Ready for a two-fer TunesDay? Today I have two songs that deal with the same issue – our approach to the world and, therefore, how we’re likely to approach business as well. The first is from The Kinks, who are probably better known for Van Halen‘s interpretation of one of their songs (You Really Got Me) then they are for creating some of the most innovative music of the late 60’s and the 70’s and 80’s. The second one is from The Boss, mostly because it hits on the same theme, I love his music, and its my screed!
First The Kinks:
If you’re ever feeling a little down, this might just be the uplift you need. I don’t know of a more positive song. The core of it is contained in these lines:
Be an optimist instead,
And somehow happiness will find you.
Forget what happened yesterday,
I know that better things are on the way.
And that’s really the business point as well. Unsuccessful people tend to look externally, in my opinion. The market is bad, a competitor cut prices, a key employee just left, what can we do? There are always things out of one’s control that are the root of the problems the business is having. As the song points out, a positive attitude lets happiness – which in business is often measured by success – find you.
The Boss weighs in:
What’s so interesting about this song – one of Bruce‘s most positive – is that it was written when his life was kind of confused. He had dissolved the E Street Band and left New Jersey to live in California. He had gotten divorced and had changed the style of his music and none of this was well-received by his legion of fans (me among them!). In the midst of that time, this:
These are better days baby
These are better days it’s true
These are better days
There’s better days shining through
Maybe it’s a lost soul trying to convince himself that everything is fine or maybe it’s a man who faces each day sounding a positive note on whatever may come. It’s the same point Ray Davies is making in our first song – being an optimist at heart leads one further along in life and in business because, as Bruce puts it “it’s a sad man my friend who’s livin’ in his own skin/And can’t stand the company.”
Make sense? Oh – extra credit: In September 2010, Ray Davies released “See My Friends”, an album of reworked classic Kinks songs, which contains a duet of ‘Better Things’ with Bruce Springsteen. The streams converge!
Consult Keith 