The purpose of language
In a blog post last month I quoted John Keating, the character played by Robin Williams in Dead Poet’s Society: “ Language exists for the sole purpose to woo women” . He goes on to say that “ medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for”. Yes, the purpose of language is to communicate with others. But language is most beautiful when we are using it to communicate our love and affection for others as well as our appreciation of the wonders of nature. This is why we send each other greeting cards with poetic verse and beautiful drawings or photos on them for birthdays and holidays. This is why the poets among us write poems for our loved ones, and the musicians among us write songs for those near and dear to our hearts. Those of us who are artists and not poets or musicians use our art to do the exact same thing, to communicate the beauty, joy and love that we see in our lives and have for others. To illustrate my point. I will use a few songs written by my favorite musician.
Billy Joel, has written many songs for the various women in his life. Everyone is familiar with Just the Way You Are. In this song Billy tells the woman he is singing to that he doesn’t want her to change anything about her becasue he loves everything about her just as she is. He is NOT saying that she can’t change if she should want to (as he has sometimes been falsely accused of saying), but rather that he does not need her to be anyone other than the woman who she is for him to love her. Rosalinda’s Eyes was written about his mother. Rosalinda’s Eyes is a love song. “And I’d do anything to take away her tears, Because they’re Rosalinda’s eyes.” But then Laura was also written about his mother. Laura is a song about a very troubling relationship with a very mixed up and disturbed woman. “I’m on her side, Why does she push the poison on me?” Billy wrote You’re My Home as a gift for one of his wives. “Well I never had a place that I could call my very own, That’s all right, my love, ’cause you’re my home.” Everyone knows about the song Uptown Girl due to Christy Brinkley being in the video. What most people do not realize is that song had already been written when Billy met Christy. The song that he actually wrote for her is a few songs later on the An Innocent Man album, named Christy Lee. The song Christy Lee ended up being a self-fulfilling prophecy, as it predicted that Billy would end up splitting up with Christy.
“They say that Joe became a wino
They say he always drinks alone
They say he stumbles like a blind man
They say he sold his saxophone
Even the band must face the music
That’s what the moral is to me
The only time you hit the high note
Is when you play for Christie Lee…”
What many people who are not hard core fans of Billy Joel’s music don’t know is that before he dated Christy Brinkley, he briefly dated another equally famous super model, Elle McPherson. Like Christy, his ex-wife and his mother, Billy also wrote a song for Elle as well. The song was written in the early 80s but not recorded until 1989’s Storm Front album. The song is called And So It Goes and is one of the most beautiful pieces of musical poetry ever written.
“ In every heart there is a room
A sanctuary safe and strong
To heal the wounds from lovers past
Until a new one comes along
I spoke to you in cautious tones
You answered me with no pretense
And still I feel I said too much
My silence is my self defense…”
Billy Joel wrote these lines for one of the most beautiful and iconic super models of the 80’s.
Yes, I believe John Keating was right in Dead Poet’s Society. Language exists to communicate our love for others and the beauty that we see in life. Think about that next time you read poetry and think that it is just the stuff of stuffy old men who speak with faux English accents. “But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for!” I would not have things be any other way.
