The tracks of our tears are part of the melody of life

Among the many applications I have downloaded on to my phone is the virtual goldmine known as Spotify. I love this app for the variety of music that it allows me to enjoy and experience.

In the ebbs and flows of life, music is one of those forces that can uplift and inspire, console and comfort, encourage and excite.If you are anything like me, the jukebox of your heart is never short of tracks to listen to and ponder.

Recently, Celena and I had one of those conversations, on a road trip, where we asked each other what songs readily brought us to tears.

Besides the haunting U2 ballad, 'One', I nominated a song by an English band from the 80s, ABC. Their track 'All Of My Heart' was on high-rotation in my room as I grieved over the break-up of my first love. Celena and I both acknowledged that Bon Jovi's classic 'Thank You For Loving Me' brought us undone because it has become our prayer to our daughter, Amber-Rose. Similarly, I cannot listen to Rob Thomas' 'Fire On the Mountain' without being transported back to the day in October 2010 when we laid our son Brodie to rest.

Music may soothe the savage beast but it can also reduce that same creature to a blubbering mess!

Tonight, along with drafting this post, I began downloading some music to iTunes. One of the tracks I 'discovered' was a hidden gem among the greatest hits of Mike and the Mechanics, 'A Beggar on a Beach of Gold'.

Reading the lyrics on-line made me realise that there always will be a song that speaks into the moment. No matter where we are in life, there is a tune that we can turn to, a song that we can sing along with, a lyric we can learn from. For me, this was THAT song.

(Check out the lyrics at http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/mikethemechanics/abeggaronabeachofgold.html)

Sometimes, the record that is our life gets a scratch. We still go around and around, like an old 45, but the circumstances are such that we get stuck. And we repeat the same part of the song, over and over. We forget that often, when faced with a recurring challenge, we just need to lift the needle and gently move forward. For as Mike and his band remind us:

"When I was searching for solutions
I found the answer lay in me
I'm a drifter
But I'm drifting on a silver sea."

The essence of this song is that today is a gift. So is tomorrow, yesterday and every day before that. No matter how loud the drum roll of doubt may become, or how faint the chorus of hope may be, we are alive and we need to cherish each and every moment.

"Are you out there now on empty
Feel you've nothing left to give
Sick of trying
Have you lost the will to live?

Don't be drowning in the shallows
With the beach so near at hand
Hear the voice say
Stand up get up
And join me on the gilded sand."

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Have I Found What I'm Looking For?

The sounds of Larry Mullen Jr's pounding drums, Adam Clayton's thumping bass guitar, Edge's soaring keyboard and Bono's empassioned vocals are still ringing in my ears. Twice this past week, I had the privilege - and pleasure - of seeing U2 perform at Suncorp Stadium. My head is full of snatches of lyrics and my heart is bursting with the power evident in these two shows.

The first night, I was accompanied by Celena. The train trip home was marked by Celena sharing her insights and responses to the concert. Once home, she was suitably inspired to write an editorial piece, about her reaction to the experience, and showed it to me as we were getting ready for bed. I was struck by her eloquence and her perspective on many aspects of the concert that either I missed or had failed to consider. For instance, Celena came away with a renewed appreciation of the Biblical imagery used by Bonon in the song Until the End of the World.

On the second night, I played hooky from my squash team and purchased a cheap ticket to revisit the glory of the first concert. Watching U2, and the mesmerising light and stage show that marked the 360 Degree Tour, on my own, was a reminder of my childhood days, and the independence I enjoyed as the eldest of six children. I was flying solo but I never felt alone.

Like a good wine, U2 is a band that can be savoured, tasted and devoured on one's own or you can share the experience with others who appreciate the different vintages. You're a fan of the early stuff they produced? No problem, there's a hit in the show for you - perhaps a good drop of "New Year's Day". Or maybe you prefer the labels that represent U2's commercial success? Something off the Joshua Tree or Achtung Baby? Maybe the buzz and energy of the song written for one of the Batman movies, Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kill Me, Kiss Me? Maybe something of more recent production, a song that, given time to breathe, can capture your senses with its beauty and simplicity?

For me, two songs that captured the magic of these two shows were Magnificent (Wednesday night) and Bad (Thursday night). With these two songs, Bono reached into my broken heart and poured a salve over the gaping wounds. The lyrics, the arrangements, the production...all combined to remind me that, even in the midst of grief, it is important to find occasions, and reasons, to celebrate. Otherwise, why go on?

Somewhat poignantly, the latter of these two songs was dedicated to the memory of John Lennon, whose life and death cast both inspiration and sadness over the two concerts. If Bono could lead the way, to show that there is indeed life after death, who was I to argue? Ok Bono, you've convinced me - I Will Follow!
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