Dave of The Dave Matthews Band :: Music Musical Matthews Essays

Dave of The Dave Matthews Band Death and destruction sells in this day in age. As Santana so correctly put it, â€Å"It seems that I thrive on the dark side of things/ I always feel alive when the death bell rings/ now you come and you bring out the tears in me† As a culture, Americans have a tendency to enjoy something that gets their blood boiling, something that makes them want to just let it all go and scream as apposed to something that makes them feel all warm and bubbly inside. There are however, those bands out there that do manage to keep their fan base interested with love songs that are reminiscent of the sixties â€Å"flower children.† One of the greatest is the Dave Matthews Band. In order to understand Dave and his band, one has to understand Dave’s history. Dave was born in South Africa. Through out his childhood, he moved in and out of the states. Eventually, after his farther died in New York in the 80’s, Dave and his family decided to move back to South Africa. This is when, due to the hatred that engulfs this particular region of our â€Å"peaceful† world, his sister was murdered. One can safely assume that Dave took it upon himself to spread a loving message through his music. Love of ones neighbor is his common theme. Two of the more powerful songs that show this over all image of love are â€Å"The Best of What’s Around† and â€Å"Jimmi Thing.† â€Å"Hey my friend, it seems your eyes are troubled, care to share, your time with me?† Do you care to let me share some of your burdens? â€Å"The Best of What’s Around† is a song that puts the listener into the shoes of one of Dave’s friends. In the song, Dave is found comforting that friend through hard times. There are many forms of love in this world, one being, the love of thy neighbor. In â€Å"The Best of What’s Around† Dave is abiding by the golden rule, â€Å"Love thy neighbor as thyself.† Treat your friends with the same respect that you expect to receive. Its human nature to share loads. When someone sees that their friend is in a bad state, there is a natural urge for that person to try to help their friend out.