Sonny's Theme: A Representation of Sonny's Blues Through "Mia and Sebastian's Theme"

Linhchi Nguyen

14 May 2018

ENL 10C

Katherine Anderson

Sonny's Theme

When reading the beautiful and eloquent description of the jazz song at the end of James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues”, I could not help but think about another jazz song that also delivers a similar emotional impact to its listeners. The song, “Mia and Sebastian's Theme” from the movie La La Land is a moving piano composition that starts off from a slow jazzy rhythm, to an uplifting crescendo, and back to the slow tune. The way how the song gradually builds up and takes multiple directions give it a nice representation to the song Sonny and his friends could potentially be playing in the story. While the jazz song in Sonny’s Blues brought a powerful revelation to the narrator about his brother, “Mia and Sebastian's Theme” also produced a moment of revelation in the movie where the main characters learn about the unpredictable twists and turns of life, and how chasing their dreams can lead to unimaginable circumstances.  

First, in order to understand how “Mia and Sebastian's Theme” can represent Sonny’s Blues, we must analyze the emotional effects the song brought to the narrator. The narrator is described to be a very orderly, surface-level character who does not truly understand the deeper meaning of living as a black person in America. He believes that as long as you live your life right, you can escape the dangers that taunt African American people. This is shown through how his character is portrayed as an algebra high school teacher and also through his relationship with others. One of the encounters we see with the narrator is between him and Sonny’s friend. Through their interaction, we can see how the narrator regards him with contempt because rather than having his life together, “he still hung around that block, still spent hours on the street corners, was always high and raggy” (Baldwin 2). Yet, despite the contrast between the friend’s disorderly appearance and the narrator’s structured life, the friend seems to understand more about the social and emotional constraints that haunt Sonny into a depression which the narrator fails to comprehend.

Therefore, when Sonny told the narrator how he wanted to pursue music as a career, the narrator could not possibly understand why Sonny would want to do that. For the narrator, music could not provide a sufficient, stable future that he believed would provide an escape from the “vivid, killing streets of our childhood” (Baldwin 6).  He pleaded to Sonny to stay in school, however, for Sonny, music brings him more freedom than any higher form of education or high-paying job. Through music, Sonny could express himself however he wants including his pain. It was a way for him to express his story, and Baldwin captured this meaning through the description of the song, “[Sonny] really began with the spare, flat statement of the opening phrase of the song. Then he began to make it his...I seemed to hear with what burning he had made it his” (Baldwin 21). Unlike the narrator’s life, the music does not take an orderly form. Rather, it is freely expressed and unpredictable, but the narrator learns that it is okay. He learns to sit down and finally listen to the blues and thus, listen to Sonny’s tale.  

The musical build-up of Sonny’s blues is not only quite similar to the format of “Mia and Sebastian’s Theme”, but it also delivers a similar emotional revelation. The song is first introduced in the movie when the two main characters, Mia and Sebastian, first meet. Mia is touched by the song as it resonates both of their desire to achieve their dreams. The song’s sad beginning depicts the hopelessness they feel in their inability to pursue their goals. However, at this point of the story, the characters yet understand the true sacrifices that they must face in making their dreams into reality. The build-up and the free, jazzy verse of the song imitates the unpredictable adventure of life. They learn how throughout life, opportunities come and go, and you can never know where it will take you. Sometimes, these opportunities can bring great happiness, and other times, it can steer your focus away from your goals. In the end of the story, Mia listens to the song again but now with a complete different understanding. Through this music, the characters come to a powerful revelation that following their dreams would not lead them to the happiness that they have imagined, and this would include their sacrifice of each other.

Thus, “Mia and Sebastian’s Theme” is a great representation of Sonny’s blues in the story. The actual sound of the song brings a similar atmosphere to the Baldwin’s descriptions in the story. Both pieces also bring a powerful effect to their listeners in which they come to a moment of revelation. That is why, when reading the emotions captured in Sonny’s blues, I can not help but imagine the blues of this La La Land classic.

link to song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gk8C7ZxsJCU