5.11.2012

If I were a song


We're starting a new set of monthly features on Fernweh that we're all very excited about! One of our newest is a series called, "If I were..." It sounds cliche to say that I love music, but I do. The different genres, the various ways of expression, the sound, the beat -- all of it makes my heart beat faster, my soul ready to sing, my feet ready to dance. To try to sum ourselves up in a single song was a challenge, but I love reading our collective thoughts.

Libby says...

I have different songs for different feelings, with lyrics that make me cry and laugh and dance. I have songs for when my heart is broken and for when it is so full that it might just burst. And I have one song that, whatever mood I am in, fits. Down by Summer Camp is my favourite song to hear when I am desperate to move out and when I am fine in my home. It is for dancing and for reading sad poetry and for staring out the window and dreaming of my future. It is for everything. And maybe it's not everything that I am right now, but it's everything that I want to be too.

Hannah says...

I grew up with music. From classical, to swing, to big band, to rock, to jazz, and back to folk -- my family is full of music. I've sung since I was little and so I've always been in love with sound. There's intrinsic beauty, memories, and a deep ache that comes with music -- oftentimes, something beautiful will make me cry. It's so hard to narrow it down to one, but if I were a song, I would be Something in the Water by Brooke Fraser. It's one of my favorites, and this stanza sums it up so well, "I've got halo's made of summer, rhythms made of spring // What she wears, what she wears, what she wears // I got crowns of words a woven each one a song to sing // Oh I sing, oh I sing, oh I sing."

Kendall says...

Anyway, I would have to say if I were a song, right now, I'd be "Heaven Go Easy On Me" by The Head and The Heart. When I first heard it, I was blown away by how much it felt like it was describing me: "And while you're sittin' all alone in your room on your bed / And your windows are open but you won't go out, no / Oh, Heaven go easy on me." It gives voices a lot of thoughts & feelings that I haven't been able to, and puts them to nice music, too. It also sums up something that is a central belief of mine: Don't follow your head, follow your heart.

Katie says...

England, by the National.
Wanderlove and distance and discovering new places. I love everything about this song. "You must be somewhere in London, you must be loving your life in the rain." It's perfect.

Carlotta says...

If I were a song, it would be hard to pinpoint it exactly. I am a person who is woven intricately with memories and feelings and experiences of all different kinds. My southern roots are ingrained deeply in my blood (once a Texan, always a Texan, you know), but then there are other sides of me--ones that I can't even describe. The carefree me, the culture-hungry me, the book worm me. If I were a song, it'd be a little bit Springsteen by Eric Church, a little Something Good Can Work by Two Door Cinema, a little South Texas Girl by Lyle Lovett. Then there would be Coldplay, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, James Vincent McMorrow, and The Civil Wars. If I were a song, it would be a mishmash of sound, clashing to the stranger's ear, but resonating deep in my heart.


Now it's your turn -- if you were a song, what song would you be?

x
Hannah

27 comments:

  1. I was actually gonna say Something in the Water by Brooke Fraser!
    But if I had to pick another, it would be Poison & Wine by The Civil Wars or As the Deer by Matt Gilman...

    or Hymn by Brooke Fraser.

    I guess I'm more of a playlist, haha.

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    1. you and me are twins. i was so going to say all of those!

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    2. We must be!!

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  2. Such a good idea. If I were a song I would be 'Where I belong' - Switchfoot. It's an incredible song. The lyrics are amazing..I could go on about it all day. But mostly, its lyrics ring true with me, resonate to my soul :)

    Gina X

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    1. YES for Switchfoot! They're totally awesome.

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  3. yayforbrookefraser! she's a fellow new zealander! all good things come from new zealand. amen.

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  4. love this idea! and i honestly have no idea what i would be. the songs i listen to constantly change, but i guess at the moment i'd be "drop baby drop," a song i'm learning to play on my uke :)

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  5. I like your song choice Hannah, Something in the water is such a happy song :) I agree with Carlotta too, I might be a mishmash--sha.bang.alang.alang song. haha. Sometimes I have three to five songs stuck in my head all at once and I mix all the lyrics together :P right now, if i were a song i'd be " you revive me" by Christy Nockles. Graduating from highschool is such a big deal and I can't wait to see what God has in store for me. I don't regret the past but I'm ready for the new chapter in my book to begin--to be revived.

