I may be just a foolish dreamer… but I don’t care. – The Story Behind “Zoom”

The Story Behind “Zoom”

Without a doubt, one of my favorite all-time top 10 songs has always been the tune by the Commodores called, “Zoom”. From the moment it is on, there is a distinctive hi-hats/rim shot combination blended with a bass drum drive and conga rudiments that basically sets the tone and mood for the rest of the entire song. But once the lyrics begin to set in, it’s on. What was already vibe zoning groove catapults with some of the most powerful and deep lyrics that I have ever come to hear.

As with many songs, we tend to take the lyrics and apply them to our own personal meaning and interpretations.. That is why many of them become so special to us, and therefore become timeless as well. Such is the case with this song to me. But knowing the meaning and interpretations that the writers of the songs perceive can give it that extra oomph in our own personal meaning.

That is what is so powerful about the book Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Story Behind the Song. It is a compilation of one hundred and one stories where artists and writers detail interesting information and their emotional attachments to some of our favorite songs. And one of the stories in this book is where Commodores bass guitarist and trumpeter Ronald LaPread explains the sad and poignant tale that inspired “Zoom”.