by Trent Rentsch
It’s been THAT day again. Big project, must have the perfect music. I spent 2 ½ hours hunting for said music (not an exaggeration; I kept track). “Surely you found it,” You gasp. “Yeah, right,” I grunt.
I cannot and will not blame the music library we use. It’s deep; the perfect cut IS there, somewhere. I COULD blame it on lack of sleep (the old brain doesn’t shut down like it used to), the weather (how could I possibly be productive on an early winter day that feels more like summer?), even the project itself (the copywriter was too ambitious… oh, wait. That was me…). I could blame the unexpected meetings I was called to, the phone calls from clients, my lack of lunch… heck, why not blame the socks I wore today? I could be an excuse machine, but as usual I only have to blame myself.
I’m surprised when I find someone who does not have a deep attachment to music. We all have our favorite genre, artist, composer… and “guilty pleasure” that’s so far removed from our normal listening habits that we fear losing friends, should the truth ever surface. My own musical tastes have always defied genre; on the way to work, my playlists might include Patsy Cline, Nine Inch Nails, and Defying Gravity from “Wicked” (none of which are my guilty pleasures, you’ll be concerned to know). Music defines who we are, it reminds us of who we were, it gives us the heart & courage to be who we will be. Am I getting too out there? Tough, I’m that passionate about music.
I mentioned last month that my Stepson & his now Bride asked me to perform their wedding ceremony this last November. The reason still isn’t clear to me, although I do remember alcohol being involved the night they asked. They put it on me to dream up the service, both of them insisting that “whatever you come up with will be great… and memorable!” Yeah, no pressure there. So, after digging up a copy of Rolling Stone, and sending 50 bucks to the church that advertises in the back of the magazine so I would become an ordained Minister (for an extra 25 I could have been a Monsignor, but I didn’t want to show off), I started wrapping my brain around the words for the service. It didn’t take me long to find the hook. After all, I’d been absorbing the lyrics to love songs all my life, so go with what you know, right? The beginning of the service went a little something like this…
Welcome! Today is a celebration. A celebration of, not only of the two best dressed people in the room, but a celebration of commitment, of friendship, of family, and, of course, a crazy little thing called love.
Love… love… love… all you need is love, love is all you need! Love is a many splendored thing! Love is the answer! Everybody loves somebody sometimes. You’re nobody till somebody loves you. But you can’t hurry love… no, you just have to wait. Love don’t come easy, it’s a game of give and take. So, why do fools fall in love? After all, only love can break your heart! Love hurts… Sometimes, love stinks… love is a battlefield… you always hurt, the one you love. But, love will find a way… that’s the power of love! And you’re gonna have to face it, you’re addicted to love! I mean, when a man loves a woman… he can’t keep his mind on nothing else! (to Britt) You see this guy? This guy’s in love with you! (to Travis) And, She loves you… ya, ya, ya! You’ve got a Groovy kind of love! So, you’re going to the chapel and you’re gonna get married, because love and marriage, go together like a horse and carriage… let me tell you brother, you can’t have one without the other!
I got laughs, which I expected (well, more like “prayed for”). What I didn’t expect was the emotional response, the way everyone seemed drawn even closer together in the moment by the power of music and love. Angels may have wept, but the people at the wedding didn’t have any complaints.
Music is important to me, as it is to nearly everyone. I suspect that’s why I get so obsessive when I have to choose it for a production project. I hear too many productions that have the wrong music, the wrong feel, the wrong fit for the copy, as though the music was given no consideration, and it seems a crime against Creative production. Today's libraries ARE vast and deep; there’s no excuse to not spend a little extra time to find the right cut. You’ve got the music in you, give your work a hook that will bring them back.
Trent Creates words, voices, audio and music. His current professional home is Krash Creative. Drop him a note at