I am posting a link to a song/piece by my favorite band, Dream Theater, hopefully every day until we have successfully enjoyed every original song that they have recorded in-studio. There are many good reasons to do this, but you can probably guess most of the ones that I'm thinking.
No adieu.
We're just gonna do it.
I'm going to try to help you know what to expect a little bit without influencing the way that you experience the song. At least in the initial write-up, I won't tell you what I think the best or my favorite parts are. I want you to have the chance to enjoy the music on your own without any spoilers, just as I did.
I will also tell you that some of the things that Dream Theater does may be quite different than much of the music that you have listened to before. Sometimes it may be so new that it makes you a bit uneasy or just doesn't connect to you at all. If that happens, I encourage you to listen to it a few times, perhaps in different ways... once in the background while you do dishes, once with your eyes closed and your full attention, once hanging upside down like a bat. You get the idea.
I believe that, if you go on this journey with me, you will find more than a few songs that you enjoy. My mom saw Dream Theater live in K.C. and really enjoyed them, and she usually listens to NPR which I don't think gets to rock and roll that much. Dream Theater truly has something for everyone. Not everything they do may be your thing, but some of it may change your life for the better the way that it did mine.
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"The Answer Lies Within"
Tempo - very slow walk
Length - 5:26
Intro - nature sounds, bells, piano
Texture - some homorhythmia with strings (unless you count the un-pitched percussion), otherwise polyrhythmia
Features - gentle piano, strings
Lyrics:
Look around
Where do you belong
Don't be afraid
You're not the only one
Don't let the day go by
Don't let it end
Don't let a day go by, in doubt
The Answer Lies Within
Life is short
So learn from your mistakes
And stand behind
The choices that you make
Face each day
With both eyes open wide
And try to give
Don't keep it all inside
Don't let the day go by
Don't let it end
Don't let a day go by, in doubt
The Answer Lies Within
You've got the future on your side
You gonna be fine now
I know whatever you decide
You're gonna shine
Don't let the day go by
Don't let it end
Don't let a day go by, in doubt
you're ready to begin
Don't let a day go by, in doubt
The Answer Lies Within
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Dream Theater formed at Berklee in 1985. The original 3 members were John Petrucci (guitar) and John Myung (bass), friends from Long Island, and Mike Portnoy (percussion) whom the Johns heard in a practice room and said, "we gotta get that guy". (Something along those lines).
"Octavarium" (2005) lineup:
LaBrie – vocals
Petrucci – guitar
Jordan - keyboard
Myung – bass
Portnoy - percussion
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SPOILERS AND SUBJECTIVITY BELOW: YOU MIGHT WANT TO READ THIS AFTER LISTENING
Words to describe this song: lovely, gentle, insistently positive
Stream-of-consciousness reflection as I listen to "The Answer Lies Within":
Full disclosure: I forgot that I liked this song. I do think that it takes a while to get going and pull me in, but the entire song is truly lovely. James is a very sensitive deliverer of ballads, and he does a good job sharing these advice-giving lyrics without sounding holier-than-thou. I like it most starting at about halfway in when John Myung starts to make his instrument heard and the song gets louder. "You've got the future on your side. You're gonna be fine now. I know whatever you decide, you're gonna shine". The harmony on "shine" is the highlight of this song for me. Yes, I'm a barbershop chorus director and quartet singer, but the causality is "enjoyment of harmony therefore I'm a barbershopper", not the other way around.
Final thoughts: Probably the place to start if you want to be able to say that you can play piano to a Dream Theater song. This is one of the best DT songs to put on a lullabye playlist.
Thank you for reading, and enjoy!
Yours in harmony,
Michael
~In loving memory of Tim~
I reread these words to myself, and it hurts. I wish so painfully that I could talk to him about this blog series. I wish that I had started this project sooner... And, of course, the irony is, without the strength of my longing and regret for his presence and the sound of his voice, for his giddy school-boy love for this music, would I be able to stay on task? I don't know, and I may never know. I'm trying to honor his memory, but wish that I could share each post with him, or with his help. He, himself, wrote a book, after all.
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