"Famous"

I recognized myself in a song today.  I wish I could say it was an inspirational song of praise by Chris Tomlin or a feel good anthem by India Arie, but it was neither.  The artist, Jazmine Sullivan, is an amazing talent- her smoky voice reminds me of a cross between Lauryn Hill and Mary J. Blige.  I have become a great fan of her music.  Her style is never clean and pretty, but it is always honest.

Her latest gem is a song called simply, “Famous.” Click here to review the lyrics and hear the song before you read on. I was initially drawn in by the raw beauty of her vocals on the chorus but the lyrics are a powerful commentary on our culture of self.  On its face the song is the artist’s confessional declaration that she is driven  by the promise of celebrity.  Jazmine sings,

No one wants to be invisible
Everyone just wants to be seen.
I know one thing is so irresistible
Cause we all need a reason to be.

In hearing those words, I thought about the exploding popularity of Twitter and Facebook and our societal obsession with telling anyone who will listen about the mundane details of our lives through tweets and status updates.  I thought about the implied influence that correlates with a high number of Twitter followers, Facebook fans, blog subscribers/followers, linkedin connections etc. I thought about the willingness of people to video themselves participating in  everything from brutal bullying attacks to having sex and post it on youtube to be viewed by the world.

I wanna matter to the world.

Although I have never aspired to the kind of household name fame that Jasmine will certainly achieve, her words resonate with my own desire to be known. As she sang the chorus, I reflected on my feelings of validation whenever I post an opinion on Facebook (or this blog) and someone else posts a comment endorsing my perspective.  I remembered all the times I’ve called some public figure a “nobody” because they are not a member of my mental “A-list.”  I considered my dream of writing a bestselling novel and my plan to build the readership of this blog as a platform for that project.  I thought about all of the blogs and books I read about building my personal "brand." 

I share these thoughts with trepidation. I know my true purpose  is to point others to Christ in all I do and I am concerned that the connection I feel to this song reveals that I have been contaminated by self.  I'm honestly not sure how to feel about the way I feel.  Is it wrong to be passionate about something (in my case, writing) and want to be known for my ability to do it well? Is the virtuous mind one that only seeks to achieve excellence for its own sake?

What do you think Dear Readers? Can you relate?  

Don't Forget the Lyrics

This morning I heard a Jill Scott song, Gotta Get Up, that perfectly summarized my mindset at the time. Jill sings, "I don't wanna go to work today-- I'd rather stay home and play...I'd rather chill for real-- I don't know how you feel--but sometimes I feel like I'm --Working for nothing, tryin' to get sumthin' --  Everywhere I turn there's a bill standing out--swim the river climb the hill--Complacency you ain't gone get me no no no no" (To view lyrics and hear the song click here.)

I sat there listening to this song at work and became one with every line.  Music is amazing that way. It has the power to perfectly capture an emotion or tell a story that can bring complete strangers together like old friends.  The power of a great song is its ability to articulate a state of mind in a way that spoken words cannot.  

Here's a sample list of a few other songs that have formed the soundtrack of my adult life at various stages.  The lyrics of all of these songs spoke directly to something I was feeling or a situation I was living through at the time I first heard them and were tremendously therapeutic to listen to repeatedly.  In my embrace of these songs, I became the artist and not just a listener.


It Ain't Over by Maurette Brown Clark
Great is Thy Faithfulness by Fernando Ortega
Beautiful Flower by India Arie
Focus by Brandy
I Decided by Liv Warfield
Fear by Jazmine Sullivan (This one has a few lyrics that I didn't agree with but I could definitely relate to the general theme)
I Can't Make You Love Me by Bonnie Raitt
The Stand by Kristian Stanfill
Your Name by Paul Baloche
My Life by Mary J. Blige

This is just a short sample list. There are obviously many others but I chose these few because I really connected with the lyrics

What songs have moved you?