Music in Every Day Life

We hear music every day.

Whether on our favorite TV shows, in the movies we watch, or in the car on the way to work, we are practically surrounded by music.

Now, a few of you will tell me that because I work in a music store, that of course I am surrounded by music every day. You are too though.

It's been very interesting over the last few years to find that fewer and fewer TV shows utilize a full 30+ second intro song now. Most shows have about 3 seconds for a catchy tune, and then it is back to the action.

Gone are the days of Cheers, Friends, Full House, Step-By-Step, and Home Improvement where shows have a fully realized song to introduce the actors, and show a few credits before the story starts.

Most shows now prefer to use a snippet for an intro, and put some credits over the opening scenes in order to add more time for action (or more likely, advertising). Folks who happened to enjoy the tradition of the opening theme song have cried foul about this practice for as long as it has been happening.

The thing that I find most interesting when shows do this, is that not only do they tend to have a fully realized theme song over the end credits, but there is more music interspersed throughout the entire episode.

For example:

One of my favorite new shows right now is 'The Flash' on the CW.

I realize that there was a Flash tv show many years ago (the actor who played The Flash in that show plays the father of the current Flash in this one), but this incarnation is new for folks like me.

Anyway, while they don't have an opening theme, The Flash has great music during the show, and a great theme song for the end credits. These are orchestral arrangements too, not pop or rock songs appropriated for a TV show.

The fantastic part, to me, is that this quality of music is found on a network that is considered to be lesser, or for less civilized or less mature individuals than the big three networks. Yet, here they are, not only producing a few quality shows, but also making sure that they are chock-full of amazing music.

The next time you watch your favorite TV show, try to listen for the incidental music happening in the background that gives a little extra punch to the emotion in a scene, or helps to enhance the action as the good guys take down the bad.

After you do that, listen for the music that exists throughout your life that you may not normally appreciate (yes, this includes elevator music).

If you take the time to look for, or add a little extra music to your life, I think you will find that you can enjoy the journey just a little bit more.