On the Dunes and Ocean Blue

I like the beach. Not in an ordinary, casual way. I really like the beach. And the strange thing about it is I can't really explain why, or at least there is no explanation that holds true all the time. Hundreds of books, poems and songs have addressed the subject. Part of the reason it's indefinable is because it not only means different things to different people, it also means different things to the same people at different times.

For me, sometimes it means solitude.  If you can find it. But it can also mean sharing the time and space with people enjoying the sun, surfers challenging the waves, fisherman casting and reeling, and kids building sand castles. And that's not even mentioning the animal life, both in the water and on the beach.

If you sit long enough, terns will strut near you searching for food, tiny crabs come out of their holes and battle over territory, and, occasionally, a buzzard will roost nearby in the hope that your prolonged stillness is an indication of your imminent demise.

I recently had a staring contest with a seagull. He stood for quite some time about half way between me and the rest of his flock. I don't know if he was suspicious, curious, or just on routine sentry duty. I finally took his picture. Couldn't tell if he smiled. Eventually he wandered off. I'm probably more interesting than the average human, but not interesting enough to hold his attention for too long.

People just seem happier and healthier when they're near the ocean, or in it. Life seems to slow down. Attitudes seem to improve. It's something many people notice, but can't seem to explain. If you've often felt different when you're near the ocean, it's not your imagination or wishful thinking. There is actually some science behind it. The breaking waves produce negative ions that are good for you in many ways. One source I found explains it this way:

The force or energy of the falling or splashing water causes splitting of neutral particles of air, freeing electrons which attach to other molecules causing a negative charge.

Negative ions enhance our mood, stimulate our senses, improve appetite and sexual drive, provide relief from hay fever, sinusitis and bronchial asthma, allergies, migraines, even post-operative pain and burns.

And you thought it was just the babes in bikinis...

Negative ions also stimulate our brain, our immune system, and the ability of our red blood cells to absorb oxygen. If laughter is the best medicine, the ocean is clearly a close second.

For me, there are musical associations with the ocean. The combination of music and negative ions can be very powerful. Probably the band most obviously associated (at least in their early days) with the beach was the Beach Boys. I think reggae has an ocean association - or at least an "island" association, which is almost the same thing. You wouldn't normally think of jazz-pop or aging new wave rock as styles of music that make you yearn for the sea, but I have a couple of songs in those genres that I often like to hear when the beach is my destination.

One of them is actually quite melancholy. It's a break-up song, and the writer naturally connects the scene with the unfortunate circumstance, and yet he is drawn back again and again. It's from the 1983 album "Kamakiriad" by Donald Fagen who was part of the Steely Dan duo, and a master of the jazz-pop genre. It's called "On the Dunes."

 


My favorite lines:

As you spoke, you must have known
It was a kind of homicide
I stood and watched my happiness
Drift outwards with the tide
On the dunes
On the dunes

You can never go wrong with this song. It's called "Ocean Blue," from the 1998 album "Elemental" by the Fixx, a band that was part of the English new wave invasion in the 80's. Cy Curnin is one of my favorite singers - a great voice, powerful and soothing at the same time, very much like the ocean itself. This song has a simple but infectious bass line, and a relaxing melody. The message is exactly what you think it might be; the awesomeness of the ocean.

My favorite lines:

Mother of creation, temple of the womb
Take me in your waters darling, I am coming home
Ocean blue, senses and soul renew
Ocean blue, forgive all the wrong I do



 So, are you ready to hit the beach yet?