The other evening, two other classmates and I were walking into the main square in town to go shopping. While browsing through the clothes, I noticed the music that was playing in the woman’s clothing shop was American music with songs by artists such as Chris Brown and The Game emanating from the sound system. I was so surprised to hear U.S. music playing, with cuss words and all, because the town of Urbino looks so ancient and wholesome, with some buildings having crumbled brick walls and a landscape backdrop that dates back to a scene out of The Sound of Music. You can imagine Julie Andrews singing, “The Hills are Alive” on the beautiful mountains, but instead Hip-Hop and R&B surround me as I shop.
Another instance of being surrounded by American music was when we went to a local bar to meet our Italian interpreters. We had the chance to mingle and get to know one another, drink sangria, and eat appetizers. When the dancing music started, the DJ played a variety of songs, but one moment in particular that stood out to me was when Michael Jackson’s, “Billy Jean” came on. Everyone knew the words and were singing the lyrics by heart, both the Americans and the Italians. In that moment, I realized the worldwide influence of not only Michael Jackson, but of the music created and played in the United States.
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A rich moment of recognition of universal appreciation–”knowing the words,” “singing the lyrics by heart”. Though unstated, it is clearly implied that you were not alone in your feeling of connectedness across any kind of cultural divide.