Wanna Be Happy?
Hi there!
It's Wednesday and the middle of the week. So bright and sunny I just had to enjoy the springlike weather ! It was so "warm" this afternoon that I could wear sneakers for the first time this year! Hallelujah!
Last night I rehearsed with my choir Soulful Voices like I do each Tuesday. First of all, such a great group of people! My Tuesday nights are the best. I love when songs are starting to come together and you can start working on output, dynamics and the whole shebang. We had Manfred Hulebo there to accompany us on the piano, so I could direct the choir, and as you can see on the video, dance and do really silly choreography, to help the choir remember the lyrics.
Seriously so sweaty and exhausted after choir, but I had such a good time. By the way, our choir has got a photographer... Anneli. First she kind of resisted her task, now she's filming and taking pictures without me even asking. Look at how she's walking around, getting different angels, haha.
I gotta take a moment and just talk about how much I love that second song that we're singing in that video. Kirk Franklin has rewritten the lyrics and done his own version of the Al Green's song: "Tired Of Being Alone". It's called "Wanna Be Happy?" I love that question mark. It's in many cases a question. Do you wanna be happy? You gotta make a decision. Read the lyrics:
I just wanna be happy
But if I keep on doing the things
That keep on bringing me pain
There's no one else I can blame
If I'm not happy
Wasted time but now I can see
The biggest enemy it was me
So I'm not happy
Cry yourself to sleep
Shout and raise your hands
It wont change a thing child
Until you understand
If you're tired of being the same
If you're tired of things not changing
It's time for you to get out the way
Don't get stuck in how you feel
Say Jesus take the wheel
He knows the road that you need to take
If you wanna be happy
Don't you wanna be happy?
I just wanna be happy...
But if I keep on giving my heart
For people to tear apart
The healing will never start
So I can be happy
Will I ever be happy?
Cry yourself to sleep
Shout and raise your hands
It wont change a thing child
Until you understand
If you're tired of being the same
If you're tired of things not changing
It's time for you to get out the way
Don't get stuck in how you feel
Say Jesus take the wheel
He knows the road that you need to take
It's so easy to complain
Addicted to the pain
You give you heart, they push it away
Jesus knows just how you feel
Just let him take the wheel
The love you need, he already gave
Do you wanna be happy?
I just wanna be happy
I love how he turned the Al Green lyrics around and pointed out how we actually have to make those decisions to make ourselves happy. I know it's not easy for everybody to just choose to be happy. I have friends who struggle with depressions and all kinds of hard things, but for me this song became really real! It spoke to me. Thank you Kirk Franklin for once again written a song with such big meaning.
Funny how sad I look, haha! But I'm really happy!!! Promise!
I was giving some youths some tough love today. I was annoyed by the laziness and how so few of them showed up prepared. I finally said: "If I keep on helping you pass every time, while you make as little effort as possible to pass and don't seem to care. You will eventually grow up and think everything will work out in life, even if I you don't make any effort. Well things won't. You have to work for it. If you don't put that work in when you're grown up and have job, you will lose that job. I better fail you in music so you'll learn a lesson now, instead of growing up not being taught how to work hard to reach goals". I'm that harsh sometimes. It might sound cliché, but at the end of the day I really say things like that when I care.
Hopefully I won't have to fail anyone (!!!). I hope that my little speech woke them up and helped them. I feel like it goes hand in hand with the lyrics in that song... You gotta make a decision what you want your life to be like! I'm gonna stop preaching now, because I ain't no preacher. Sorry for getting carried away, but I hope I encouraged somebody!
This by the way, makes me happy!
The fact that it was so bright out today, that I was even wearing sunglasses indoors for a moment, makes me happy!
Gotta go y'll! You take care now!
Love,
Johanna