Inaugural Closure Through Music

Katy Perry 

Katy Perry has defined the last 4 years for me. Huh, what? I-Kissed-A-Girl Katy Perry? Riding-into-Super-Bowl-On-A-Tiger Katy Perry? 

Yes, maybe because of her social activism and general pop culture icon status with mainstream songs, her lyrics have weaved themselves into my thoughts. For me, lyrics for any songs are so critical. I can't just say "I like the beat and it's good to dance to." It has to make me pause and consider the words.

So, let's go back to November 2016 and I have a blog post capturing that period. This is my excerpt from my blog post Stronger Together After November 8th

On Saturday afternoon, we stood in line as it wrapped around the Mann Performing Arts Center in Philadelphia. We were all the way around the block and there was a long way to go. Would we even be able to enter if it reached capacity? The three girls in front of us spoke Chinese, wore fabulous boots, and took many selfies with a tiny camera on a stick. The two girls wearing scarves and sunglasses behind us gabbed nonstop in Portuguese. In front of the Chinese girls was a family of five. The mom held the place in line, while three young girls scampered around on a blanket with their tablets. The dad wore a pink t-shirt “Proud father of future Nasty Women” as he magically pulled out sandwiches from a bag and gave rides to the girls on his shoulder. At one point, the line slowed as a teacher recognized a special needs boy from her school and stopped to chat. There were same sex couples, millennials, and baby boomers. After a few hours of standing in line, we plopped down on the wet grass to watch the rally. “Love Trumps Hate” was projected on the screens. We found our people.

The evening was powerful as Cory Booker, Madeline Albright and other politicians and activists took the stage. Stronger together. Hillary came forward in white pantsuit to remind us of her message. How important this election was. On cue, Janet Jackson’s “Nasty Girls” was played and Katy Perry came out. Her song, “Roar” gave us chills. The crowd was jumping and excited when she sang “God Bless America” and “Firework” in her sequined spangled dress.

We went into the November 2016 election singing:

I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter
Dancing through the fire
'Cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar

Then suddenly we crashed hard. What the hell? How did this happen? What do we do now? So we marched, we ran for offices, took over the House of Representatives, worked locally so we could make changes globally. I remembered the lyrics to the song "Awake":

  I'm wide awake

And now it's clear to me
That everything you see
Ain't always what it seems

I'm wide awake
Yeah, I was dreaming for so long

I wish I knew then
What I know now
Wouldn't dive in
Wouldn't bow down

 Gravity hurts
You made it so sweet
Till I woke up on
On the concrete

Falling from cloud nine
Crashing from the high
I'm letting go tonight
I'm falling from cloud nine

 

Let's leave behind the last 4 years and fast forward to the moment on January 20, 2021 when Ms. Katy Perry is standing on steps of the Lincoln Memorial looking towards the Washington Monument. She magically conjures and heralds in fireworks from around the city! This moment is visually spectacular and the lyrics are aligned to this moment. Again, I focus on the lyrics. Is she singing for Joe who waited over 40 years for this moment or for Kamala who broke open doors or just for Americans who want to step out of their homes again?

You don't have to feel like a waste of space
You're original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew what the future holds
After a hurricane comes a rainbow
Maybe a reason why all the doors are closed
So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road
Like a lightning bolt, your heart will glow
And when it's time, you'll know

You just gotta ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July

'Cause baby, you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go, "Oh, oh, oh"
As you shoot across the sky
Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colors burst
Make 'em go, "Oh, oh, oh"
You're gonna leave 'em all in awe, awe, awe

Boom, boom, boom

 

Bruce Springsteen & Jon Bon Jovi

I was thrilled to see Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi at the Inauguration events. They too were part of my November 2016 powerful moments. After the Katy Perry event in NJ with my sister and a sore back from standing, my daughter and I went to the Hillary rally in Philadelphia on November 7th. Excerpt from the same blog:

“Meet us on Monday at Independence Hall” they reminded us. Barack, Michelle, Bill and Chelsea would be there. They are bringing Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi. I wasn’t ready for the lines again, but a friend and her daughter were going. Someone asked me “Why aren’t you going?” Of course, I should share this with my teen daughter. I skipped work early to head to the city.

 

Once again, the event brought the diversity forward. A street artist had people sign his posters of the candidates as part of the art. We ran into friends, and texted others we knew we wouldn’t find in the crowds. At least we were sharing this experience. They handed out USA signs and we waved them, hoping to catch a stray camera so we’d be on the projection screen. We could see the stage to recognize when a speaker was waving his or her hands. Not very clear from our spot, but all the speakers were amazing. Michelle was just flawless as always. Then President Obama was introduced. We jumped in excitement and cheered. I suddenly realized I needed to wipe away the tear on my cheek. Hillary wore her red pantsuit and definitely stood out for us. CNN showed coverage of the event and said crowds swelled to 30,000.

 

Seeing Jon Bon Jovi sing "Here Comes the Sun" was absolutely perfect. We have an amazing future in front of us! We've learned a lot, we've seen a lot and hopefully we can learn to walk together as a country.