Motion Picture Soundtrack

Pearl Jam – “Black”
I’m not sure why this one stuck in my head. Soon after high school I moved to Rexburg, Idaho to live with my cousins. My aunt gave me free room and board, but everything else was left up to me. Nearing winter, at the end of an incredibly fun summer, finances became tight. I started to have to scrounge for anything other than food. Things such as gas and warmer clothes were accessories I couldn’t afford. So one night my friend Jake told me that his step dad had a few tractors with big gas tanks on the side. “These gas tanks don’t have pipes that feed into the tanks”, he told me. “Anyone can take what they need”. His step dad’s house was on a hill, at the edge of town. Under the cover of darkness we made our way to there. As I sat, parked in my car, waiting for him to return with a 5-gallon tank of freedom, I listened to this song off of Pearl Jam’s album entitled “Ten”. Scattered below me were the lights of the city, like a blanket of fireflies hidden safe in an abyss. Peace, freedom, millions of emotions filled my soul. I leaned the seat back, and closed my eyes, awaiting the return of fuel for the next adventure.

Third Eye Blind – “Burning Man”
“We’re here”, my brother said, as we pulled up to a set of yellow stucco condos. We had just finished a cross-country move from St. George, UT to Ft. Lauderdale, FL, in a Budget truck. My brother and I had moved him all that way so he could go to dental school at NOVA Southeastern. As I exited the truck, a warm wave of humidity hit me in the face, and enveloped my whole body. Immediately I began to sweat. After we unloaded the truck, I set up my room where I would sleep for the next 4 weeks. My days were spent at the beach, and on the boardwalks around it. I couldn’t get enough of the sand between my toes, the salty air, and warm water. I felt a refreshment of life with every breath. My nights were spent falling asleep to the song “Burning Man”, and every other one on Third Eye Blind’s self-titled album. This song in particular speaks of independence, and living life to the fullest. As I would lie on a lone mattress in the corner of the small spare room, I would listen to this whole album. According to the lyrics, and mood, I would envision music videos to each song. Every song had me in it. My actions were played out, by the lyrics of each song. At peace, I spent 4 weeks of soul searching with “Burning Man”.