Listen to MLK Today

“What are you listening to?”

That’s a question I often get at gatherings, whether I’m meeting a friend 1-1 or attending a convention. I’ll usually rattle off some musical artists who are exciting me, then start scrolling through my Favorites list – 1,000+ tracks strong — on my phone. I can never get to them all.

But this morning, as it is on every Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the answer is uncomplicated: I’m listening to MLK.

Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day by listening in.

I don’t mean I’m just hearing his voice, although there’s a motivational thrill in that experience alone. The mere sound of MLK in his famous speeches is enough to energize, layered with his unique intellect, rhythm, rhyme, and focused fearlessness in speaking truth to power. And don’t overlook the sound of the crowd reaction, a confirming murmur – and then a roar – which levels up the messenger and message even more.

I’m listening to something bigger in MLK. In these historic recordings, we get to connect with someone who took every kind of chance. He challenged himself and others to live with “a dangerous unselfishness” in his famed, last-ever “Mountaintop” speech delivered at the Mason Temple in Memphis TN, one day before he was tragically assassinated.

Am I living that way, in whole, or in part? If not yet, what can make us ready to follow an impassioned person down a selfless path?

I know one way: listen to more MLK. I’m grateful to the audio engineers that faithfully recorded the sound of his voice so the world could be inspired by what Martin Luther King Jr. said. These recordings led directly to change, as well as to other recordings, like U2’s moving tribute to MLK with their classic track “Pride (In the Name of Love)” – the story of how that song was made in the studio is one of our favorites ever in SonicScoop, you can find it here.

Does this unforgettable man inspire you to be an agent of change, and perhaps make your own deeply inspirational art? Whatever the takeaway, don’t treat this MLK Day as a day off – this is a day on: Get on top of what matters most to you today. Keep listening to what makes you great.

— David Weiss is an Editor for SonicScoop.com, and has been covering pro audio developments for over 20 years. He is also the co-author of the music industry’s leading textbook on synch licensing, “Music Supervision, 2^nd Edition: The Complete Guide to Selecting Music for Movies, TV, Games & New Media.” Email: david@sonicscoop.com

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