From BREAD ALONE by Judith Hendricks.

“In the movies, when it’s time for The Bad Thing to happen, the music changes.
When the homesteaders have got all the crops in the barn, and they’re having the
harvest hoe-down and everybody’s dancing and having fun, then the menacing
cello tremolo lets you know that the cattle baron’s henchmen are about to show
up and gun down a few innocent bystanders. I’ve always thought it extremely
unfair that real life doesn’t come with that sort of soundtrack. Not that it would
change anything, but advance notice would be nice.”

Well, we know that sophisticated soundtracks don’t always announce what is
coming via foreshadowing music, but it might be nice in real life. Or would it?

At times in my life I wish (and I wish this for my daughters’ lives) that when bad
relationships were about to enter my life, Williams’ JAWS theme would have
clanged in my brain. When I did risky, stupid things that could injure my health,
I wish I’d heard more of Howard’s DYING YOUNG theme. (A underrated
score IMHO that is just gorgeous.) At times I’ve become cynical and jaded,
I wish that Bernstein’s TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD’S main theme would
envelope me as a remembrance of seeing life through the positive, innocent eyes
of childhood.

But in the long run, having advanced notice probably wouldn’t be such a good
idea. Simple pop psychology says: How would we learn from our mistakes
if we made none? If we never take chances, wouldn’t life be mundane
and dull? Can we recognize and appreciate the positive if we never
experience the negative?

Eh, I don’t think I entirely agree with Hendricks. I’ll listen to soundtracks,
but I don’t want them to become my seeing-eye dog. (Well, since I drive
a lot maybe Howard’s INTERSECTION would be nice. )