The 7th song.

As an encore post (not that anyone asked!) for My World In Six Songs, my series of posts inspired and informed by Daniel Levitin’s book The World In Six Songs, which posits that music played a key role in human evolution, I bring you the Seventh Song.

For me the Seventh Song is simply a musical experience that combines any number of the six song types Levitin writes about: friendship, joy, comfort, knowledge, religion and love. Truth be told, no song could ever be only one of Levitin’s six; I think every song is a combination, but with a lead theme, so with the Seventh Song all I’m doing is recognizing this fact.

I’ve had a gazillion “Seventh Song” moments in my life, but the most recent was Saturday night. Catherine and I were in Monterey over the weekend visiting her brother and his steady, Morgan, and for dinner Saturday we decided to go to Dametra Café, an Italian/Greek restaurant in downtown Carmel. About midway through our meal, the maitre di and the head chef (I think) serenaded diners with a performance of Besame Mucho (see photo!). The chef sang and the maitre di played an oud, and the dinning room was bathed friendship, joy, comfort and love. Maybe knowledge, too, although I can’t be sure since the song was sung in Spanish.

What a grand moment. Food, friends and song. And if there is no such thing as a Seventh Song then let’s just say I experienced seventh heaven.