TGIF: Musical Stories {9}

TGIF: Musical Stories {9}

• Apr 13, 2012

TGIF is a weekly feature created and hosted by GReads! that re-caps the week's posts and has a different question each week.

This week's question - Musical Stories: If you could read a book about any song, which song would you love to see written down in story form?

At first, I thought this week's question might be hard to answer. As much as I love listening to music, I wasn't sure what song I would want to see translated into a story. But as a browsed through my iTunes library, I realized pretty quickly that I knew exactly what to choose. I really love stories about love, but I don't always like how love is portrayed in books (and TV or movies).

The first is a song about love at its happiest moment. It's a song that says no matter what happens tomorrow, I'm enjoying this day with you. And, in a moment of letting you know a little more about me, I will also reveal that it was the song my husband and I danced to at our wedding. Our wedding was one the happiest days of my life, but love isn't only about good days. There are bad ones, too. So, for us, this song said, "I will soak up every last minute of this day with you. Trouble will come, and I will still be there on those days. But all we've got to do today is have ourselves a heavenly day..." And that's why I'd like to see this song in story form.

"Heavenly Day" by Patty Griffin

Oh heavenly day, all the clouds blew away
Got no trouble today with anyone
The smile on your face I live only to see
It's enough for me, baby, it's enough for me
Oh, heavenly day, heavenly day, heavenly day

Tomorrow may rain with sorrow
Here's a little time we can borrow
Forget all our troubles in these moments so few
All we've got right now, the only thing that
All we really have to do
Is have ourselves a heavenly day
Lay here and watch the trees sway
Oh, can't see no other way, no way, no way
Heavenly day, heavenly day, heavenly day

No one at my shoulder bringing me fears
Got no clouds up above me bringing me tears
Got nothing to tell you, I've got nothing much to say
Only I'm glad to be here with you
On this heavenly, heavenly, heavenly, heavenly
Heavenly day, all the trouble's gone away
Oh, for a while anyway, for a while anyway
Heavenly day, heavenly day, heavenly day

The other song I'd like to see turned into a story is one that is equally dear to my heart. If I could only listen to one song for the rest of my life, this would probably be it. Whereas "Heavenly Day" was about the best moments in a relationship, this is a song about the hard ones. The time when things have gotten hard. It's the point where love becomes work. But it's also about the point where love can become so real and true. I will tell you this: love isn't a feeling. It begins that way, and it has feelings associated, but long-term love that's honest and true is often a choice. Loving someone is a commitment to them, and you work at that commitment just like you would any other.

To me, this is a song that acknowledges that things aren't always great in love. Marriage takes work. It's not easy all the time, and you're not always happy. But, even then, it says, "I'd still choose you." And I think the book version of that would be so incredible.

"Poison & Wine" by The Civil Wars

You only know what I want you to
I know everything you don't want me to
Oh your mouth is poison, your mouth is wine
You think your dreams are the same as mine
Oh I don't love you but I always will
Oh I don't love you but I always will
Oh I don't love you but I always will
I always will

I wish you'd hold me when I turn my back
The less I give the more I get back
Oh your hands can heal, your hands can bruise
I don't have a choice but I'd still choose you

Oh I don't love you but I always will [x7]
I always will [x5]

What do you think of my choices? And what songs would you want to see turned into a story?