This song made me happy

THIS SONG MADE ME HAPPY
In one of my earliest comments on here (dated 3rd October 2011) I talked about how I liked Amy Walker, the actress born in Seattle on 1st September 1982, and the stuff she does (on Youtube in particular). Here, being the translator that I am, I’m going to talk about her song “Words words words”, and seek to say more about it than the usual platitudes along the lines of “I like it” or “It’s a good song.”

…Well, if there’s anything I can say, it is that, despite what the title might suggest, this song seems to be more relevant to the general concept of entrepreneurial life and the principles of what makes one successful in it, than to considerations related to languages and linguistics, and how to translate properly (which would include more subtle things like the intricacies of cultural appreciation and whatnot). Well, that’s what I think, anyway. At least, the idea of a “game we’re playing [that] only has one rule” is, to me, a poetic way of saying, “When you really appreciate the situation we are in right now, you understand that… well, anything can happen.” And the line, “You can’t win or lose, it’s up to you” does seem to hint at the idea that blindly coveting to “be better” than the competition wherever possible is probably not always the best way to go about it. After all, as John Bird, the founder of the Big Issue, said, you can’t be anything but you can be something. And you are allowed to fail.

Of course, some of the lyrics of this song are more direct and to-the-point rather than poetic; like, “Expectations only limit the unknown”. That’s one of the best things I’ve heard in a long time. However, there is one thing I’m critical of:
“I never know ’til something gives me signs of where to go
You only ask what I don’t know
And everybody points the way”

While I’m sure that Chris Cardell and many others would have me believe that direction is important in business, the lyrics in those three lines seem to suggest that not having it is OK. But I fully realise that this song is all about ambition and finding the inspiration to pursue it – and this includes not being swayed by what other people think about you doing it. By the end of it I realised that all this “Words words words” talk relates to rumours and stuff and their potential to “slow you down”, and impact the way you feel about whatever you might claim to be passionate about. In short, however important “direction” may be, there’s always something more important: you.

If you listen carefully you can hear Amy saying “Thank you” at the end (2:49). But I should be thanking her really. Let’s just say I’m ready to go back to work now.