Slow down, slow down, easy to say. When everything around us urges us to run. Slow down, when the Canadian Grand Prix week begins in Montreal! The great celebration of speed. Slow down, when, in a few weeks, we will all be absorbed by the Paris Olympic Games where those who run the fastest, those who swim the fastest, those who cycle the fastest, those who row the fastest will be praised. faster, those who canoe the fastest, those who sail the fastest.
Slowing down, slowing down, I agree that it is preferable for our physical and mental health, but how can we do, in this fast-paced world, to put ourselves in a position to slow down? Like we do to get ready to run, by listening to music. You probably have a list of songs that accompanies you when you run: Born to Run by Springsteen, You Better Run by Pat Benatar, Run from OneRepublic, Pump up the Jam from Technotronic, Eye of the Tiger from Survivor…
I offer you a list of songs to accompany you in your new way of life: slowing down.
1. The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)
A Simon and Garfunkel hit. The lyrics are an ode to curbing:
“Slow down, you move too fast
You got to make the morning last
Just kicking down the cobblestones
Looking for fun and feeling groovy
Ba da-da da da da da feeling groovy…”
It goes on to say take time to watch the flowers grow and sleep in.
Extract of The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)by Simon & Garfunkel
2. Run not too hard, run not too far
A song by Luc Plamondon, published in 1976, sung by Renée Claude:
“Run not too hard
Run not too far
You will go straight
Treasure Island is in our hands
Let’s stop there
We lose the north on the paths
Who leads us to what…”
All current slowdown thinking is described by the visionary lyricist of Starmania.
Extract of Run not too hard, run not too farby Renée Claude
3. Slow
One of the last songs of the great Leonard Cohen, a fan of slowness:
“I’m slowing down the tune
I’ve never liked it fast
You wanna get there soon
I wanna get there last
It’s not because I’m old
It’s not the life I led
I always liked it slow
That’s what my mamma said…”
Leonard didn’t like it when things went fast, and it wasn’t because he was getting old, he had always been like that.
Extract of Slowby Leonard Cohen
4. The time to live
A classic by Georges Moustaki. Surely one of the least hurried artists of his time. He became famous late in life, and he was very happy about it. THE hippie original:
“We will take the time to live
To be free, my love
Without plans and without habits
We will be able to dream our life”
Without plans and without habits, no, but was it necessary to go against the grain? Against the current in rapids, to reach calm waters.
Extract of The time to liveby Georges Moustaki
5. The rest of the time
Francis Cabrel is a singer whose personality rhymes much more with contemplative than with hyperactive:
“While the world chatters
Nothing important
We could sleep under the trees
The rest of the time. »
Extract of The rest of the timeby Francis Cabrel
6. Today maybe
The national anthem of lazy people popularized by Michel Sardou’s father, Fernand Sardou:
“In front of my house, there is a terrible pine
Whose big branch could well fall
For my poor roof, what a great target
I’m going to cut this branch off…
Today maybe, or maybe tomorrow
This damn sun makes me feel lazy
I’ll cut it… t: the day after tomorrow
And if I can’t cut it myself
I will ask my friend Tonin
Who will cut it as well himself
It’s not that we’re lazy around here
But it’s so hot in our South…”
You will tell me that the practice of slowing down has nothing to do with laziness, true, but one does not prevent the other, on the contrary.
Extract of Today maybeby Fernand Sardou
To complete your list of songs to slow down, here are some titles, in bulk: To slow down by Maryse Ringuette, Silence and slowness by Juste Robert, Slowly by Marc Lavoine and Yasmine Lavoine, Slow Down the Beatles, A certain rebellious slowness by Charlélie Couture, To slow down of Angelina, I take the time to live by Sacha Distel, The slow hours by Thomas Hellman, Slowly by Blossom Dearie and Unplug by France Gall. With this, you should be good at deprogramming yourself from the hectic pace of our lives.
I was going to conclude by saying hurry up and slow down, but I’m not sure that’s the appropriate slogan.
Slow down and take your time.
Have a nice long Sunday!