“On my nights off (Tuesdays and Wednesdays), I’d hang out at Eton’s, playing Ella Fitzgerald’s recording of “But Not for Me” (my God, what an elegantly poignant tour de force!: it makes self-pity sound like a refined condition, makes the lovelorn feel like a noble tragic hero rather than a poor dejected sap), over and over on the jukebox until closing time (also midnight); then commence my cobblestone ramble...”
—Tom Robbins, Tibetan Peach Pie
Write about a song. A favorite song you played on repeat that whole year you lived abroad. The love song you haven’t been able to listen to since Jenny broke up with you before the prom. A song you hate and can’t stop hearing on the radio—why do people think this is music? A Christmas song that’s been making you nostalgic, excited for the future, or filling you with grief. A song you sang on stage as a child in the elementary school show (🎶 “When you are spelling America, don’t forget to dot the ‘i’—for the inventors!” 🎶 ). The karaoke night you sang with your best friend.
Write about the song, what it means to you, where it lives for you, why it matters. Give us the scene and the setting, if such applies. But your challenge goal here is to write about music—what’s happening in the music, what does the singer (if there is one) sound like, what’s the journey it takes you on musically, what does it do to a room or a body or a car ride, write about sound. This is not easy! Practice your descriptive language and don’t be afraid to make wild connections—hint: use simile!