One of the most powerful things about music is that it is the soundtrack of our lives. Fellow music fanatic Sharon Hepworth started a music challenge on Twitter for the month of July. Each day, fans around the world will select a song from their life and describe what it means to us. These are my songs. #SoundtrackToYourLife
Day 27
I wasn’t always a big fan of this song – and wouldn’t even consider myself a casual fan of Dylan. But I developed an affinity for “Mr. Tambourine Man” when I became a dad. From now on, this song will always remind me of the time when my daughter Sophia was just a few weeks old. To help her fall asleep I’d carry her in the bathroom with the fan on and I’d sing her this song. She would just stare at me with her wide eyes, barely blinking. Like the songwriter, she was exhausted, but couldn’t sleep. And it seemed all she was interested in was listening to a song.
Though “Mr. Tambourine Man” may be interpreted as a song about LSD, its musicality matches a lullaby through and through. The single note guitar picking, Dylan’s vocals and even the sashaying harmonica parts create a steady lulling effect. When I listen to “Mr. Tambourine Man” again today, I’m right back there on that bathroom floor, helping my baby girl get some shuteye while growing her deep, deep love for music.
“Hey! Mr. Tambourine man, play a song for me. I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to.”