Download Songs in the Key of My Life AudioBook Free
“Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand.” —Stevie Wonder, “Sir Duke”
In 2003, young professor Ferentz LaFargue traveled to Paris, where his fiancée, Tricia, declared she wasn’t happy with their relationship, ending what he thought was an excellent engagement. After days of “craying”—“that sorrow-laden blend of crying and praying delivered in perfect pitch by those in mourning”—Ferentz happened upon Stevie Wonder’s 1976 classic double album Songs in the main element of Life. Hearing it anew was a healing, spiritual trip down memory lane, helping him to come to terms with his breakup and reflect about how songs in general have been associated with his life.
In this book, Ferentz invites us to get cozy and listen as he hits PLAY on meaningful tracks from Wonder while others, including Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, LL Cool J, Beenie Man, Sheryl Crow, Roberta Flack, Donny Hathaway, and Black Sabbath. He recalls:
How the fusion of rock and rap in the breakthrough Run-D.M.C./Aerosmith video “Walk This Way” helped to improve a teenager Ferentz from outcast to authority figure
How Michael Jackson’s Thriller brought back a traumatic childhood experience
How Kanye West’s “Jesus Walks” speaks to the strain between his Christian beliefs and his need to rip it up in clubs as a hip-hop head
In the tradition of Nick Hornby’s Songbook¸ these words paint a portrait of an life framed by sounds, allowing all of us to take into account what songs have been key in our very own lives.
