A Star-Spangled Evening

I am a softy when it comes to Independence Day. I absolutely love the music. In fact, when I reflect on the July 4th concert we presented Wednesday, I wonder: What is it about that music, in particular, that is so special? Why do I get teary-eyed when I hear America, the Beautiful? Is it the tune? The words? Or, perhaps, a combination of both?

Maybe it's the music. In fact, I typically don't pay attention to words at all. Maybe that's because I'm an instrumentalist. I have to REALLY like a tune before I bother to think about it's words. In fact, I like a lot of music that has terrible words (Jimmy Webb's MacArthur Park immediately comes to mind). No doubt, the patriotic standards I enjoy have good tunes. Nothing is more beautiful or memorable than America, the Beautiful or God Bless America. But it's not the tunes alone that touch my heart strings.

Maybe it's the words. Oh beautiful, for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain. Pretty catchy, huh? It is great poetry, but would these lines have the same impact if they were read alone without the tunes? I think not.

So, the answer to the question has to be this: the words and music work together. That seems logical. But it HAS to be more than that. After all, there are a lot of songs that have good tunes and good lyrics. But the music of Independence Day is different in some way.

Patriotic music is different because it carries with it a whole array of emotions. When I hear a medley of services songs, I get teary-eyed because it makes me think of all of the men and women who have died so that I can enjoy the blessings of being an American. It makes be emotional because I think of my dad. He enlisted in the United States Coast Guard during WWII, knowing that he might not survive the war. It makes me think of my brother who served in Vietnam and has never been the same since. These people really sacrificed. When I hear patriotic songs, I just don't hear words and music. I feel them.

All of you have similar stories. You also have particular songs that touch you the same way. It might be Christmas music, which brings back memories of childhood. It might be a pop song that you associate with your spouse. Whatever it is, you know what I'm talking about.

One thing I do know: there is nothing more powerful than music.