1.
“I don’t wanna die
I sometimes wish I’d never been born at all…”
~ Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen
^
At a karaoke, I saw the whole lyric for Bohemian Rhapsody on the screen in real time. I heard these words sung as if for the 1st time. It shook me. I realized this was REAL, the voice of a truly felt out character. I finally empathized.
And the story of this rock-opera, I think – the existential horror of having murdered someone – is why the song is so impactful and culturally embedded.
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2.
It was a mainstay in high school. But we never really got it, or I never did. On constant radio rotation, it was slapstick to some of us, by a band named Supertramp, no less.
The words – including “liberal”, “radical”, “fanatical”, “cynical” – were over our heads. Surely a lot of rhyming word salad had been thrown together.
I guess it dawned on me decades later, how masterful the “Logical Song” is. Hearing it from time to time, catching verses. Then, hearing Kathleen Edwards do a slow, stripped down cover of it this last year rounded out the experience.
The song is a philosophical breakdown of the dilemma of modern humankind.
Here, without permission, are some of the lyrics…
^
When I was young, it seemed that life was so wonderful
A miracle, oh, it was beautiful, magical
And all the birds in the trees, well they'd be singing so happily
Oh, joyfully, oh, playfully watching me
But then they sent me away to teach me how to be sensible
Logical, oh, responsible, practical
And then they showed me a world where I could be so dependable
Oh, clinical, oh, intellectual, cynical
There are times when all the world's asleep
The questions run too deep
For such a simple man
Won't you please, please tell me what we've learned?
I know it sounds absurd
Please tell me who I am
^
The lesson here for me – to listen utterly before judging. This applies at every level of living.