“Mama, ooh, ooh
–Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
Didn’t mean to make you cry
If I’m not back again this time tomorrow
Carry on, carry on as if nothing really matters”
“Bohemian Rhapsody sucks!” said Singaporean comedian and The Daily Show correspondent Ronny Chieng. Since my teen has been on an 80s music kick lately, I listened to this ever-popular song again, curious if Chieng is right. I’ve never been a Queen fan, but this song’s range and intensity carries me off.
Why?
Played loud, enveloping you from head to toe, Freddie Mercury’s song amplifies the awkwardness, rocketing hormones, and emotional extremes of youth. Anyone who remembers puberty feels the irresistible gravity to temporarily surrender sense and maturity.
It’s not just this song.
Music is meant to be felt, not just listened to. Good music doesn’t just tickle the brain; it flows into you through your skin and shakes your bones. People who only listen to music inside their head, rather than beating down and around them through speakers with base, are missing the way music imbues.
Whether you float away on Vivaldi’s violins, or “Knock Three Times” by Tony Orlando and Dawn sends you into waves of ecstasy, it’s all good and should be experienced with friends, in surround sound. Skin, your biggest organ, and its microbiome deserve to go to the concert too.
Rally up some Journey or Andrea Bocelli and canonball into the music pool.
Thought Ripples by Wendi 