I heard this song come on the radio recently while listening to Texas Tech’s public radio broadcast (89.1 FM for those in Lubbock), and I knew the song from somewhere. I naturally went to go look it up, and it turns out to be “Adagio for Strings” by Samuel Barber. But I didn’t recognize the original composition from the player above, I recognized it from Tiesto’s rendition of the song and from the Tron (2010) soundtrack [Named Adagio for Tron]. Others might recognize it from the movie “Platoon” or the American Dad parody.
I’m writing about this song because I found an NPR segment talking about the historical events surrounding the masterpiece. Most people who talk about this song say it evokes the emotion of sadness, especially considering the time it was composed and the times it was played over the radio. Well, I don’t feel it.
Instead, I feel something of a relaxed emotion. It’s a calm and soothing tune that doesn’t make me feel sad: It’s more like a warm-up song for me (definitely not talking about the Tiesto rendition, which makes me want to go out and party). This composition evokes a sense of power and creates a tone of “Shits about to go down” – in the good way. I feel relaxed with the power created by the rising chorus. Maybe it’s because I never heard it during the sad times, but it just makes me feel good. I can listen to this composition and feel like I’m ready to conquer the world. That in of itself reminds me that this piece is American, which makes the song the even better. It’s beautiful and masterfully created because of its simplicity. I can’t really see much else of this song but happiness and presentation of power, although it would make a pretty shitty theme song for someone.
Well, while you ponder that, enjoy the first original recording of the piece from NPR above.