I've actually been thinking about this topic for awhile now, and then Julie beat me to it on her blog. These songs may be a bit weird, way old, and/or crappy, but in certain situations, they work for me. So with no further ado, here are my top 6 inspirational songs:
6. The Greatest Love of All, by Whitney Houston
This was the featured song at the very first Leadership Camp I attended. I think I was in the 7th grade. Our fearless leaders were this crackpot lady named Joni and her trusty "hypnotist" sidekick, Andy, and for six years I'd ride a bus way up into the Angeles forest so I could buy every word these two nutballs had to say about life, living your dreams, and being "you." I want to say that I was a bit skeptical from the start, but that would be a lie. I thought that I just wasn't doing whatever it is they said we should do right, and that's why I wasn't more popular. This song inspires me to show the world the beauty I have inside. Screw the children.
5. If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out, by Cat Stevens
I just watched Harold and Maude again on TV the other day... it's the first time I've seen it since I was a kid. I love this movie, and I love the hippie-dippy sweetness of this song. It reminds me of what my flute teacher says in my lessons, when I'm learning a new piece and I'm playing all trepidatiously, not making much of a statement. She'll say, "What are you waiting for? Make some music now."
4. Dig, by Incubus
Ah, a song from this century. I don't know, I think all songs with a tambourine are inspirational.
3. Nobody's Fault But Mine, by Led Zeppelin
I just love this song, but other than the title, and when Robert sings those words during the song, these lyrics make absolutely no sense. I mean, it's total nonsense, but when I listen to this song (and this album: Presence is, in my opinion, their best stuff. I know I'm alone in this), it makes me want to, I don't know, ask the devil how to roll the log tonight. What the fuck does that mean?
2. Fly By Night, by Rush
The original geek rock. These guys took all the Ayn Rand-J.R.R. Tolkien-Robert Heinlein-creepy sci fi stuff they could and somehow wrote these crazy songs that almost never fail to fascinate me. There is definitely something compelling about the idea of changing your life just 'cause you said you would. And I love the sextuplet on the drums after ..."Change my life again!" (or is that just two triplets? I'm confused.) The only bad thing about this song is, I got a ticket once while I was listening to Rush on the 10 freeway (right before PCH). So? These guys inspire me to speed.
1. Ride Like the Wind, by Christopher Cross
When I was a kid, I rode my bike everywhere. And there was another kid in the neighborhood who took much enjoyment from torturing me. On my bike and off: he was a jerk. Anyway, he would chase me on my bike, and I, being deathly afraid of him and his gangster brothers, would take off as fast as I could, on my bike.
"Ride Like the Wind" was my song. If I need that extra push? This song fits the bill.
I told Patrick about this once, and ever since, whenever we happen to hear it on the radio or are playing around being goofy, he will hit me with his Michael McDonald imitation ("such a long way to go!")... He made me pee in my pants once with this imitation: it's that good.
BONUS SONG:
My somewhat crappy high school marching band's drum cadence. We always had good drummers, and all six years I marched, they used the same cadence. I have no idea if it was a good cadence; it's the only one I've ever heard, practically (yeah, we heard the other bands' cadences at parades and football games, but ours was the only one that stuck). Anyway, if you see me out walking (which I hate... walking for exercise has to be the dullest thing, ever), and I seem to be keeping a pretty steady beat: this is why. It really keeps me moving along. In the 9th grade they added a tri-tom section, and I don't know why I'm telling you this, suddenly I feel like the world's biggest nerd, ever.
