There isn鈥檛 really a lot to love about social media these days.
Everything is political, or politically correct, or whining and crying about being too much of one and not enough of the other.聽 But sometimes, Facebook gets it right by asking people to play a simple game designed at asking ourselves the tough questions.
One such time-killing game I played a couple of years ago was The Music Ask.聽 It asks you to list 30 songs that you identify the most with, and the responses can be based on pure emotions, or they may just be songs that you really enjoy.聽 One may ask, 鈥淎 song you like with a color in the title鈥�, and I replied with 鈥楤lue Eyes Crying in the Rain鈥� by Willie Nelson.聽 Others may take you to an emotional or spiritual place, like asking, 鈥淎 song that makes you happy鈥�, to which I replied with 鈥楲ookin鈥� Out My Backdoor鈥� by CCR, or even, 鈥淎 song that has many meanings to you鈥�, and I replied with 鈥楳idnight Rider鈥� by the Allman Brothers Band.
They鈥檙e essentially the songs that tell your story, provided you answer truthfully and honestly.
Here are some other questions and my corresponding song responses, along with perhaps my explanation for listing them.
A song that reminds you of summertime 鈥� 鈥楽mall Town, Saturday Night鈥� by Hal Ketchum.聽 I remember hearing this song on the radio a lot during the summers when I was a kid growing up in Conquest.聽 It鈥檇 be on when we had a radio outside with us during a roaring bonfire, it鈥檇 be on when my family and I would be driving up north to spend a few days at Candle Lake, and it鈥檇 be on at probably a thousand other instances during my childhood.聽 I also connect with it because, well, sometimes I鈥檇 be bored in the summer on a Saturday night in my small town.
A song to drive to 鈥� 鈥楾urn the Page鈥� by Bob Seger.聽 It鈥檚 a story about living on the road, going from one destination to the next, with little to no time for reflection.聽 My job takes me on the road at times and I log a lot of miles, and this song just speaks to me in that regard.
A song from your preteen years 鈥� 鈥楽uperman鈥檚 Dead鈥� by Our Lady Peace.聽 Growing into my teenage years, I was getting serious into rock music, and I found myself drawn to Canadian artists, so Our Lady Peace鈥檚 anthem hit me hard.
A song that you would sing a duet with on karaoke 鈥� 鈥楳ama, Don鈥檛 Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys鈥� by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson.聽 I grew up a country boy who appreciated country music, and I still do today.聽 Waylon and Willie鈥檚 melodic warning to mothers asking them to make sure they 鈥榙on鈥檛 let 鈥榚m play guitars and drive them old trucks, let 鈥榚m be doctors and lawyers and such鈥� is just so darn catchy and simple that you can鈥檛 help but love it.
A song from the year that you were born 鈥� 鈥楾he Power of Love鈥� by Huey Lewis and The News.聽 What can I say, 1985 was a pretty good year.聽 The year of the Nintendo video game console, the year this iconic song was featured in the classic movie 鈥楤ack to the Future鈥�, and the year yours truly was born.聽 Don鈥檛 need no credit card to ride this train!
A song by an artist no longer living 鈥� 鈥楲earning to Fly鈥� by Tom Petty.聽 I really enjoy most of Petty鈥檚 catalog of music, but this one really speaks to me.聽 I remember hearing it for the first time back in 2005 when I was living out in Victoria and going to film school, and to me, being so far away from home and trying to make a go of it was kind of my own way of 鈥榣earning to fly鈥�.聽 To this day, when I hear that song, I instantly think of those eight months I spent on the West Coast.
A song that breaks your heart 鈥� 鈥楬allelujah鈥� by Jeff Buckley.聽 This iconic song has been covered left and right by all sorts of artists about a million times it seems, but for my money, it鈥檚 Jeff Buckley鈥檚 interpretation that really puts the true heart and soul of it on full, heartbreaking display.聽 When you think of the sad, tragic way that Buckley鈥檚 life ended 鈥� he drowned while swimming in the Mississippi River to kill time before his bandmates arrived from New York 鈥� it just packs an extra punch.
These kinds of surveys are the things that actually make social media fun because it lets you discover perhaps a whole new side of yourself, as well as those closest to you.聽 There鈥檚 something almost therapeutic about answering those types of questions with chosen songs and artists.
Music is supposed to be a great healer of the soul, isn鈥檛 it?
For this week, that鈥檚 been the Ruttle Report.
