Songs That Feed My Imagination

Every now and then, I hear a piece of music that sparks my imagination. If I’m lucky, the accompanying visuals really draw me in.

Last year, I discovered two, in particular, which I’d like to talk about.

The first is by a band I’d never heard of before called ‘Nightwish’ from Finland. A symphonic metal band, their music is known for its operatic style. One of their songs, ‘Storytime’, had been set to a montage of anime visuals, and that’s how I discovered the song.

The lyrics, especially the chorus (below), grabbed my attention…
            ‘I am the voice of Never Never land,
            The innocence, the dreams of every man,
            I am the empty crib of Peter Pan,
            A soaring kite against the blue, blue sky,
            Every chimney, every moonlit sight,
            I am the story that will read you real,
            Every memory that you hold dear…’

The second is by one of my favourites, Florence and the Machine. And it’s from her latest album, ‘High As Hope’. As with all their songs, I love each one, but it’s the visuals for the video, ‘Big God’, that keeps pulling me back.

With a chorus of, ‘You need a big god, big enough to hold your love; You need a big god, big enough to fill you up’, one is left wondering about the meaning of the song. When asked, this was Florence’s reply to the New York Times – “Obviously, an unfillable hole in the soul, but mainly about someone not replying to my text.” Wow!

I’m mesmerised by the video, which is basically Florence and a group of women dancing. But there’s something primal and slightly eerie about it. Each time I watch it, each time I think about it, I want to write a story around it. It’s as if the idea is on the periphery of my vision but each time I turn to it, it disappears. Maybe if I stop trying too hard…