A song remembers when

Timeless and tireless, weaving together the unspoken and separate

Photo by Adrian Korte via Unsplash

What are a song's emotional and musical components that recognize connection, sing to the soul, and beat the heart?

When language fails, music prevails. When lost for purpose, a song solves. 

A symbol, a song is a story woven through instrument by the broken-hearted, the hopeful, and the endless romantic.

Its recipe for passion and harmony are the ingredients for closeness and affection. The singer and songwriter know your secrets and stories as they have lived them too. 

The residue of a catchy chorus remains long after its debut. It represents a souvenir of time yet transcends. It is timeless and tireless, overlapping generations and boundaries, weaving together the unspoken and separate. 

Music hijacks a mood and has the privilege of changing a state of mind. Mysterious in melody, intuitively saying what you need, revealing desired ways to move, and emotion craved to be displayed. 

Poetic artistry forms feelings, meaning, and memories, delivering the past and, at the same time, embracing the present.

The musical prose of a love song invites a bittersweet longing and warm-hearted gesture of honoring and celebrating nostalgia. It recalls the texture, color, and character of that special someone, being, place, or thing long after their departure. 

A good songwriter will bravely say what we wish to write and speak. The exposed artist is loyal of heart, despair, peace, and joy, inviting us into the intimacy of their lives and of our own. 

I am unsure when my father shared that the song, Wonderful Tonight, by Eric Clapton reminded him of me. Shy behind words but bold in communication, the song spoke of our love story. 

My father was a treasure of a man. I could count on him to remind me how wonderful I looked when my self-esteem was low. How proud he was of me when I doubted my ability. How amazed he was at my creativity when I lacked vision. The one who walked into a room delighted with me on his arm. 

A ritual of remembering I now often entertain; I sit on my balcony and stare into the sky as the lyrics supply the air I breathe. 

It's late in the evening
She's wondering what clothes to wear
She puts on her make up
And brushes her long blonde hair

And then she asks me, "Do I look alright?"
And I say, "Yes, you look wonderful tonight"

I soak in verse and surrender to the melody of the guitar. I feel the vibration as it stirs and awakens grief, gratitude, awe, and love. Warm tears gently escape my eyes as I remember my father's face, his voice of kindness, and how he breathed, I love you.  

We go to a party
And everyone turns to see
This beautiful lady
That's walking around with me

And then she asks me, "Do you feel alright?"
And I say, "Yes, I feel wonderful tonight"

I wonder what went through his mind when he heard the song. What was it that reminded him of me? Was it the way the harmony made him feel? Was it the lyrics of brushing my long blonde hair and getting ready for a night on the town? 

When the rumor of the words pulsated his heart, did he pause and reminisce how wonderful I looked? Did it evoke emotion and devotion of just how much he loved me? 

I feel wonderful
Because I see the love light in your eyes
And the wonder of it all
Is that you just don't realize how much I love you

I listen beyond the surface. I feel fondness of and for my father and see through his eyes the gifts he witnessed but was not always accustomed to me. How my loveliness touched him, and our love blossomed, expanding his heart. 

Unbeknownst to him, my father gave me one of the greatest gifts. This simple yet generous act of love from Eric Clapton to Patti Smith was a legacy to my father and me—a gift to the world for others to hear.

Wonderful Tonight symbolizes our love and a present to last a lifetime. I visit the song and its warm embrace when I crave the tender release of tears and the touch of his tenderness. When the one I miss is gone, the man I could trust to remind me of my beauty and wonderfulness, a song remembers when.  

Dad, I feel wonderful because I see the love light in your eyes, and the wonder of it all is that you just don't realize how much I love you.

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