"Vienna," the Addendum
One of the things that I love about pop music - and writing about pop music - is its ability to stir thought. And it’s not that books, movies, television or other art forms don’t stir thought, because they absolutely do. But pop music can do it in 3-4 minutes. Shorter, even. Compared to how long it takes to read a book, or watch a television show or a movie… that’s damn impressive.
When I was writing this post on T-Sides about Billy Joel’s “Vienna,” I was struggling at first. I knew what I wanted to say, but I wasn’t sure how to say it. Then I sat down and listened to the song. Really listened. And then I couldn’t stop writing, my brain was going haywire. It really stirred something in me - just like it always does.
During my unemployment, I’ve been a bit anxious. A bit worried. I know so many people my age who are starting things. Television shows, websites, companies, etc. It makes me feel like a slacker, makes me feel like I’m not giving 100%. And I know that it’s not a fair comparison to make, especially because most of these people I’m comparing myself to are older than me, but I can’t help making it. It’s hard watching things happen to other people and feeling like you’re trying and trying to make things happen for you and they just aren’t. I worried that I had taken the wrong path.
But then there’s that line in “Vienna.” “Though you can see when you’re wrong / you know you can’t always see when you’re right.” (Nevermind that it’s a song about slowing down and quitting my job certainly qualifies as that.) It made me double-back on myself. Maybe he’s got a point there.