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.
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Listen to this and previous Songs of the Day here.