Dreams Don't Turn to Dust // Why I Love Owl City

  "I made for the countryside,
And my eyes never grew so wide,
Apple, raspberry, river blue,
I don't wanna leave without you" 

~ Dreams Don't Turn to Dust by Owl City

I've always loved fireflies. I remember sitting outside at dusk and watching ours and our neighbors yard fill up with them. I used to imagine a nymph with long curly hair dancing among them in a full skirt of some gorgeous color  - and I'm pretty sure I tried to do a scene like this at least twice in the many books I wrote - but then, I just generally love nature.

The trees, the sun, the moon, the stars, the birds, the grass, the wind, the rivers and lakes - it's all so inspiring and thrilling to me.

At the Tender age of eighteen I've seen enough people get so caught up in work and all the little details and stresses of life to realize that I don't ever want to do that. I make a conscious effort not to. No matter how many hardships I go through I want to be able to marvel at the wonder and beauty of the world. I see life as a great adventure - full of wonders to marvel at if only one pays attention - but it seems the older people get the more they forget this.

When the burdens of life come people fall. They forget the little beauties and joys of life and become slaves to the work of it. I've seen it happen more than once before, and it's one of the saddest things I've ever seen. The worst of it, though, is that the older I get the more I see it. Friends who used to be ready to set out to do whatever they dream come crashing down and settle for the dull "reality" of "life."

It's rare, now, for me to find people that see the world as I do. Most of my friends have seen too much of the pain, or been knocked down too much to see the beauty and adventure in the world that I do. I long to find someone who looks at the simple beauties of this world with the same awed expression that I do. And I don't mean beauties like the Grand Canyon, Rocky Mountains, or Great Lakes - but everyday beauties like a ray of sun peeking through the leaves of a tree, the tall grass bowing to the wind, or the feel of a hot summer day.

The only person I've ever heard of that I feel might just see the world the say I do is Adam Young of Owl City (come on, you knew that was coming, didn't you?). While most mainstream musicians are writing about passionate love and horrible breakups, he draws inspiration from nature (Fireflies, Dreams Don't Turn to Dust), playing pretend as a child (Hot Air Balloon), and visits to the dentist (Dental Care). When he does write about love it's a sweet tune of "I love you and enjoy spending time with you" (Sunburn, Bird and the Worm, If My Heart was a House).

"Like a kite in the bright midday, / Wonder stole my breath away, / Shy sonata for Mercury, / The stars always sing so pretty. / This picnic will soon depart, / Real life, I'm sad to see you go, / I'll miss you with all my heart, / But I'd rather be alone. / 'Cause I couldn't live without, / The sunsets that dazzle in the dusk, / So I'll drag the anchor up, / And rest assured, 'cause dreams don't turn to dust! / Dreams don't turn to dust"

No one's ever said as much to me before, but I know that there's a great many people that think I'm too optimistic - that I don't really understand how hard and terrible the world is. It's rather discouraging at time, to be honest. But when I listen to songs like this, I feel that I'm not alone in my beliefs. That there is at least one other person out there that sees the world in the same light that I do. And that is very encouraging. It's also why I love Owl City so, so much. ♥

"If by chance you ever feel as though you've come to know these songs or empathize with the emotions therein, please consider yourself a friend of mine because in a manner of speaking, you know me. As the saying goes, one can truly glimpse the artist through his/her art, and that expression certainly proves faithful in my case. This music is my heart and soul. This is who I am."

~ Adam Young about Sky Sailing's album, An Airplane Carried Me to Bed 

Photo Credits:  
1: Unknown   
2. Unknown  
3. Lissy Elle