In troubled times, is music the answer?

Commentary

I write a monthly column for my community’s magazine, The Breezes. Each month the editor asks contributors, both the writers and the photographers, to adhere to a theme.

While the themes can be frivolous or “corny,” I usually come up with a creative solution.

Then, came the November issue.

The theme for November, because the month focuses on being grateful and giving thanks, was “LIFE IS GOOD.”

Needless to say, “LIFE IS GOOD” presented a dilemma for me. As I told our editor, “Life is good? In this world? At this time? Boy, I’ll have to be super creative. I guess that’s what sets us apart — your glass is half full, mine is half empty! LOL.”

I struggled. And then, an epiphany. Could I get beyond the storm cloud hovering over my head and look for a silver lining. Wait, silver lining? Could optimistic songs in troubled times be the answer?

With that background, I thought I’d share an excerpt from the piece that will appear in the November Breezes. Particularly, at this time, I felt the story needs to be seen by a broader audience.

The Power of Music to Lift the Spirits

“Look for a Silver Lining,” by Jerome Kern and B. G. De Sylvia, was written in 1919 for the musical, “Zip, Goes a Million.” Here is a portion of the lyrics:

Think of the state of the world in 1919. The “war to end all wars” had just ended in November 1918. It was a war in which the total number of military and civilian casualties were roughly 40 million, with an estimated 15 to 22 million deaths and about 23 million wounded military personnel. Incredibly, with U.S. participation limited to less than two years, American military deaths were over 116,000 with an additional 200,000 wounded! 

To compound the horror of the period, as WWI was ending the great Influenza Epidemic, the misnamed “Spanish Flu” of 1918-1920, wreaked havoc on a weary world. Within two years nearly a third of the global population, or an estimated 500 million people, had been infected in four successive waves. Estimates of deaths range from 17 million to 50 million and possibly as high as 100 million.

Could there have been a better –”worse” – time, for the song, “Wait for a Silver Lining,” than 1919?

But 1919 was a long time ago. More recently another, “Life is Good” song debuted during troubled times.

“What a Wonderful World” was written in 1967 and released as a Louis Armstrong single in 1968. Think back to that time as you look at some of the lyrics.

Do you remember 1967? The Vietnam War was escalating, anti-war riots were sweeping colleges, and inner-cities were burning. But 1968 could have been worse – both Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy were assassinated; the war and inner-city riots continued to escalate. Despite the chaos, Louis Armstrong saw trees of green and red roses; he could only think to himself–what a wonderful world!”

Was life good in 1918 and 1919? No! Or in 1967 and 1968? Certainly not. Is it good now? You decide. But because there were songs like “Look for a Silver Lining” and “What a Wonderful World,” people had something positive to cling to. Perhaps, in these fraught times, as we suffered through another pandemic and where political upheaval could threaten the world order, there’s an opportunity for another “Silver Lining/Wonderful World” song to, at the very least, turn my half-empty glass into one that’s half-full.

Postscript: I wrote “The Power of Music to Lift the Spirits” on October 5, 2023. Hamas’ terrorist attack against Israel commenced two days later, on Saturday morning, October 7. I posted two Around the Block columns about that attack; on October 10: THIS IS NOT A WAR! – It  Is A Horrific, Savage, Barbaric, Massacre– that’s what it is!  and on October 12: Trump blames Biden for Hamas’ terrorist attack-Criticizes Netanyahu, calls Hezbollah “very smart.” Biden says, “We’re with Israel.  Let’s make no mistake. “

Since the attack and my October 5 story, I’ve been obsessed, wondering, is there any music, any song, any anthem that can salve the wounds of this affront to civilization? I could only come up with one:

שָׁלוֹם Shalom Peace