Actors want to be singers. Singers want to be actors. Athletes
want to be rappers. Rappers want to be athletes. And I’d just like
to be able to carry a tune.
Actors want to be singers. Singers want to be actors. Athletes want to be rappers. Rappers want to be athletes. And I’d just like to be able to carry a tune.
The ability to sing is a rare gift – one with which few people are blessed. The belief that we have the ability to sing is much more common, as many of us believe we sound pretty good when we’re singing along with the radio.
When I was in college, one of my roommates told me that I had a really good voice. Shocked by the apparent compliment, I thanked him and thought to myself, “You always knew you could sing.”
Of course, he was kidding, which I realized a day or two later. One sarcastic college guy giving another sarcastic guy a compliment should have tipped me off, but I missed that one.
The ability to remember words does not mean a person has the ability to sing well. The “American Idol” auditions prove that this country is full of wannabe singers with no clue that their voices are as appealing as the screeching of tires.
I know I can’t sing, but that doesn’t stop me from belting out the hits of my youth in the car or in the shower.
With the advent of satellite radios and iPods, I have the ability to listen to what I want to – and what I know – any time I want. If I want to rap along with the Beastie Boys’ “No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn,” I can. If I want to sing backup for Celine Dion, I can (but I won’t).
On the mornings when my wife leaves for work before me and I have already dropped off the kids at school, it becomes my time to belt out the hits while I am alone in the house. I plug in my iPod player, set it on the bathroom counter, and turn it up so that I can hear the tune over the sound of the shower.
First, though, I will scroll through my song list until I find the song that I want to hear for the next four to five minutes. Picking the wrong song before getting into the shower is disappointing, as there is no going back once you get in.
A good, up-tempo song helps not only helps me scrub, it helps me hurry up and get to work. It is true that we believe we sound better in the shower, as the acoustics in the tile enclosure make me sound pretty impressive … Though someone in the other room may disagree.
With the “shuffle songs” feature turned on, I can go all “Live Aid” in the shower, bouncing from genre to genre with ease, performing for no one but myself. From Sinatra to Kid Rock to Run DMC and back to John Denver, I’ve sung them all with feeling. People who listen to me get a feeling of illness and dull ear pain, but that’s their problem.
I won’t ever sell one record or get a standing ovation. For someone to stay in the same room (or car) with me while I’m singing is an accomplishment. So lift your voice and let yourself be heard. If people throw things at you or plug their ears while wincing, they just don’t have a song in their heart.
