Sunday, June 25, 2006

Observant Musing - Eros Ramazzotti

I first fell in love with Eros Ramazzotti when I traveled through Europe as a 21 year old. (Love/lust? Whichever you want to call it is fine.)
When I first saw him, I was watching European MTV. His video came on for Se Bastasse una Canzone. If I remember correctly, it was done in sepia tone. I was absolutely taken with the man, his words and the melody, even though I understood not a word of Italian at the time. I immediately went out and bought “In Ogni Senso”. I wore the cassette out listening to it. (I have since replaced it with a CD).

One time I was in a train station in Bologna, and a man with a guitar came up to me, and asked me what he could play for me (someone translated this for me). Having only 1 song on my mind at the time I told him “Se Bastasse una Canzone”. He was so surprised that I knew Italian music, he sang that song with heart, and the whole platform applauded when he finished. He then kissed my hand and I boarded the train.

Truth be told, I fell in love with many Italians as I traveled through Italy (and in large part why I hope to make my home there one day! LOL, but very serious). Ah, Dominico, who is about 7 ft. tall with long gorgeous hair that he wore in a ponytail, braids, and all manner of other styles. I met him on the Ponte de Vechio Bridge. He was hip, he was exciting, he was very passionate and cool, and spoke nary a word of English. Then there was Giacomo with the jet black hair, and crystal blue eyes. He had the most beautiful smile and olive skin ever! His eyes gave meaning to the word “Piercing”. He gave me free room and board on a ferry that he worked on. I could have stayed on that ship and sailed the Mediterranean with him forever. Then there was Antonio. Antonio translated the lyrics to Eros’ songs for me in broken English. He was so loving and kind, so very adventurous.

But back to Eros. He has gotten finer with time, and so have the memories that he has been the soundtrack for. Now, he has added salt to his pepper hair, but the voice, the meaning of his songs, the way he looks, the way he writes and sings of love, and politics, and human emotion, and justice (did I mention the way he looks?) are as timeless as love itself. How did his parents know when they named him Eros?

I think that he sealed the deal for me with the song Piu Bella Cosa. As Antonio explained it to me, in Piu Bella Cosa he sings of a woman, and that there is nothing more beautiful than she. But the line that really clinches it for me is when he says “Thank you for existing.”

I don’t know if those are his actual words, but that was the way Antonio could explain them to me, and therefore, I don’t want to find out any differently (so don’t tell me if it ain’t so). Isn’t it just so beautiful that someone can thank someone for existing?

So many times, we get wrapped up in what our lives are like because someone is in our life when we don’t want them to be, or has affected our life in a way that we didn’t want them to. Sometimes, and it probably happens more than we give it credit for, there are people in our lives that we have to thank for existing, and for being a part of it. For, what would our life like be like had they not existed? What would the world be like?

This entry is for Eros Ramazzotti, (who doesn’t know me and who I don’t know -but wish I did!) for existing, because sometimes one beautiful song is enough to remind us that there are people in our lives that we should thank God that they exist.


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