Song and Fiction

I find that when I listen to songs that especially grip me, I’ll experience something spontaneous and autonomous that affects me in commanding ways. By “commanding,” I mean that the intrusion on my conscious intentions feels like a task. This “intrusion” is not something I’ve thought about, considered, or wanted to do, nor is it on any of my agenda lists.

A couple of questions present themselves. The first is, why does this happen when listening to a song that grips me and not other songs? I think being gripped by a song is part of the emotional effect of loosening the barrier to the unconscious, or as I like to say, to “the other.” The second is that the “task” would seem to originate from somewhere that has agency, intention, and desire. “Something” wants me to do something.

I have difficulty saying no to these intrusions.

So, I was listening to the song “Stand by Me,” in the version that was the first video of Playing for Change (Stand By Me | Playing For Change | Song Around The World). I listen to this song frequently. Almost always, I get struck by something that has the quality of “task.” On this latest occasion, I suddenly realized something about the relation of song and fiction that I needed to delve more fully into. This feeling was very pronounced. I have never written on the relationship between song and fiction, but I will take on this psyche-induced task. Watch for it.

Russ