Sometimes when I’m getting ready for work in those wee hours of the morning I turn to YouTube for a song or two to wake me up and get me feeling alive for my day at school. Some days those songs just come and go and I shuffle on into my day. Other times the songs get stuck in my head and carry me along making me strong. On the rare occassion, like yesterday, the songs make me think. They bring with them questions and things to think about.

The song was “We Are the World.” Written in 1985 by Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson. It brought together 46 of most prominent vocal artists in the US to create a historic piece of music that would raise over $60 million for famine relief in Africa.

It seems not that long ago that “We Are the World” was on everyone’s lips. The song would become one of the best selling singles of all time. But, what came to my mind first about the song was the missing voices. Waylon Jennings, June Pointer, Ray Charles, Michael Jackson, Al Jarreau, James Ingram, Kenny Rogers, Anita Pointer, Harry Belafonte, Tina Turner, Tito Jackson, and producer/conductor Quincy Jones have all moved on to make their music in sky world and no longer grace the world with their songs. It made me think about how the holes in life are created and how they are filled in by new songs, new voices.

Then I thought about the voices. I wondered, “what makes a good singing voice?” Some of us are told we have beautiful voices and are encouraged to sing out. Others are told it might be best if we just mouth the words. As I listened to different sounds, I wondered. There is everything there. We start out with Lionel’s gentle smoothness. We continue on transitioning, starting to bring in just a little raspiness once we get to Kenney Rogers. Then there are those amazing, deep, throaty golden notes from Tina Turner, balanced by the lightness of Michael and Janet Jackson. There’s the power of Dionne Warwick and the grit of those like Willy Nelson, Bruce Springsteen, and Bob Dylan. There are so many sounds, so many voices, none sound alike. Yet, these are all considered to be some of the best vocal artists of their time.

Could it be that all voices are beautiful, each in their own way, each with their own spot in the choir? Could it be that the beauty of the voice comes not only from the individual, but from finding the right spot in the choir and the right place for them in the music? That’s what seems to make sense to me. We each have a voice of value and our time to sing. Every note together makes the song. Sometimes one voice is highlighted and it draws us in, holds up high in the light. But, were any voice missing it would leave a hole that would mean redesigning the song.

Those are the 5am ponderings for the week. Please share your thoughts in the comments below.