4 Chords and Hunger Games

For as long as I can remember, I have been afraid.  Afraid that the world will run out of combinations for musical notes and chords.  Afraid that the last song will be written, and we will be forced to listen to the same music over and over for all eternity (much in the same way that Hollywood is already re-making Spider Man, even though they just finished the trilogy five years ago).  I started to recognize my naïvety while listening to the album "In Time: The Best of REM."   I love playing "It's the End of the World as We Know It" and singing the lyrics to "Bad Day," and vice versa.  They are two hits set to almost identical music, by the same band.  The reality is that we have been using the same music for decades, just with different twists and tempos.  The same chords, in the same order, can produce an almost infinite number of songs.

The Axis of Awesome demonstrates this beautifully with their compilation "4 Chords."

I'm sharing this in hopes that you, too, will take comfort in the knowledge that we are not nearing a song shortage.  We will not have to invade other countries to acquire foreign sources of music, and music will not jump to 3.95 a song.  We won't be forced to seek alternative and greener methods for song-writing.  The music industry is already re-using and recycling every day.

Also, I went to see "The Hunger Games" today and thought it was an excellent adaptation of the book.  While I understand the premise, (think "Battle Royale" meets "The Truman Show"), I felt like several pretty important questions went unanswered.  Most notably, the film left the audience wondering if the tributes had to use the bathroom in front of all of Panem, or if the directors of the games had the decency to avoid shooting such intimate moments.  It is hard enough to go in a public restroom.  Imagine if the whole country was watching.  I know, I know.  I'm sure this question will be answered in the next movie in the trilogy.  I will try to be patient.

If you want to read a great review of the movie, check out my friend Jason's blog: http://profratigan.wordpress.com/2012/03/23/the-hunger-games/