Quite often, we listen to a song and begin singing without even consciously realising what we are saying; however, if we actually took the time to pay attention to those lyrics, perhaps we would think differently about singing along.

In my opinion, some of the most beautiful lyrics have a poetical nature that remains constant throughout. Songs that have had thought and time put into the lyrics deserve to be greatly appreciated and time should be taken to understand them and their beauty, their metaphors and their juxtapositions, their underlying emotional foundations.

When words are spoken you give them power and authority, therefore wouldn’t it make sense if we sung songs with lyrics which evoked empowerment and were thought-provoking?

A quote that I really like by Patrick Rothfuss says, “Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts.”

There’s something about the lyrical nature of words that captivate and cling to you. The words circle through the pits of your emotions and somehow bring to life feelings you thought were impossible to be understood, and yet are written in such a way that make your troubles seem so easily identified and simple! They put words to feelings, which can be so hard to do, especially when we are dealing with the complexity of the human mind.

I am thankful for the lyrics of songs that have rejuvenated my spirit and have brought a sense of understanding to emotions I didn’t comprehend myself. I am thankful for the lyrics that have calmed my soul and soothed a broken heart. I am thankful for lyrics that have brought joy into my being and a leap to my step. I am even thankful for those songs that made me angry and dark and brought out emotions I had been trying to hide away.

So, I urge you to spend time actually reading lyrics. Most people behind lyrics didn’t just write them for kicks, they actually were inspired and spent time putting their feelings into words for the rest of us to enjoy! So go ahead and Google ‘songmeanings.com’, read the lyrics, take the time to really appreciate them, and then check out different people’s opinions on what the writer is really trying to say. That’s what I do anyway.

In light of the sad news of Parachute Music Festival’s end, I have decided to compile a list of memories from the past 10 years of my attendance at Parachute.

1.     Nathan and his kissing booth! Everyone (Simon) was shouting “KISS HIM! KISS HIM! KISS HIM! I’m not sure of exact numbers, but I’m pretty sure Nathan got over 20 kisses! Good man!
2.     That year when Grace called Rachael a b!%#h! Rach sat in the car for a while after that!
3.     When Simon drove into Parachute with a trailer filled with sheep
4.     When I was in the moshpit and I looked beside me to see an old granny rocking out to Switchfoot
5.     The year our tents flooded nuff said.
6.     When Nathan & I did an all nighter
7.     When Hayden took nodoz and went and jumped on some random guy’s back
8.     When Katelyn’s Nokia died from the rain during Sunday Night worship
9.     When Parachute Band sung Living Rain on mainstage, then it actually began raining
10.  The adventures of Rachoni (What would Parachute be without a bit of Rachael Raponi drama!)
11.   When Sheridan and I found a cellphone sliding along the floor on the roller coaster loop ride, and we met up with    the girl after behind the ticket booth
12.  Grace and her watermelon. She decided to just bring a huge watermelon to Parachute and scoop the insides out and eat it. So refreshing!
13.  Hayden and his racoon leg, thanks to Kirsty’s hairdressing skills!
14.  The boys and their never-ending supply of coke
15.  When Kirsty chased after Nick (pre-marriage) and stole his hat
16.  The year the frogs came
17.  That random guy I met who caught a frog and was carrying it round the village on Sunday night, its name was Fred.
18.  People floating down the flooded roads on blow up mattresses
19.  People getting baptised in the flooded puddles
20.  When the Ferries boys kept getting free ginger beer by leaving the movie building and coming back in again through a different entrance
21.  My first Parachute with Grace and Aunty Janie in 2004, and our neighbours that got kicked out
22.  When I lost my voice from singing (screaming) to Mumsdollar’s last ever performance as a band
23.   When they used Cocoa-Cola as the communion juice
24.  The V Rocket Man!
25.  Crazy Village dancing, ghosting, games, chanting, people-watching, and more
26.  When Rachael and Sheridan posed next to Matt and Dayna’s sign, then they actually walked past and got a photo with the real deal!
27.  The Mexican wave of throwing glow sticks in the air
28.  When the mist tunnels were actually on- so good!
29.  The tent neighbour who spent a lot of time in his tent…smoking…
30.  And last (but not least) WHEN JAMES TRIED TO KISS ME!

Parachute will have a lasting legacy in the lives of everyone that has attended. I am thankful for how it has brought us all together as a family. The yarns we had…some marginally inappropriate… The opportunities to see high quality international performances from bands (and speakers) we would most likely never get to experience live in little ol’ New Zealand. 

Thanks for making my teenage years that much more incredible Parachute! I’m looking forward to seeing where you go as an organisation next! 

What separates good music from just noise?
Personally, I feel that there is plenty of noise out there, but the real music comes from artists that are inspired and direct that inspiration into the lyrics, rhythms and melodies of their songs. 

I have 19.43 GB of music in iTunes, but I can guarantee you that if I put my music on shuffle I would be pushing the next button reasonably regularly during a 30minute period. The reason for this usually comes down to meaningless lyrics, boring beats, and inappropriately timed songs. They’re songs that you know you should delete, but you know a day will come along when you are going to need a bit of Shania Twain’s “Man I Feel Like a Woman” and you just can’t bring yourself to delete it. Songs do have a time and a place in our lives, and during different periods of growth, we do appreciate different artists and different genres of music.  However, there are those certain songs and bands that you would never press next to while your iPhone is on shuffle, in fact you could quite happily spend a whole afternoon listening to that one artist’s music song after song, album after album. But why is that?

I believe artists that create ‘good music’, not just music you listen to at a party or dance to in a club, but real, soul-touching, life-changing, GOOD music, should be praised, and recognised, not just washed over and ignored. Music that shows how much time and effort has been put into every sound, every second and every sentence; Music thats lyrics come from an artist who is inspired, and has the bravery and delicacy to deliver a sound and total musical encounter that is both unique and intriguing; Music that’s sound and lyrical nature has been intricately woven through the length of the song and has an appropriate accompanying musical emotion; Music like THAT deserves to be acknowledged. It takes courage and talent to be able to retell emotions and experiences in a poetic lyrical form that is both raw and relatable, and then on top of that accompany such words with an appropriate musical experience, which guides listeners through those lyrics and allows them to feel the song, rather than just hear it. There is something special about an artist that has an ability to recreate, or reignite, a feeling you experienced at a certain point in your life, allowing some form of connection between the listeners, the artist, and the song itself. 

Don’t get me wrong, it’s quite nice to listen to a variety of artists and genres; my 19.43 GB of music can assure you of that. But there’s always a distinction between music that will forever captivate you in its wake, and sounds that just make you feel ‘pretty good’ while you're listening to them. 

Sounds have a time and a place, but good music has an everlasting quality.