NEW CASTLE —
What song makes you feel powerful?
I posed this question to some of my friends last week and received quite the wide range of answers. I've been looking for a song that makes me feel power — not inspirational, wishy-washy power (although that's good to have, too.) But strap on your butt-kickin' boots and strut around like you're six-feet tall and bulletproof power. The kind of song that makes you feel like nothing can hurt you, nothing can stand in your way and if you mess with me, you're goin' down, sucka!
I've always been partial to Guns N Roses' “Get in The Ring” for that kind of inspiration, but it's sort of an angry song, and it definitely isn't "G" rated by any means. I want to be able to belt out this song anytime, anywhere, even in front of my kids.
Music is a huge part of my family's life. My late husband was a gifted musician, and my son is following closely in his footsteps, playing the trumpet for school, taking bass lessons, and teaching himself drums. We both walk around with our iPods, fighting over whose song selection gets the dubious honor of being the next played.
Our days are accompanied by a soundtrack of songs that varies depending on our moods and activities. We often think in music, make up silly songs for ordinary things, and even take refuge between refrains that express the feelings that might otherwise find no voice to escape us. Music, they say, is what feeling sounds like.
A few weeks ago, my friend Kim and I had taken a brisk mile-and-a-half walk in near 100-degree temperatures, and then decided we needed some ice cream to undo our exercise. As luck would have it, the register was broken at the drive-thru we'd chosen, and we sat in the car for over 10 minutes. As better luck would have it, "The Humpty Dance" shuffled its way onto my iPod just in time for us to sing along and bounce the car like a couple of dorky teenagers, and then hit repeat and do it all over again.
Music, I know, makes the ordinary extraordinary.
So it only stands to reason that I need to find a fitting theme song as I embark on the journey of reclaiming my inner strength — something to set the sails to, so to speak, and then play again in the background as the credits roll at the end of my success story.
T.S. Eliot said, "You are the music while the music lasts." I don't know what my song's going to be yet, but I want my music to be indomitable. Here's a few suggestions from some of my friends. Care to add yours to the list?
Josh:
“Damage Inc.” — Metallica
“Wild Side” — Motley Crue
“Welcome To The Jungle” — Guns & Roses
“Youth Gone Wild” — Skid Row
Anything by WASP, Megadeth, Ministry or Slipknot
Melanie:
Candlebox — “You”
Twisted Sister — “We're Not Gonna Take It”
Eminem — “Lose Yourself”
Anything by Metallica
“Mama Said Knock You Out” — LL Cool J
Lisa:
Twisted Sister — “We're Not Gonna Take It”
Lita Ford — “Kiss Me Deadly”
Skid Row — “Youth Gone Wild”
Mary:
“Gun Powder and Lead” — Miranda Lambert
Sharri:
“Seven Nation Army” — White Stripes
“No Church in the Wild” — Kanye West/Jay-Z
“Treat Me Like Your Mother” — The Dead Weather
Kim:
“Humpty Dance” — Digital Underground
Cheryl:
“I Hate Myself for Loving You” — Joan Jett
Chris:
“You're Going Down” — Sick Puppies
Melanie:
Nazareth — “Hair of the Dog”
George Thorogood — “Bad to the Bone”
Steppenwolf — “Born To Be Wild”
Beastie Boys — “Sabotage”
Anything by Johnny Cash
Caryn:
Rage Against the Machine — “Killing in the Name Of”
Jay Z — “99 Problems”
Tina:
Pink — “So What”
Bryan:
NKOTB — “Hangin’ Tough”
Jennifer:
Miranda Lambert — “Gun Powder and Lead”
Kelly Clarkson — “Stronger”
Def Leffard — “Rock of Ages”
Aerosmith — “The Other Side”
Lou:
Disturbed — “Down With the Sickness”
Dawn:
Van Halen — “And the Cradle Will Rock”
Matt:
Nazareth — “Hair of the Dog”
Lisa Madras
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About Lisa Madras: Lisa is the advertising dispatch at The News. She has agreed to blog about her personal pain in an effort to inspire others going through similar circumstances. She’ll share her thoughts each Monday.
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