Songs Are Meant For Singing, a manifesto

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1. Not everyone can play violin or accordion (to give just two examples off the top of my head) but everyone can sing.

2. Singing is one of life’s great pleasures.

3. Listening to songs is great, but it will never be as much fun as singing them.

4. Singing alone is okay, but to get the real feeling one needs a group.

5. Nothing comes closer to a feeling of pure community than singing together with a group of friends. Or a group of friendly strangers.

6. Take the songs you love, get together with the people you love, and sing them.

7. When you sing a song, you more fully make it your own. It is no longer their song, it is now yours as well.

8. If some are better and some worse singers, when we all sing together it very quickly no longer matters. Especially if there are many of us and alcohol is involved.

9. Dancing is also great. But lots of people go out dancing. The invention of recorded music perhaps suppressed singing as a public activity. Lets bring it back.

10. When you sing you can also change the lyrics. It is a chance to say what you want to say. It is a chance to twist the world and make it your own.



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