Jorge Drexler, "Polvo de Estrellas"

If Carl Sagan were also Paul Simon, and if Paul Simon were Uruguayan, he'd be Jorge Drexler.

Drexler shares Simon's light vocal touch, lyrical precision, and playful inquisitiveness. And he has a knack for finding the poetry, immediacy, and sense of human connection in lofty intellectual themes and abstract scientific concepts in a way that would have made Sagan proud. This interplay between the head and the heart runs through all the songs in his wonderful 2004 album Eco -- whether it's "Todo Se Transforma" (which is about a kiss and the history of a relationship, and also about the law of conservation of energy) or "Milonga del Moro Judío" (a passionate antiwar song about our common humanity and the porous boundaries of identity -- more on that below).

(My college Spanish is a little rusty, and I find it useful to have the lyrics and translation in front of me as I listen, in order to appreciate his use of language and imagery. But I think it's also fine to enjoy the music on its own without understanding the words; I love the texture of his folk-pop arrangements overlaid with light electronica, and his unpretentious singing style.)

My favorite song on the album is "Polvo de Estrellas" -- "Stardust." In the liner notes, Drexler quotes the Nicaraguan poet Ernesto Cardenal, who says (my translation) "What's in a star? We ourselves. All the elements that make up our bodies and our planet were in the entrails of a star; we are stardust." It's precisely what Carl Sagan was fond of saying (and what Neil deGrasse Tyson pointed out in yesterday's bonus video). Drexler expresses this beautifully:

And here are the lyrics (click on the verses to see the English translation). I also love how Drexler, like Sagan, asks us to understand this beautiful contradiction: that it is precisely because we are insignificant in the great scale of the universe that we must hold each other valuable beyond measure. We are fragile and fleeting; to paraphrase his lyrics, we're merely a swarm of molecules provisionally put together, delirious animals obsessed with immortality, who ultimately won't leave a trace. And yet: vale una vida lo que un sol vale -- a life is worth what a sun is worth. Toda victoria es nada, toda vida es sagrada -- all victory (in war) is nothing, and all life is sacred. Or as Sagan wrote: "Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious. If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies, you will not find another." Here's hoping the world learns that someday soon. BONUS: If you have a little more time, do watch the TED Talk that Drexler gave a few years ago on poetry, music, and identity (subtitles provided). He talks about the genesis of his song "Milonga del Moro Judío," explores how a poetic form evolved across nations and centuries, and comes to a sublime realization about culture and identity. It's one of the most moving presentations I've seen on the TED stage and I highly recommend it.

Happy Friday and here's to the weekend. ----- Listen to this and previous Songs of the Day here.