Javier Ogaz

It’s Saturday night and I’m home alone thinking about my life. Three glasses of wine make for good company. They loosen thoughts and free the mind. These thoughts are neither good or bad, but they paint an accurate picture of what I’m feeling. Amy Winehouse comes on the speakers and fills my apartment with lament. My odds are stacked. I’ll go back to black.  

I’ve been listening to this song on repeat for longer than I’d like to admit. One of my close friends is dealing with getting over someone and I continually find myself unable to give him advice. I usually try to tell him that time heals all things. We move on from others when they aren’t in our lives. It happens with friends, family, and lovers. Each are complicated in their own way. There’s a certain sadness in all endings.

We all have songs that remind us of someone special in our lives. This is one of the songs that reminds me of Chase. It helps make the distance between us seem smaller. Do you realize that you have the most beautiful face? Do you realize we’re floating in space? All you have to do is push play. 

Tracy Chapman has plenty of great songs, but this one in particular speaks to my life at the moment. Life tricks us into thinking that nothing can change, but we know better. My friend Joel reminded me of this song today. It couldn’t have been more timely. You gotta make a decision. You leave tonight or live and die this way.

Calle 13’s Latinoamérica is strikingly beautiful and reminds me why Latin American history is one of my absolute favorite things. The song is a lament as much as it is an anthem. Calle 13 surrounds the listener with images of struggle and perseverance to suggest that Latin America’s greatest treasure is its people and their culture. Vamos caminando, aquí se respira lucha. Vamos caminando, yo canto porque se escucha.