Why Do You Sing?

We all sing. And some of us regret it. Such as those who are victims of "karaoke rage." (As reported by Slate: Karaoke Rage: When Innocent Singing Turns Violent.) But karaoke aside, I am willing to put virtual money down that if you are reading this, you like to sing. Maybe not with an audience, maybe not even beyond your shower/car/imagination -- but still you are drawn to singing.

We are possibly not the only species who has the urge to sing -- some believe that mice "construct complex songs." And of course we all know singing is for the birds.

Why humans feel such an urge to sing continues to be hashed out by science and evolutionary theorists though, as nicely outlined in a recent Economist piece (Why Music?)

But why do you sing? Where do you sing? And what do you sing? Several questions for you, should you feel like taking a minute or two to comment.

Here are mine:

Why: Various reasons. (For fun, so I don't make a fool of myself at choir practices for not having learned the music, to avoid sitting down and getting to work.) But after giving it some thought I realized the unifying factor is this: I sing to move beyond ordinary daily life, to shift into some other kind of mood or mental space. Sometimes that means singing alone, sometimes with other people. But the underlying motivation is always to transcend the ordinary, daily life moment.

Where: The aforementioned choir, and living room, the shower (acoustics and all that humidity). But one of my favourite places to sing is outside, walking around. Usually in sparsely populated places, but sometimes I forget myself. (Sorry, neighbours.)

What: Jazz standards, because they transport to another time & place, one in black and white when women were dames. Plus, fantastic melodies, great lyrics. Choir music, (classic choral rep) for reasons already cited. Folk songs, for comfort.

And you?