Drive results through your passion (RIP Dolores)

So news arrived about the passing of one of legendary voices in the 90’s, Dolores O’Riordan from The Cranberries. Rest in peace.

The radios play tunes from Cranberries in memories of her strong, determined voice. Coming from Ireland, her songs bear messages of humanity, rebelling against sociopolitical issues.

Listening to the alternative rock on radio last night brought back memories. In those days, music is an art of good melodies (from ballads to punk), combined with lyrics that brought emotional messages (from love to anger to humanity). Call it preference, but today’s music seems like repetition of mere sounds, with trashy lyrics that made no sense.

Enough ranting. Back to The Cranberries.

There were 2 things I benefit from music like The Cranberries, and they both fall under language improvement.

PRONOUNCIATION
VOCABULARY

What singers like Irish Dolores O’Riordan, Canadian Alanis Morissette, or Avril Lavigne have in common is – clear word pronunciation. While being singers, it is natural for them to be verbally clear, for teenagers like me (back then), mimicking their singing and how they say the words, improved the way I open my mouth and use the tongue to speak their language, like they do. This later helped to improve my speech. Speaking clearly, brings out confidence and an impression of caliber.

Another perk of listening to music from that era was, the richness of words these artists use in their lyrics. I learned words like eloquent, inherent, even gait – from music. I loved singing, I still do. So, I would go through the lyrics and sing my heart out (forgive me roommates, housemates!), and out of curiosity, I would flip through the dictionary to find out what these new words are, that my idols are saying so beautifully.

When I was learning Japanese, I went back to the same hobby, singing, to enrich my vocabulary. I learned phrases normal people use in their conversations through music. Sometimes I even do dictation, imagining what the lyrics are, before confirming it from the net. This sharpened my listening, anticipating what he wants to say next.

So there you go.

My passion in music actually influenced me to what I am now.

Do you have a hobby that could mold you into someone better?

Use your hobby to enhance yourself and be a greater person!

I leave you to ponder while enjoying one of The Cranberries’s hit, Linger.

 Dolores O’Riordan wrote this song about her feelings following the breakup with her first boyfriend, the soldier who broke her heart. She said the song is about “the way I reacted to infatuation.”