What The Music Means To Me, Part 1

I want to take a poetic approach, if I may, and discuss a few songs that John Mellencamp has written, and what those songs mean to me, personally. I don't and can't pretend to know what they may or may not mean, beyond the personal and subjective.
Here is the first John Mellencamp song that woke me up to him and his music: Human Wheels. I knew that song when it came out. Would you believe that I *just now* saw the video for it. Perfect! How often can you say that a video matches (one's very own conception of) a song? This video Does, for me, and I didn't even know it, until I saw it. I would imagine that such a song does Not lend itself, easily to a video. I like the beginning - flashing crosses - especially! I like all the people - all the different bodies and souls. I also enjoy the Paper In Fire video - and I Love the music of that era of his work.
For me, the religious and the carnival atmosphere pervade some of what I find to be John Mellencamp's most meaningful music (for myself). I have to say, it's been a long time since I listened to his latest work. I'm listening, right now, to it, on the little player, provided by this website. I am enjoying this music.
I don't know if I should mention this, but I developed a very painful crush on John Mellencamp when the album (cd?) Human Wheels came out. All of my crushes are very painful, of course, but they always teach me much, and take me on interesting, riveting, inner journeys that are definitely worthy of my time, and bring a lot of color and beauty to my life. This is *not* as pathetic as it may sound to the reader. It's actually not pathetic at all. It has taken me years to understand that so-called "crushes" are my way to learn about life. Whatever swoops down and somehow captures my spirit/sears my soul/awakens my mind-body - all of that being and becoming a journey of learning and Love for Myself, via the artist's expression of him or herself, in this world.
Who is John Mellencamp? Who is Any artist, really? We can't know/we can know - we know through their music or paintings or writings and we know this from how We are moved by their work. We learn about them, a bit, maybe, but we Mainly learn about ourselves. But there IS a resonance. Why does one artist feel so meaningful so special, when there is so much art and music in the world? These are things of mystery, really...
Every song I love, from JM, paints, for Me, (since *I* am the listener of this particular story - and You are the one of Yours) a series of images of various, deeply human stories of pain and beauty and certainly undeniable grace. Or (and?) Grace. I'm not typically religious. No, not that. Dogma is not my ruler. Art goes beyond dogma to the truth. It sure does. I'm listening to an Absolutely Beautiful JM song right Now and I don't even know what it Is (yet) - some lyrics "see the devil, he's right behind me, whistling in my ear: it's time to go"...
I like songs (from other artists, too) about the devil. Songs of fear, fun, longing and the carnival of life (depending upon Which devil is being manifested in a song). One of my favorite cds of JM and one I know pretty well, is Mr. Happy Go Lucky. I love most of the music on that one, and I Love the imagery of carnivals and chance and fate on the cover and inside bits. Something of this song I'm hearing now, albeit more pared down, and a quite lovely song, reminds me of that fascinating album (is one still allowed to use the term "album"? You young whipper snappers will have to tell old ArteliaRose; she's been around a Long Time, and gets confused shore 'nuff easily Enough)!
I've said More than enough, for now, too. Here are a few flashes of images from inside my soul, pertaining to JM's songs (such as some of the quite beautiful ones on his movie soundtrack cd, and more music besides): purple lilacs trembling in the rain, world-weary angels, wandering souls and spirits, rainy mist, blood on that scarecrow, the pageantry of a brash carnival, snow on the ground - new snow and the tired, defeated, snow of days gone by, and maybe I'll stop now.
I like his art, too. I've tried to make these words like a painting he might think about painting and one that I definitely would. It's an alchemy of listener to artist and it's a personal thing. I don't claim any more than that - the personal. I keep to myself, but sometimes I need to not keep my impressions and words to myself, even though the poor reader, if they've kept up this long, feels that I've led them on a meaningless goose-chase of drunken pretension. I'm not drunk, but it IS late. It's fairly Late now. Time to go.