One thing I noticed last year was how the choice of music affected my mood. It always recharges me, but some music does that in different ways. That led me to intentionally engage in the various genres of music, some of which are not necessarily in my wheelhouse. And my taste in music has received a lot of feedback – some good, some not, some “how in the world did you come up with THAT?” Some think I should stay with what I know, and others love the exploration, and having been in Product Management and IT long enough, I know I can’t keep anyone – much less everyone – happy. The other morning I was asking Beth what music she wanted to listen to and she said “Eva Cassidy”… but that was not what I heard…
… I heard David Cassidy… as in the lead singer for … The Partridge Family. Perfect. A band that I sorta know, that is mostly upbeat and has enough of a back story that can tie into the theme I want to consider this week – Healing. I know, cheesy, pop, ‘70s music may not be your thing, but think about it. It was made in a time of great upheaval in our country, a time that Healing was needed with the assassination of multiple political leaders, many lives were being lost in an endless war, there was an unpopular president, and we also lost many great musicians to drugs, to say nothing about the conversation about Civil Rights. And a time I can remember…
Into that backdrop arrived a TV program that was loosely based on a real Newport, Rhode Island family that had gotten a HUGE hit in the late 60’s with “Hair” – The Cowsills. To say nothing of the Jackson 5 and The Osmond Brothers – bands whose lead singers were both about my age – and height 😉 And there were other TV programs – The Monkees, H.R. Pufnstuf, etc, that featured a way of marketing music through the growing viewership of TV. The initial episodes were really not expected to be a big hit, but the people behind the music engaged with a hit almost right out of the gate….
… like the Number #1 Single for 1970, and a grammy for The Best New Group… which wasn’t real 😉 I will never subject you to bad music: The backing band for the Partridges was one of the greatest collections of musicians at the top of their game in the late ’60s. Piano – Larry Knechtel – as in “played Bridge over Troubled Water”. Bass – Joe Osborne who also played on that track, one of my favorites. Drums – Hal Blaine – as in, the leader of this studio group that crafted so many of the songs you know, including these – The Wrecking Crew. Once I engaged listening to their songs, I recognized why this music is actually still popular, and why it was “must-see TV” in it’s era. The show was silly and funny when life was so serious and difficult… and each week 2 new songs… and now makes me literally laugh out loud – we forget those three letters can Heal…
I grew up with serious allergies through most of my youth. When I was 3, I went into a clinic to figure out what was happening and after testing very allergic to wheat, eggs, milk… my Mom said “stop testing – what will the kid eat?” If you have had allergies, you know the path to Healing is “allergy shots” – which is introducing small doses of what you are reacting to… so that your body slowly builds up the ability to tolerate what irritates you. Every week, a small dose repeated over years will slowly change you.
In my case that, and probably puberty, Healed me. I grew out of most of them, but not without having to simultaneously live through the troubled times that were the era of The Partridge Family. You might wonder what you could learn from a musical family from the 70’s that would apply now more than 50 years later. I am also curious where this will go.
As we engage this week, think about what you need Healing from… and think about what small irritant you could use to make you stronger every week, or every day. The teammate or spouse whose suggestions stings a little, the nagging feeling you get this is not really what should be doing, the person whose FaceBook post you react to, the comments about your music 😉 While our times are trying, the best thing to remember is not to get rid of them, it is to use them to Heal you. And if nothing else, I hope the music will make you laugh and smile – something we could all use a whole lot more of. And if after all of that you still don’t know why you are here, remember – I Think I Love You
