A Song For The Rest Of My Life.

If I had to go the rest of my life only listening to a single song; I wouldn't choose Michael Jackson, nor would I choose Marilyn Manson (much to the surprise of many). No I wouldn't choose any of those. I would choose ‘The kids from yesterday’ by My Chemical Romance. I couldn't choose any other song. It’s an anthem. At least to me it is. Even just the opening notes catapult you to the end of … somewhere. Gifting you images of a dusty desert road, a crisp, clear blue sky and an equally dusty car speeding towards a horizon of nothing. There is a sense of leaving the world behind, of moving on. The lyrics tell you to ‘hold on tight and don’t look back’. This dusty road before you can lead to wherever you want it to; you can leave everything behind if you like. To me, this is a song about growing up, moving on and not being afraid to be yourself.

Hearing this song for the first time made me stop, I couldn't do anything else. It stunned me and took me to that dusty road for the first time. This song, nestled at the back of the album danger days, filled with stories of the true lives of the fabulous kill joys, caught me off guard; Refuelling my love for music and leaving a permanent stamp on my mind. It is a song that will forever have a place in my heart and on my playlists. And without a second thought is the song I would happily listen to for the rest of my life.

A Change Of Heart

Classical music...

Prissy, snobby? Maybe… That's what I used to think anyway. Classical music was always inaccessible to me, but then, I was never particularly interested. But a recent (and rather fantastic) trip to London gave me reason to look a little deeper.

Now, I'd never been to the Albert Hall (or should I maybe give its full title? The Royal Albert Hall). But it's safe to say that the towering dome, scrawled with Latin and effigies of times long since past, left me awestruck. Then suddenly. I was terrified. Here I was queuing for a promenade, a musical tradition that stretches back to 1895! And Me, standing in line as tiny and insignificant as a grain of uncooked rice, I know nothing!

As I panic away to myself, two fantastic musicians (albeit dear friends) discuss the brilliance of Bach, and Shostakovich's symphonies. All the while I stand and wondered what in Gods name I’m getting myself into. I feel like a very small fish, in a very, very, large pond filled with grandeur, and instruments.

After paying for a ticket (surprisingly only £5) my friends informed me that the conductor and his orchestra are world renowned. A man, who in my classical music infancy, I had yet to hear of or learn about, Daniel Barenboim. Now those of you who are seasoned classical music fans may gasp in pure horror at my lack of knowledge. But admittedly that concert shot me into the universe of that gorgeous genre of music that is classical music. And, although I am still learning, I am sure that I will never forget that shiver that accompanied swell of Ravel's Bolero as it all came crashing together in one fantastic finale, neither will I forget how the sounds reverberated through me, chasing themselves around the domed ceiling before following me into my sleep to become the soundtrack for that nights dream.

It's safe to say that classical music has grown on me since then, it’s an ever expanding universe full of subtlety and beauty. One, I personally, can't wait to become better acquainted with. The more I learn, the more I want to learn, it has rekindled my love for my poor, slightly neglected piano, and made me slightly guilty for being so close minded about the world of classical music.

My dearest classical genre, can you ever forgive me?