Inspired: A Summer of Songs showcases song lyrics written by myself and other bloggers. The lyrics and themes were inspired by books. The author of the books have provided their thoughts on the lyrics and how it fits their books; in the case that an author could not participate, a fellow blogger took up the responsibility. I highly encourage you to comment either on the lyrics, on the books, on the event in general, or on anything of a similar note.
I have to start off by explaining the (sort of) aspect to today's song, which is the final song of the event. The truth is, it wasn't actually inspired by The Last Flock or by any book in fact. Of Dreams is the culmination of years worth of dance classes and years worth of effort trying to capture my love for the art and the sport in one song. It's no where near perfect, and I'm still working on it. I've been having trouble with them being too cheesy, but this one seems to move away from that a bit. It doesn't capture every single aspect or every part of my experience. It doesn't capture the full range of experiences different dancers with different dreams and hopes and goals have. But it's a little insight into mine. Of course some of it is exaggerated or is taken from the point of view of a dancer with much greater ability than me. But this song is what I've been working towards for the past few years in many senses of that phrase. I believe that you can feel someone's passion about something they love when they write about it or talk about it, no matter what they say or how they say it. I hope that is what comes across at the center of this song. I literally cry thinking about my love of dance. I will never be a super amazing dancer. I will likely never dance professionally. But dance has given me so much, and I love it with my whole heart despite all the aches and pains and hardships and the times I feel like I can't ever be good enough.
So I really had to include this song, and it's also why I included it last. Now, my friend (and more!) Sonia Fuderer is someone I've really connected with fairly recently. I think it started with dance and has grown to books, life, and of course our discussions and love for dance have continued. Her book, The Last Flock, which hasn't been acquired by a publishing company yet (but really should be!), features a main character that is a dancer. Now, the book and series isn't centered on this fact, but it plays a large part in the story and for the character. With the idea in mind of wanting to include this song in the event, I knew right away that I wanted Sonia to read the song (I had actually already sent it to her), react to it, and be a part of this event. I have plenty of other dance friends and I know of fellow bloggers that dance/love dance, but my relationship with Sonia is so different and so awesome that I didn't have a second thought about asking her.
So the song isn't based on The Last Flock, but it connects to the story because the main character, Reese, can relate to it. Sonia's response is a mix of a reaction to it based on her story and character but also based on her experience as a dancer. I really hope you like this one. And selfishly, I hope this is the one you read, if none of the others (BUT PLEASE check out the songs written by Isabel and Nova because they're awesome and so are their songs. PLEASE GO CHECK THOSE OUT AND GIVE THEM THE LOVE THEY DESERVE. THANKS!)
The Song:
Of Dreams
Watch the sweat drown out
All the tears you once cried.
Feel the heat of the light
As it splashes down around you.
And suddenly it’s just you, alone,
Breathing in the beauty of
The moment of silence before
The music starts to play.
As the music lifts you up,
As you smile out to the crowd,
Everything else falls away.
All the dried up tears after
All these years have finally brought you here.
And you leap so high,
Like you’d touch the sky,
And nothing could stop you then.
It’s the feeling of life,
Of hope, of freedom, of dreams.
And it all finally belongs to you too.
Hear a roar break out
When you fly off stage.
Touch the moment, touch
The glory of the night.
And suddenly a crowd gathers ‘round
As you stand there by yourself.
It’s the moment of pure happiness
Before it all starts again.
But it’s all worth it when…
The music lifts you up
As you smile out to the crowd,
And everything else fades away.
All the dried up tears after
All these years are what brought you’re here.
And you leap so high,
Like you’d touch the sky,
And nothing could stop you then.
It’s the feeling of life,
Of hope, of freedom, of dreams.
And it all finally belongs to you.
Flip back through the memories,
Remember all it to took to get here.
Smile at the good times,
Cry at the bad.
Remember all the road bumps
And all the fears, but also
Remember all the feelings and
All of the happiness within.
It’s all worth it when…
The music lifts you up
As you smile out to the crowd,
And everything else fades away.
All the dried up tears after
All these years are what brought you’re here.
And you leap so high,
Like you’d touch the sky,
And nothing could stop you then.
It’s the feeling of life,
Of hope, of freedom, of dreams.
And it all finally belongs to you.
And it finally belongs to you too.
The Reaction:
This song you wrote, Of Dreams, brings back so many fond memories of my years of dance. I connected deeply with the line about feeling the warmth of the light surrounding you as, even after many years since dance, I can still feel those bright lights of the stage shining and warming my skin where it touches me. You’re in a moment of suspended silence as adrenaline flows through your body and you anticipate the beginning notes of your song. There’s always an amazing sense of completion as each year of dance ends; you practice for a year to perform a three minute dance, and the lead up to the big day is a whirlwind. If you’re lucky, you can slow your mind down on the big day, and feel the emotions that you so beautifully captured in this song.My main character, Reese, is a dancer, and in The Last Flock, after being sealed in a biological fallout shelter for a year, she begins teaching dance to the younger girls to help pass the time. Near the end of the book, as they’re getting close to the release date, Reese arranges a dance recital for her students, and after I read these lyrics my mind immediately flashed to that scene in the book. No one knows what happened above or if anyone else survived the attack. They have been living cut off from the rest of the world and both tension and doubt are beginning to bloom in the shelter. The purpose and goal of dance in my story is to give Reese and the children a release. Despite the intense circumstances, Reese and her little dancers will feel a few moments of freedom when they get to perform their dance. Your lyrics sum it up best…
It’s all worth it when…
The music lifts you up
As you smile out to the crowd,
And everything else fades away.
All the dried up tears after
All these years are what brought you’re here.
And you leap so high,
Like you’d touch the sky,
And nothing could stop you then.
It’s the feeling of life,
Of hope, of freedom, of dreams.
And it all finally belongs to you.
The Book:
Seventeen-year-old Reese survived cancer as a child, but when a biological terrorist attack is unleashed on America, she finds herself fighting for her life again - spending what should've been her senior year of high school sealed in a shelter below the Rocky Mountains. Her broken family struggles to adjust to this new life, one without her missing older brother, and the only bright spots are the friendships that form below. Even falling in love with fellow shelter-dweller Lucas comes at a price - reconciling with the awful reality that everyone she left above, including her boyfriend, has perished.Making matters worse, Reese begins to suspect Joshua, the inspirational and charismatic founder of the shelter, has not gathered their group below entirely by chance. As fear and doubt bloom in the community, Reese embarks on a mission to discover what secrets Joshua is hiding. What she uncovers is unimaginable: the greatest threat may not be in the outside world at all, but instead sealed in the shelter with them. With uncertainty breaking bonds, Reese must decide what to do with the information she has uncovered, and most crucially, who to trust.
Sonia Fuderer, The Author:
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