Notes on a Rhythm #5 - Mood Music

The great chanteuse Madonna once sang, "Music makes the people come together." I couldn't agree more. "Music makes the bourgeoisie and the rebel," she continued. Huh? That doesn't even rhyme, but that song sure got me shakin' my ass.
I dance at home. I dance at whatever club we go to. I dance in my truck. I dance at work when nobody is looking (and sometimes even when they are). No matter my mood, if a really great dance tune comes on, my feet are moving. My Mom taught me to swing dance when I was little, and I remember not wanting to leave my first high school dance because I was having so much fun.
I think that's the best thing about music. It can change my mood so quickly and so drastically. If I'm hyper and I want to mellow out; if I'm down and I want to cheer up; if I'm angry, and I want to get over it, I can find something to satisfy me. When I'm feeling romantic, I queue up Jill Scott's "He Loves Me (Lyzel in E Flat). When I want to rock out, I put on "Coral Fang" by The Distillers. When I'm feeling dark, I listen to "Is This Desire?" by PJ Harvey.
Sometimes songs have different effects on me, depending on when I listen to them. One time, I started crying when "Holiday" by Green Day came on. It's such a powerful song, not just sonically, but the lyrics really hit me.
But there's really nothing like a perfect pop song. And not just "pop' in the sense of Britney or Justin. I'm thinking "Just Like Heaven" by The Cure, or "Runaway" by Del Shannon or "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor or "Lithium" by Nirvana. Those songs may not sound anything alike, but they're all so instantly recognizable and totally irresistable.
Every genre has its good and bad; but it's all distinct and relevant and important (yes, even country). I can't explain why music has such an influence on me. It's in my genes, and it's there to stay. And I don't know what I'd do without it.