesn’t necessarily have you screaming for more. But not all sex is power. Sometimes sex is fun and play and simple. It’s not until you reach the next stage—love—and you start to incorporate feelings into that play—that sex takes on a different dynamic.

-Love: Sur Les Quais Du Vieux Paris by Juliette Gréco (France)

It’s sung in the language of love, it’s sexy, and its content is both poetic and romantic. Translated by Lyrics Translate: “When you quietly lean over / whispering: ‘It's Sunday, / What if we had a wander in the suburbs / Under the blue summer sky?’ / A thousand plans entice us / But, sharing the same smile, / We retrace the sweet and simple steps / Of our very first dates ... / On the banks of old Paris, / along the Seine / Happiness smiles, / On the banks of old Paris, / Love wanders along / Searching for a nest. / Old bookseller, / Beautiful florist / How we love you, / Living poem! / On the banks of old Paris, / Bohemian love / It's paradise ... / All the old bridges know us, / Witnesses to the crazy promises, / That the echo in the current will recount / To the merry, cheeky sparrows ... / And, in your arms which hold me, / Listening to the sirens, / I let my heart, overcome with happiness, / beat next to yours ... / On the banks of old Paris, / along the Seine / Happiness smiles, / On the banks of old Paris, / Love wanders along / Searching for a nest. / Old bookseller, / Beautiful florist / How we love you, / Living poem! / On the banks of old Paris, / Bohemian love / It's paradise ...”

-Heartbreak: Mal De Mer by Rupa & The April Fishes (America/France)

Completely coincidentally, the love song and the song I’ve chosen for heartbreak are both of the same tongue. Simply put, this song is sad. I love this band and I love the use of different instruments to communicate a different level of emotion.

-The Coming of Contentment: Mandra by Kottarashky (Bulgaria)

“Mandra” does such a swell job of communicating routine. The loops in this song and repetitive elements are similar to the patterns we start detecting as we get older. Yet, this song isn’t tough listening. In fact, it’s almost fun. It embraces redundancies and patterns, as we learn to do.

-Aging: Fafa by Vieux Farka Touré (Mali)

The vocals alone in this piece are really aged, which I adore. I don’t think I can explain it, but I just imagine an old man, weathered and wrinkled, sitting in his rocking chair on the front porch. It’s one of those songs that make me feel like the sun is beating down on me, which is a fantastic metaphor for old age. It’s agonizing at times and unremarkable at others, and yet the entire thing is something to be respected.

-Dying: Rain Rain Beautiful Rain by Ladysmith Black Mambazo (South Africa)

I have no words. I can only hope this is what death is like.

-The Afterlife: Videotape by Radiohead (England)

I couldn’t not include this song in this playlist. It’s essentially purgatory, which makes the playlist take a much unexpected turn after such a pleasant track list. However, I think it’s an important inclusion. Does doing everything according to plan, does walking through life “pleasantly,” guarantee a smooth transition to the hereafter? Possibly not.

-The Quiet: Síðasti bærinn 5 by Kjartan Sveinsson (Iceland)

What better way to end a playlist about life than where it started? Kjartan Sveinsson is actually a member of Sigur Rós, which allows me to begin and end in Iceland. This piece is incredibly moving. To me, it speaks of sad defeat, which makes this another odd addition to the playlist. However, it’s intentional, which I hope leaves you something to think about.