My Gen X Playlist: If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out – Cat Stevens

When I was in college, we used to go to this club in downtown Los Angeles. It was in a seedy part of downtown and housed in a converted warehouse. It had three floors, each with a different music vibe. One floor had hip hop/rap music. Another floor up had techno/dance music. The third floor was alternative rock. The third floor was the least popular of the three, but more my style of music. My friends didn’t share my taste in music and we hung out mostly on the other two floors with dance music. I was cool with it because it was fun to party with friends and let’s face it. That’s where the girls were. But I’d occasionally drift off to the top floor to have a drink and listen to some good music.

Music taste is just the tip of the iceberg. I’m pretty different from my friends in many other ways. They are hard core sports fans and can recite stats, players and backstories from all different sports teams. I follow a few teams and am a loyal fan. They’ve been consumed raising their kids. I married later in life and missed that window of opportunity. They love the city. I love being in the mountains. They are guy’s guys, thankfully without the toxic masculinity. I’d call myself masculine, but I’m left of them on the bro scale. Many of them are extroverted. I lean introverted. They work out to relieve stress. I write an anonymous blog for the same effect.

I remember once leaving the club and my friends asked where I disappeared to. Third floor, I replied. They just nodded and said, Cool. That’s how it’s always been, me sometimes on a different floor. And even with the divide, we’ve remained good friends ever since. They just chalk it up to me being me and don’t give it a second thought. Cool.

I doubt today’s song is in any one of my friend’s CD collection. It’s one that I picked up when I was a kid in the car listening to my mom’s radio station. Cat Stevens released If You Want to Song Out, Sing Out in 1971. It’s a song that celebrates individuality.

The song is about finding your freedom through your individuality. About doing what you want,  no matter what anyone thinks or says. It soft sounds and upbeat chorus help you to understand the happiness that can come to you when you stop living your life by other peoples standards and stick to your own.

Blogs@Baruch

I think it’s great that we don’t give a shit about our differences. That’s possibly a value add to our friendship. What does connect us are our shared core values. I think that goes further along on the yard stick. Well, that and our love for Vegas. There’s nothing like having drinks during an all night blackjack binge to help cement a friendship.

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For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

Well, if you want to sing out, sing out
And if you want to be free, be free
'Cause there's a million things to be
You know that there are

And if you want to live high, live high
And if you want to live low, live low
'Cause there's a million ways to go
You know that there are

You can do what you want
The opportunity's on
And if you find a new way
You can do it today
You can make it all true
And you can make it undo
You see, ah ah ah
It's easy, ah ah ah
You only need to know

Well, if you want to say yes, say yes
And if you want to say no, say no
'Cause there's a million ways to go
You know that there are

And if you want to be me, be me
And if you want to be you, be you
'Cause there's a million things to do
You know that there are

You can do what you want
The opportunity's on
And if you find a new way
You can do it today
You can make it all true
And you can make it undo
You see, ah ah ah
It's easy, ah ah ah
You only need to know

Well, if you want to sing out, sing out
And if you want to be free, be free
'Cause there's a million things to be
You know that there are
You know that there are
You know that there are
You know that there are
You know that there are