There’s this text printers use when they want a graphic mock-up of a page, but don’t want to be distracted by the meaning of the words. It’s called Lorem ipsum. It’s a long stretch of Latin, which very few people understand anymore.

I realized tonight an appeal when listening to songs in a language you don’t understand — “world music” — is much the same. The song itself can wash over you. The melody, the qualities of the instruments and human voices. You don’t know what the song’s about, but that’s the point. You’re there to appreciate the song, with the chrome of meaning stripped off.