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  6. Hmmm....something maybe by coldplay. Life in Technicolor! :D

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    1. YAY! So many other people like Coldplay!

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  7. ahh love your songs- I'd never heard them before except Hannah's (which I love!)
    I've thought about this before but honestly I have no idea. My tastes change quite a bit. I really love The Lumineers right now, and Of Monsters and Men, and Imagine Dragons, and Young the Giant, and the Freelance Whales. So many beautiful sounds. Something with meaning. Lots of potential. <3

    l.

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  8. If I were a song.. I'd be three songs.
    #1.) Your Guardian Angel by the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
    #2.) The Riddle by Five for Fighting
    #3.) and Life in Technicolor by Coldplay.

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  9. Ooh, neat!
    Hannah: No way, you like Something in the Water too? It's one of my absolute favs. :)
    If I were a song, I would be Messenger by Galen Crew, or Every Moment by Joy Williams. I love both. <3

    hugs,
    ~bree

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  10. Oooh. Love it. I'm with Carlotta - if I was a song, I'd probably be a mix of many different songs. "All Around Me" acoustic by Flyleaf would be a major one. Then after that, a mix of many others would be twisted up all within it.

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  11. Oh man, I am in complete awe at the way all of you lovely ladies are able to express your feelings and thoughts. It's so, SO beautiful! With that said, there is no way I could figure out which song I am and describe it as lovely as you girls. Of course I have heart songs, happy songs, sad songs, and dancing songs, but not one that fits perfectly!

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  12. i love this idea...but i'm a playlist instead of one song!

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  13. I'm not sure what song really defines me, but one song that consistently makes me feel comforted is "Fuzzy Blue Lights" by Owl City. Also, "Butterfly Wings" by Owl City always makes me happy. :)

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  14. Definitely something Switchfoot. Either Red Eyes or Where I Belong, except the latter is apparently taken :) I absolutely love Switchfoot, and the reason is that last year I was going through a super-hard time in my life, and those songs just brought so much hope and light into my life. So, yeah, that's my story.

    Abbie /// XOXOX

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  15. Oh Hannah! I saw a while back where you posed this question to your followers. And the song you chose is exactly the one I thought of. :D

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  16. ...to describe you I mean. :)

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  17. for me, basically what hannah said. brooke fraser is one of my favorites, and though i love her upbeats songs, i love her slower songs as well. my favorite is "who are we fooling" featuring aqualung and "sailboats".

    in general, though, i find i am attracted to adele's music. i love "daydreamer" and "Best for last" and "someone like you" and pretty much her entire albums, because they just speak to me. like i can so easily relate, almost. but most recently, i've been getting into ella fitzgerald. she's the classic of classic. i love "i've got a crush on you" and "september song" and "miss otis regrets" and really, her music makes me feel like i'm in a high-end apartment in new york. it's all beautiful.

    and as you can see, i really love romantic songs.
    -jocee <3

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  18. Right now, the song I am is "You're Not Alone" by Meredith Andrews. It's incredible listening to it because it describes my life right now almost perfectly. :)

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  19. If I were a song, I'd probably be "Rainbow Veins" by Owl City. But if I didn't have to be defined by an already-written song, I'd probably be some kind of symphony, one that is really subtle and soft, with tones of longing, and which might sound slightly discordant on the surface but contains structural beauty if you listen past the chaos. (and that is a run-on sentence. :P)

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  20. I'd be "Glass of Water" by Coldplay. It's hard to find what my song is, seeing as the music I listen to (namely Coldplay, The Fray, Foster The People and Sara Bareilles) don't describe me very much. But Glass of Water says that you shouldn't worry about or try to dee your future, but should instead live it. I also love the beat.

    It's strange you like Coldplay, Carlotta... wouldn't have thought that. Hmmmm.

    ~Nina
    http://craftandcreate.blogspot.com/

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  21. yay! Carlotta got hers in! ;D wow you guys. just wow. i love this idea so much. you're all so creative :)

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  22. I've considered this before, and I don't know that there is an exact song that completely describes me- at different times I would think different songs, but right now I would say 'Secrets' by One Republic.

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