The Music of the Spheres

A while ago I rewatched the movie Philadelphia.  It stars Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington.  It is an engaging story in which Tom Hanks' character is an up-and-coming lawyer in a big legal firm who has AIDS and is let go because of it.  He sues the law firm for wrongful dismissal and wins in the end – fortunately before he dies from the disease.  The story takes place in the early days of AIDS, set  in the early 1990’s, when getting AIDS was a death sentence and accurately reflects the homophobia and fear surrounding the AIDS epidemic. 

The movie is a poignant, sad and surprisingly joyful depiction of the times and the cruelty, ignorance and discrimination that surrounded the plague.  That said, what I want to explore is the music in the movie, specifically the theme music.  There are actually two theme songs in the movie – the Streets of Philadelphia by Bruce Springsteen and Philadelphia by Neil Young.  Both are wonderful songs however, in my mind and ear and soul, the Neil Young song is a wonderful encapsulation of all that the movie expresses so well – the poignancy, the wistfulness for things to be different, the heartache, the pain, and joy that is shared by the characters.  Here are the lyrics which I hope will give you an idea of what is expressed so well in the song:

Sometimes I think that I know
What love's all about
And when I see the light
I know I'll be all right.

I've got my friends in the world,
I had my friends
When we were boys and girls
And the secrets came unfurled.

City of brotherly love
Place I call home
Don't turn your back on me
I don't want to be alone
Love lasts forever.

Someone is talking to me,
Calling my name
Tell me I'm not to blame
I won't be ashamed of love.

The lyrics are wonderfully enhanced and completed by the music which has a poignancy and energy and wistfulness that captures the feeling and message in the story.  The performance of the song from the movie can be found here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHpQFF_Et4s. 

A warning – the song and specifically the performance by Neil Young - never fails to bring tears to my eyes and as someone said in a comment online – it could be put on a loop, and you would never get tired of hearing it.  I have not tried that myself, but it certainly rings true to me. 

It is an example of the power of song to move and inspire and express so much is a few words and musical notes.  May you be blessed with such music on your journey.