The Song That Cast the Spell

Standing under stage lights designed to set a mood of wonder and madness. Silent and still, haunting music fills the air. The group surrounds the girl with flowing hair. Her arms move through the air like weaving a ribbon of magic. One by one, she taps a shoulder, and we gracefully fall to the floor like petals falling from a flower. She continues her dance until every petal falls. Lying on the cool floor, I find myself wrapped within the enthralling song emerging from the speakers. It was tech week for our drama production of “Asylum”, and it was the first time we were rehearsing with the music track.

Who is this? What is this song? I thought as my eyes opened to see the rafters above me. I had never heard anything like this song before. The beauty of the song brought raw passion and wonder to what was already a strange scene. The music had transformed the scene into something otherworldly. Then the song deepened as it transitioned into a spoken poem. Breathe deep, the gathering gloom… Watch lights fade from every room”. The mood falling further into the abyss.  I remember thinking the song was written specifically for the scene. “But we decide which is right and which is an illusion.” Then the song ends with a gong. What a fantastic piece of music. Every musical choice is carefully crafted to embody the haunting psychological chaos and fragility of the mind. “We decide what is right, and what (check accuracy) is illusion”.

At the conclusion of rehearsal, I learned the song was “Nights in White Satin” by the Moody Blues. Of course, I went home and immediately went looking for it in my parents’ music collection. The Moody Blues were different, wild, and strange. I loved it.  Every time I hear Nights in White Satin, I am lying on that stage floor during play rehearsal, in awe. I carry with me the memory of how I felt in that moment, inside a bizarre play, surrounded by the majestic beauty of this haunting song. Nights in White Satin is probably one of the most haunting songs I have experienced, especially as a teenager. 

The right song in the right moment can touch your very core and redefine who you are in that moment. The right song can bring questions to the surface and help you find the answers that have been waiting to be unlocked.  When a song evokes goosebumps, tears, and overwhelming emotion, pause to listen, feel it deeply, and cherish the memory. There is something there for you if you are willing to listen. The magic of the universe. Messages to your spirit, carried within the melodies.”

Now, every time Nights in White Satin plays, I’m back in that theater — haunted and held. It reminds me that the right song, in the right moment, can reach into your bones and ask—what are you ready to see? If it gives you goosebumps, tears, or quiet breath, listen closely—it may have something to show you.