Music to my ears...
One of my favorite things is experiencing the nostalgia related to a specific song. Don't you love when you're flipping through the radio stations in your car, and you come across that tune that reminds you of a very distinct memory? I have SO many songs that do this for me - dating WAY back to elementary school days. Since I've been on sabbatical from the blog, I've been looking for divine inspiration on a topic. This is it - you're about to get a tour through my memories, courtesy of my itunes library...
1. "I'm So Excited" by the Pointer Sisters. When I was around 10 or 11, I remember jamming out to this 80s classic with my brother. My dad had the album, and would listen to the track while working around the house, washing the cars, mowing the lawn, etc. We literally knew all the words to the chorus - but nothing else. I still don't know to this day what they were so excited about. He also had a old Whitney Houston CD where she was wearing a peach drape-y tube top on the cover - who knew Dad was so into the ladies of the 80s?
2. "We didn't start the FIre" by Billy Joel. Another great 80s classic that we didn't know the words to - and still don't. I love Billy, and he totally reminds me of my Dad. It seemed like from the ages of 8 through 16, anywhere we went in the car with Dad involved Billy Joel - and this song was by far the coolest. I actually saw Billy Joel in concert with my Dad a couple of years ago, and this was the most anticipated part of the concert. I even used my camera to record a portion of the song to send to my brother. Long live the Piano Man!
3. "Amazing Grace" from the Maverick soundtrack. No matter what arrangement I hear, I think of the version from "Maverick" involving 1 million country singers. This was my first real exposure to Reba - and I developed a love for her twang that remains to this day. This version is peppy and fun, and way more energetic that the hymn renditions at church. If we sang it this way at church, there would definitely be dancing in the aisles :)
4. "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" by the Crash Test Dummies. What in the world is with this song? It is one of the weirdest of all time, but we LOVED it in 7th grade. All of my friends and I became familiar with it while riding the bus home from school, and even made up our own rendition that included a verse about our bus driver. Natalie, Erin, Brooke, Jeanne and Sarah - this one's for you...we were such dorks :)
5. "Scream" by Michael Jackson. This was on the first CD I bought, "History". I remember being in 7th or 8th grade, and being picked up at the mall by my Mom after "hanging out" there with friends. Remember when it was cool to hang out at the mall? I was so excited to have a CD, and I went straight home and plugged in my boom box in the living room to make the whole family listen. I also remember this as the moment when my Dad proclaimed his disgust for the craz-o that we call Michael Jackson. My Dad has always been a good judge of character...
6. "Because You Loved Me" by Celine Dion. I remember falling in love with this song after seeing "Up Close and Personal." My best friend Holly and I were OBSESSED with this song, and we used to fall asleep to this song on repeat, when she would sleep over at my house. We must have listened to it 712 times - and I will have the lyrics taking up space in my brain for time and all eternity.
7. "Genie in a Bottle" by Christina Aguilera. This was the moment in life when I realized my drum-playing brother has more rhythm than me. The very last phrase of this song has a weird-o beat, and every time I try to sing along, I royally screw it up and send him into a fit of hysteria. Come come come on and let me out....I know I can't sing it right, yet I try every time. Why do I insist on throwing myself under the bus?
8. "No Digity" by Blackstreet. I loved High School :) Some people can't wait to get out, but I wish I could have stayed in High School forever. One night after cheering at a Clearfield vs. Layton basketball game, my best friends Erin, Brooke and I were driving home in Erin's little teal Ford Aspire, with the windows rolled down, and this song BLARING. I remember sitting at the stop light in front of Hill Air Force Base singing a long, while all the other cars around us looked at us like we were crazy, silly high school girls. We were, and it was awesome :)
9. "Everywhere" by Tim McGraw. This one involves a boy. When I was in college, I was totally smitten with a boy who loved horses. I didn't know much about them, and one day he took me riding. It was the perfect, sunny, spring day, and I had tons of fun. After a good hour long gallup, we got in his pick-up truck to grab some ice cream on the way home. This song came on the radio, and we both were belting it out at the top of our lungs. Still brings a smile to my face to this day :) Boys and country music just go together don't they?
