When it comes to music, language is no barrier!

I have always had my ipod's recently played playlist capped at 250 songs. This is out of age old habit (I haven't altered it in the six years I've had an ipod) and because it generally allows for a decent turn over of songs. At the end of every month I used to save the playlist so I could go back and listen again, sadly that ipod died a heroic death and the playlists were lost *sobs quietly into consoling cup of tea*. That is something I should probably start doing again... I digress.

What surprised me when I scrolled through the playlist this morning was how the majority of the songs are not in English. There is currently an extraordinarily large amount of K-Pop, a bit of J-Pop thrown in, a fair whack of French music some German tracks and even a lone Spanish one floating around, covering a vast range of genres. There's reggae, some indie rock, pop of various guises, a little R&B and much in between! 

I speak none of these languages fluently, but when it comes to music I have found that this has little-to-no impact whatsoever. The music and the voice alone are enough to convey the message of some songs, and sometimes understanding the lyrics is surplus to requirements (although when the odd word or phrase in English is thrown in, it adds a whole new aspect to working out the meaning of a song - especially when you pick up on incorrect grammar!). 

All that said, one of the few track on the playlist that IS in English is 'I Miss Her' from Jessie J's new album, Alive. While it's not going to win an accolade as the greatest song ever, the lyrics connect on such a deep personal level that I can't help but love it. It's a song that put one of my worst fear's to music, but that in itself makes the prospect OK. Music has always been part of who I am, I associate places and people with music. There are songs I associate with Lower School, some with Upper School, some with 6th From, and more than a few that remind me University! I wouldn't have it any other way. Music has this way of transporting you back to the best (and occasionally the worst) memories. It can fire up your imagination, comfort you when you're sad and celebrate with you when you're happy. You can love, laugh and cry to music. It can fix you when you're at your lowest, even if you don't speak the same language. 

In the end, music is universal.