Love Songs

Beautiful songs expressing the sentiments of unfaithful Courtly Love:

Where is Your Heart (lyrics)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Acq8yG2Fy8&hl=en]

Secret Love lyrics

Gentle on My Mind (song on youtube)

Ariel Ramirez lyrics

I have spent hours with these intoxicating songs that I now see as facilitations of escape. Heartbreaking yearning for something unobtained so typifies the art of the west. The Protestant Churches I grew up in taught that we are to find our fulfillment in God alone, but it seems that during the week most people look to secular songs, books and movies to fulfill a more tangible need. Courtly Love offers a real, though unobtained person to fulfill that longing, while maintaining the possibility of some sort of closure here on the earth, instead of in heaven after death. These methods of escape work less and less for me these days as I get weaned from them. But like I've said, I don't want to trash the whole thing. There is artistic merit to the compositions and performances, plus there is a communion of empathy for a shared longing for fulfillment. Perhaps the new Orthodox, who offer heaven on earth, in the west can come up with something (like Ostrov) less pie in the sky, romantic, and idealistic in their artistic expression. Or do we just stick with Liturgical art, hymnography and prayers during the week? I think our children as well as most folks may need something a little more playful or entertaining if you will. Art lets us dwell in the hypothetical where we can step outside of ourselves and take a break.