If there’s a list of the top (some number) of albums recorded in the (20th Century/History of the World), there’s a strong chance that Pet Sounds is in the top five. Scratch that, I’d say there’s a strong chance that it’s in the top two. And there’s a good reason for that. Pet Sounds, which was released in 1966, is probably the most spiritual, love filled album. I’m not talking about spirituality in regards to religion, but just that overall feeling that there is some kind of grand force out there and that if you chose to recognize it, you can have some positivity in your life.
What did I get from Pet Sounds? The main thing I learned was that no matter what I’m, doing, ALWAYS PUT MY HEART INTO IT because love and happiness always shine through.
It’s hard pointing out one moment on Pet Sounds that sums it up, but I’ll go with “God Only Knows”. Never before have I heard a piece of music that so eloquently weaves music, production, lyrics, and feeling into 2 minutes and 51 seconds. It always seem to manage to fill my soul up with warmth and love.
Pet Sounds and specifically “God Only Knows” have taught me just how important it is to put my heart into anything that I do. On the most basic level, that means saying hello to as many of the patrons that I come into contact with on a daily basis. It means being kind to other library employees and understanding their roles in the library system and respecting that, yes, they are also very busy and have things to accomplish. On a more in depth level, it means that as a teen librarian, I have a duty to be there for my teen patrons. I have to open my heart to them and listen to their stories, their problems, their excitements, and their adventures. I have to be a listener with an open mind and an open heart. It helps with the socialization that most teens are going through. It will teach them that, unlike the stereotype suggests, all adults are not mean and selfish.
It is my hope that by putting my heart into everything that I do that I can hopefully put a smile on someone’s face and maybe, just maybe, have a positive impact on their life.
Filed under: Libraries, Music, The Beach Boys and Libraries
