But the music that surrounds him rebuts his misery; it's full of unpredictable life, and it surrounds him with blithe la-la's and instrumental counterpoint, like the warbling flutes of "Dour Percentage," which cheerfully echoes 1970s pop as Mr. Barnes sings, "The speakers have blown, this planet is an orphanage".
/ What are all songs for me, now, who no more care to sing?" Despite the speaker's disavowal of singing, a reader can see that the poem itself is a song — that absence has given rise to substance.
"Do you like ZZ Top?" said one young man with moppy hair to his friend, as the Riviera sang over the speakers about having fun in the warm California sun.
They clapped for the speakers extolling socialism and joined together to sing the "Internationale," the anthem of the Communist Party.
Halfway through, the voice of Jon Bon Jovi came blaring through the speakers, singing the chorus from "You Give Love a Bad Name".
"To live in this town, you must be tough, tough, tough, tough, tough, tough, tough," Mick Jagger's voice sang through the speaker.
Unexpectedly, after Beyoncé played "Halo", "Why Don't You Love Me" came blasting through the speakers with Knowles singing the song.
Each year, the big National Day of Prayer shindig in Washington, D.C., includes a whole bunch of participation by active duty uniformed military personnel -- a military brass quintet, a military color guard, a military vocalist singing the national anthem, a military speaker, and a military chaplain.
When the speaker finished, the congregation sang the hymn, "I Need Thee Every Hour," which is about turning to Jesus to resist temptation, and find peace amid trials.
Before the speakers began, the crowd spontaneously sung the national anthem and "Michael Row Your Boat Ashore," and occasionally chanted "USA!
