Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Swagger Song

So I'm in serious need of some swagger these days. Time is slipping away from me and when I say that I feel old which only reinforces the need for more swagger. It's also tough when time is at a premium and that means finalizing my WIP for querying or writing here.

This song is quite possibly the most creative reinterpretation of a song I've ever heard, and the music video is a testament of that. Talk about talented! I'm sure Ben Rector has many more gems up his sleeve. I only just discovered him a few days ago and I'm already circling through his library. I knew, however, that I had to share this one right away. Not only is his original music awesome but his renditions of other songs are both nostalgic and unique.

As writers we try to create a story--and an experience--that is entirely its own but invariably it's part of a genre, compared to someone else's work, or taps into the reader's previous experience. Is anything truly unique or is all art different kaleidoscopes of different experiences reinterpreted, remastered, reimagined? I don't know the answer to that. We all try to be unique but we're, of course, always conscious of what else is out there, what's shaped and encouraged the work we're writing on today and dreaming to write tomorrow.

What I do know is that I love this version of "Free Falling" and there's no other song quite like this that makes you want to throw your hands up and sing out loud, to push aside a deadline for just a couple of minutes of purely all-American music. And boy does Ben Rector do this song like no one else. Enjoy!



So what do you think?