What Westlife is Doing to Your Beliefs

I didn’t realize this at first, but Westlife is more than just entertaining me.

Westlife was a popular Irish boy band who disbanded in 2012 after 14 years of music. And most of their great songs are love stories.

That is the problem. I love Westlife. But I can’t help but wonder what their music is doing to me.

I have my own ideas about love and relationships. And Westlife is changing my perception. When it comes to love, a lot of musicians sing of perfect, flawless love. I picked Westlife because their words are so simple.

There’s an angel standing next to me, reaching for my heart

Ah! Young love! Nothing like that, huh? See what I mean? Westlife makes you yearn, they make your heart ache and change your beliefs.

What happens when someone who doesn’t believe in love, perfect or not, listens to these songs? Imagine the conflict!

We know perfection isn’t true. No one loves as truly as these songs claim. Perhaps a few exceptions, but in the real world, we know it’s all fiction.

But you can’t help fantasizing. Because? It makes you feel good. And we humans do have this annoying tendency to gravitate towards what makes us miserable. That’s the way we work. It’s what makes us tick.

Not to mention all the wasted time. And the worst thing is, you can’t just forget these songs. “I don’t wanna forget you, I don’t even wanna try” They are too good.

That’s what I mean.

There’s no one like you, to speak to my heart

Now you see.

#CLT “Us against the world.” What can you say? I can’t help it.

The Man

For the past few weeks, I’ve been reading Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The original play in full. And it’s given me moments of solitary pleasure and bliss like none other.

A long time ago, I read a simplified version of the play, and I thought it was just too cinematical. It felt like watching an old movie with a plot that’s been beaten to boredom.

But when I read the play now, I realize how wrong I had been. The story isn’t new, yes, except that everything about it feels new. Shakespeare’s use of words, his insults, his puns and vivid descriptions make Hamlet such an interesting read.

And no one makes imaginary characters utter advice and words of wisdom like Shakespeare does. I’ve found a new respect towards the man. He’s The Man.

And here’s a little titbit.

“Conceit in weakest bodies strongest works”

Pure genius, huh? I know!

Shakespeare, the Marketeer

For a long time, people have believed that writing and marketing are two different entities.

Marketing is the art of selling stuff to people. And writing — well writing is just bleeding.

But we’ve also seen great writers shine as great marketeers too. And who else should I point out than the beloved Shakespeare himself? (or herself?!)

We know Shakespeare was a good writer. We also know — but don’t accept it — that he was one of the greatest marketeers in history.

I’m not exaggerating.

People have said for ages that good content sells itself. But people have said that for ages without realizing what it meant.

Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets became successful because they were good. But good as in, not with perfect grammar and flawless sentence structure. Shakespeare didn’t care for grammar rules; he took the license and brandished it with such fierceness in the face of the literary world. He violated every rule in the grammar book. He wrote dialogues in poetry, and invented words to suit his personal situations.

He played with spelling, he altered rules, he teased restrictions — but his works were good. And the state approved of them.

So how did Shakespeare manage to sell his “faulty” works to such a well-educated state — to what we now call the golden age of Literature?

Shakespeare cared naught for the templates. It didn’t matter what the rule book said, because he didn’t write for the rule book.

Shakespeare wrote for the people.

He wrote for the poor people, for the uneducated, for the drunk, for the sober, for men drunk with love and for the women behind tapestries.

And he wrote about people. He wrote about envious kings, doubtful husbands, about runaway lovers, of boy kings and tomboys.

Shakespeare wrote for the people.

His works spoke about being human. He created vulnerable stories, he spoke about the things that are in our minds all day. He spoke about sex, about money, about greed and passion. He spoke to our souls, to our inner most feelings. His words resonated with us, and we related to them.

And that’s why Shakespeare sparks excitement in us. And that’s why, even centuries later, you have to spend more than a handful to get your hands on Shakespeare’s works. If that doesn’t make him one of the greatest marketeers in history, I don’t know what does.