#roberts
“Beach” by San Cisco
They’ve done it again… Wow.
Living by the coast, I am very familiar with the beautiful, tranquil feeling of the crashing ocean waves on a cold and misty day. This isn’t a fun “let’s go surfing” or “smell the suntan lotion” song - it’s about a spiritual connection to the beach.
Personally, I feel that the beach is so much more special and beautiful in the rain, or even in the mist. It carries a mysterious pulchritude that gives you shivers and touches your soul. I easily connected to these lyrics - as I have experienced the feeling that they describe numerous times.
I imagine the 80s inspired beat accompanying the climax scene of a Julia Roberts or a John Hughes film. Despite the beat being very 80s and the tune being exceptionally catchy, San Cisco somehow balances the upbeat melody with deep, meaningful lyrics.
I had an argument with a friend last night about what was more important: melody/beat or lyrics. I was pro lyrics and he was pro beat. But then I realized that the entire argument was ridiculous, because a truly amazing song has to have a balance of both deep lyrics and a melody that touches your soul. So our little argument actually had no point: they go hand in hand…
Of course classical music, one of the most exquisite genres there is, lacks lyrics, but I feel that the instrumentals and the many different elements act as lyrics and tell a story.
He compared lyrics to the dialogue of a film, whereas I compared them to the storyline of a film. I said that a melody may evoke a certain feeling and keep you wanting more, but lyrics are what one relates to and what cause you to listen to a song over a hundred times. You’d never call a song your song unless you related to- and felt a personal connection to the lyrics.
I guess neither one of us was wrong, but that little argument led me to appreciate songs that have a wonderful balance of meaningful lyrics and a catchy, touching melody all the more.
Hence I am blogging about this amazingly quirky yet meaningful masterpiece by San Cisco.
I hope you love it as much as I do.
A 32-foot-tall concrete brontosaurus dwarfs curious zoogoers in Alberta, Canada, December 1961.
Photograph by J. Baylor Roberts, National Geographic
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Friends eat watermelon outside a beach cottage on a summer afternoon on Roanoke Island, North Carolina, 1955.Photograph by J. Baylor Roberts, National Geographic
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Girls standing in water holding bunches of American Lotus, Amana, Iowa, November 1938.Photograph by J. Baylor Roberts, National Geographic
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An informal group portrait of Amish children in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 1937.Photograph by J. Baylor Roberts, National Geographic
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The world famous Brown Derby Restaurant on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles.Photograph by J. Baylor Roberts, National Geographic
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