Music Monday 01 - "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)"

I like a lot of music from the 80s. I was born in the 80s and grew up listening to all of the synth pop and one-hit wonders. I didn’t realize how much I liked 80s music, though, until I kept listening to it well into the 90s and began to get weird glances from people as I drove down the street listening to Depeche Mode, Pat Benatar and Michael Jackson. A lot of the music in the 80s wasn’t very good and, admittedly, it doesn’t age very well; music from the 80s sounds like music from the 80s. But while it may not have been very good, a lot of 80s music was uplifting and inspirational. One such song was John Parr’s hit “St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion)”.

The song “St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion)” was written about Rick Hansen, a Canadian paraplegic who rode his wheelchair on a 26-month tour to raise money for spinal cord research. The song was also used in the movie St. Elmo’s Fire and reached #1 on the Billboard charts in 1985. Here is the chorus from the song:

I can see a new horizon underneath the blazin' sky
I'll be where the eagle's flying higher and higher
Gonna be your man in motion, all I need is a pair of wheels
Take me where my future's lyin', St. Elmo's Fire

Again, there were a lot of songs in the 80s that weren’t great songs and “St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion)” definitely falls into that category. There are too many synthesized sounds and some misplaced horn sections that don’t really fit with the song; it’s not a very good song but it is an inspiring song. It’s a song about looking forward to the possibilities that could be and a belief that things can get better. It’s an inspirational song about a man who accomplished an amazing feat and, while it may not even sniff The Beatles or U2, it’s hopeful and that’s why I like it.

Unfortunately, as I survey the Billboard charts from this year and recent years, the top songs aren’t nearly as uplifting, they’re not as inspiring. Singing about new horizons and overcoming obstacles is definitely more uplifting than “Boom Boom Pow” or “Poker Face”. Most of the songs which reach #1 these days are about getting down in a club, setting fires, hooking up with some shorty or screaming. Obviously, there were songs that reached #1 in the 80s which weren’t uplifting or inspiring, but at least inspiring songs had a chance; I don’t know if inspiring and encouraging songs even have a chance anymore. Perhaps the 80s were a more hopeful time as our nation experienced unparalleled affluence and economic success; but the overindulgences of the 80s and their effects have left us a little more jaded and little less thirsty for the inspiring songs we once knew.

I’m not saying that you should throw away your Black Eyed Peas CDs or delete Lady GaGa from your iTunes; I certainly don’t want to. However, it isn’t all pessimistic or vapid drivel on the radio, there has to be something encouraging or inspirational to which we can listen. We should listen to such music and fill our minds and souls with lyrics that push us towards something greater, that give us a hope that things can get better. So give “Beautiful Day” by U2 a spin. Listen to “Remedy” by the David Crowder Band. Log onto iTunes and download “St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion)” by John Parr. Find something that inspires and encourages you and listen to it a lot.

What music inspires and encourages you?

Download “St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion)” buy John Parr here.