I recently took a flight that landed in Detroit after dark. I was listening to music for most of it, and very late in the flight I selected Purple Rain by Prince. Purely by coincidence, the last parts of the song aligned in a very satisfying way with the final phases of the flight:
The main guitar solo kicked in as we lined up on the long straight final approach
the first big fermata at 6:19 (the one in concert E-flat) began right around the time we crossed the runway threshold
the drum beat at 6:32 happened remarkably close to touchdown
-the second big fermata (B-flat), followed up with guitar screams and piano “rain,” played out as the plane decelerated to taxi speed
-the violins (7:06) kicked in shortly after we turned off the runway and trundled toward the terminal
The whole time, the cabin was pretty much dark, except for scattered points of light from the overhead signs (fasten seatbelts, no smoking, etc.) and a few of the seatback screens that were lit up blue with flight tracking information. That, and the city lights (and after touchdown, the runway/taxiway lights) visible through the window. It felt like a concert venue. All in all, an unintentionally fulfilling musical experience.
In my case, my son and I were flying during the Super Bowl where Prince did the halftime show, and it was in progress as we were approaching and then landing. This is usually the second-worst time for me, a white-knuckle flyer, the worst being takeoff. But I was watching the half-time show and I didn’t even notice that the plane was landing. I don’t know that it aligned artistically with the final phases of the flight but it distracted me, which was the best thing.
But I have had a soundtrack that fit on more than one occasion. Like, when I went to the jail to pick up an errant teenager. I’m sitting there in this little room. The music playing is “I Fought the Law” and in comes my teenager in handcuffs. (Note: He is now a solid citizen. Or if not, he hasn’t been caught.)
And then there’s this: There were four of us. We were very bored. We were working a late shift at Macy’s during an hour when nobody comes in to shop, only to shoplift, and the music is on an endless loop, and most of the managers are gone. When appropriate, some of us were dancing in the empty, empty aisles. So it was Steffi in Men’s Fragrances, Rick in Men’s Furnishings, Mel in Men’s Suits, and me in Polo, and there was a naked mannequin in Men’s Suits. Mel and I concocted a plan while waiting for “Sharp Dressed Man” to come around again, and we organized a little bit, and when the song came up we quickly dressed the mannequin, while dancing. (Various styles. Mel was into West Coast Swing, I’m a tap dancer, Rick had some hip-hop moves, etc.) I believe we got some help from some other bored person in Cosmetics. About 15 minutes after we did this the woman from Security came through and told us they had watched this on the monitor, it was very entertaining, and Macy’s ought to do a commercial like that.
I hope we didn’t distract the Security people from catching any shoplifters!
Back in the early 80’s, Cecil and I were in New York and had just left the KISS concert that was held at Studio 54. We were looking for this fantastic burrito place in Hell’s Kitchen at around 3:00 am, when all of the sudden Ace Frehley, sans make-up, runs up behind us puts his arms around both of us and starts singing, I was made for loving you, baby! It was pretty surreal.
I was in a restaurant trying to decide if I should order dessert when It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine) came on. I had to order the cheesecake.
I once called our corporate travel agent to book an around the world flight. The instant I was put on hold, I heard Joe Cocker singing “Get me a ticket for an aeroplane, I ain’t got time for no fast train …”. When the agent (who I knew quite well) answered, I asked whether they had a bespoke on-hold music list.
I called some company. Got put on hold. The hold music was golden oldies so I got: “I… can’t wait… forever… even though… you want… me to…” When it got to “time won’t let me” I figured this was a message from the universe and I hung up.
The first time I dropped off a deposit at the bank for my job a couple of years ago, the music playing as I walked in was Steve Miller singing, “Go on, take the money and run…” The tellers were all youngsters and didn’t seem to recognize the song when I pointed it out to them.