Tuesday, Apr. 06, 2004 - 2:37 p.m.
An ode to Ani Difranco. Well not really an ode, but here goes.
I randomly heard one of her songs last week on internet radio and realized I was totally in an Ani music mood. A mood for dynamic music with smart lyrics.
She's a poet. She's probably one of those people that bleeds creativity. She writes anthems for my generation of women.
I first heard her music in college. Right. College, the place where you try new things.
About three doors down from me on my floor in the dorm, two girls had a sign on their door with her picture that said something like "if you've never heard her, come on in."
And I always thought, I should check that out. And strangely, even though I became friends with the girls, I never got around to saying "hey, I've never heard Ani Difranco before."
Nope, it wasn't until about two years later when my boyfriend at the time was moving out of his apartment. His things and his roommates things had gotten all mixed together like sometimes happens. And there was "Dilate" and no one knew whose it was. So, I took it saying I'd been wanting to hear it.
And wow. I fell in love with the third song, superhero, instantly.
And have gone on to love so many of her songs. Have seen her live and heard her poetry and realized I wasn't the only one she'd tapped in to.
Cause when I heard "pretty girl" I felt like it was my anthem.
But what I see is, she's speaking things that every women classified as "strong" has thought, she's voicing what so many of us that feel like the world isn't perfect think. Us "liberals," "free thinkers," etc. Her songs speak truths of relationships, the world.
What I realize too, by all her fans, is that I'm not alone in my opinions. And that carries a weight all its own.
And right now, her music gives me something to focus on everyday while I work out a job that doesn't want me.
So there, the least eloquent "ode" you'll ever read.