10. "Ain't Going Down till the Sun Comes Up" by Garth Brooks. My Senior year at Utah State I had a roommate named Paige. She and I just "clicked," and got along great, as if we'd known each other forever! One afternoon, she and I went to the movies, and on the way home, this song came on the radio and Paige knew all the lyrics. I was impressed with her mad-skills, and promptly made her teach me every word. Random waste of time you say?? Not at all - when it comes on the radio now and I can sing along, I get to be the one that impresses others with my mad skills :)
11. "The Heart of Rock and Roll" by Huey Lewis and the News. Road trip! A few summers ago I flew to Atlanta to visit Valerie, and we went on a Road Trip to Saint Simons Island on the Georgia Coast. For some reason, Valerie was hooked on Huey back then, and got me hooked too. This was the trip where I got the worst sunburn of my life, and Valerie and I ran over a GIANT snake on the way home. A few bad memories in there - but what road trip doesn't have a few? Overall, they were great memories, and I promptly stole my Dad's Huey Lewis album when I got home!
12. "Shut Up" by the Black Eyed Peas. In 2003 I moved to Montana for my job, and didn't know a soul. After a year of misery living by myself, I moved into an apartment with a girl I had met through church, Hayley, and her best friend Jamie. As most of us do when we're 22 and just getting started in the "real world," we can't quite let go of that crazy high school/college aged free-spirit inside of us. These 2 girls were SO fun to live with, and we had some super fun times! Many of which involved the Black Eyed Peas and their ridiculous lyrics that are really fun to sing along to! Silly girls....I miss you guys!
13. "Irreplaceable" by Sugarland! Two years ago, Sarah and I went to the Kenny Chesney concert at Qwest field, the football stadium here in Seattle. I had just met Sarah a few months earlier, and was pumped that I finally had met someone in Seattle that liked country music! Finally - a concert buddy! Sugarland opened for Kenny, and sang a cover of Beyonce's "Irreplaceable." That prominent phrase "to the left, to the left" will forever be imbedded in my mind with a fantastic Jennifer Nettles twang. That was the moment I fell in love with Sugarland, and Beyonce's version moved to the back burner. We're going to see them again in 3 months, and I can hardly wait to see what cover they'll do this time!
And the list goes on and on....there are so many more great memories, probably many with those of you that are reading my blog right now! Thanks for taking a trip down memory lane with me. So, what songs do you love, and what memories do they bring to mind? Feel free to share in my "comments" section...can't wait to read!
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5 comments:
You are amazing!! I can't even remember what I heard on the radio this morning--much less from junior high. :)
Thanks for dragging my name through the Point Sisters and making me more gay than normal...
I can't believe you didn't mention JFK Blown away...
I think you need a few more of the "I'm a high school girl songs..." and...
You're forgetting classics like Everclear Father of Mine, Riding in the Jeep with Michael Jackson playing black or white, (Genie in a bottle was awesome), and good old Gloria Estefan to add to the list of dad's 80's ladies. Awesome times. Go Lindsay.
Great music of our jr/high/college careers, let's discuss.
1. Tim McGraw "Something Like That." Pretty much on repeat during our freshman year at USU.
2. Faith Hill, "Breathe." I remember watching the music video together in Snow Hall asking "How did she get her hair like that?" Oh, the power of extensions. What little we knew back then.
3. 98 Degrees "I Do." There was a heated debate between Erin Adams and pretty much everyone else about the lyrics in this song. No, they are not "Your Hairbrush is Mine." However, we are not all perfect*
*Please refer to Brooke and Sarah's insistence that Steve Winwood was requesting we "bake him a pie of love, oh oh."
Memories :)
-- Sarah
Hi!!
I love your blog so much. I just got into this blogging thing and started my own last week about music as well. Your posts are very witty. Since you seem to be an experienced blogger check out mine and see if you could give me some tips, if not it's cool I know we are all very busy. Look forward to hearing from you!
http://musiktoomyears.blogspot.com/
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