Figuring out what I wanna be when I grow up.
Oop..I AM grown up...


Monday, July 19, 2010

Let There Be Music



The very first band I was ever interested in was Queen. I was 9 or 10 I believe--in other words, just before I became so obsessed with Duran Duran that I prayed that Simon Le Bon would wait till I was old enough so that he could marry me. Seriously.

I have always had a passion for music. In our family we've always loved all different kinds of music, and have been familiar with a very eclectic array of artists. When my brother was in grade 9, he liked "Big Band." That didn't seem weird to me, but when I blurted it out to a guy I had a crush on in grade 6 (a guy who wore shirts with "Ozzy" and "Quiet Riot" and "The Doors" on them), he questioned whether or not my brother was a weirdo. If I'm remembering correctly he might have eloquently asked; "is your brother a FAG?" Geez.

When I think of various memories of my youth, many of them are tethered to a song; sitting up in the front seat with my dad because I wanted to go everywhere with him when I was little and hearing "Rhinestone Cowboy," or "Hey, did you happen to see the most beautiful girl in the world." I remember hearing "Shake your Booty" by KC and the Sunshine Band, and feeling horrified yet hysterically amused because I was sure KC was singing; "shake shake shake, shake shake shake, shake your BOOBIE, shake your BOOBIE!" My parents would always put on the same K-Tel Superstars album in the 70's whenever they'd have a party. I would thumb through my parents' records and study the Beatles for ages. I can see me and my 16 year old brother cruising around in the family station wagon, with his stereo plugged into the cigarette lighter blaring out Led Zeppelin. Listening to Enya in my boyfriend's (now my husband) crappy rented room during the university years. Fast forward to me driving to work in suburban hell, pregnant with my son, and every time I play "So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)" by the Everly Brothers, the little baby kicks like mad. If you don't know the song, go HERE and have a listen to this guy sing it. He's great! I just happened to find this while searching for the original on youtube. Couldn't find the original, but what a pleasant surprise this gentleman was. I lurv this song, so I'm a little bit swooning.

After I'd had my daughter Ella, it was winter, and I was trapped inside a lot, with a three year old son. To pass the lonely hours we would of course listen to music. I seriously considered writing a letter to Jim Cuddy to thank him for keeping me from losing my marbles.

One day out for a walk, not many weeks after my Mom died, I had my ipod plugged into my head, and Morrissey's "Every Day is Like Sunday" popped up next on the random shuffle. The Smiths was one of my favourite bands in highschool, because, like so many other teenagers, I so related to the bleak and melodic melancholy that Stephen Morrissey profferred. Great song--really. The ironic thing is, that the song is, well, kind of a downer, but hearing it that day lifted me completely. I hadn't listened to his stuff in a long time, and it was like hanging out with an old friend.

I won't go into my Duran Duran years, because I know a lot of you just might cringe, but I am not ashamed. I loved Simon Le Bon with the kind of passion that only a 13 year old girl has. Damn him! Why couldn't he have waited for me? I don't care that he was nearly 20 years older than I! Waaaa! WAAAAAAA!

Ahem.

Still to this day, when I hear Pink Floyd, I immediately think of my boyfriend and first love, who died when we were both 20 from cancer. I chose the song "On the Turning Away" to be played at his funeral. Give it a listen, people. I'm playing it now Dan, never forgotten, my friend.

Music. I have a binder filled with pages of song lyrics. Do people realize that great poets are also the musicians we listen to, and that these musicians are unwittingly real poets?

I have a stack of cd's that were my Mom's, that I now can't listen to. Geez, if I'm flipping through cd's at a music store, all I have to do is glance at the latest Michael Buble album and feel ineffably sad. If I listen to "The One Who Really Loves You" by Mary Wells, it so speaks to me of my mother. This was just her type of music, and of course, she loved the song too.

The kids love music now too--especially my son. He knows more about the British Invansion bands than I do. In the past three of his six years, he has worked his way through The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, and lately he's really been digging The Hollies--among many others. He also knows many, many classical pieces, and really enjoys listening to THIS so often, I could scream now when I hear it come on the computer.

We have "dance parties" when we're bored, which means that we put the ipod on shuffle, and I dance around like a frenetic idiot while both kids bounce against the back of the couch. Music, music, music, I can't seem to get enough of it.

So, I'm going to end this off with a song that popped up tonight during our dance party, that I have always been nutty for. I really dig the lyrics too, so I'll post them, and you can sit back, wind down, have a listen, and read the lyrics. "Tie yourself to the mast, my friends, and the storm will end."

Good night, y'all.

"One Day" By The Verve



One day maybe we will dance again
Under fiery skies
One day maybe you will love again
Love that never dies


One day maybe you will see the land
Touch skin with sand
You've been swimming in the lonely sea
With no company


Oh, don't you want to find?
Can't you hear this beauty in life?
The roads, the highs, breaking up your mind
Can't you hear this beauty in life?


One day maybe you will cry again
Just like a child
You've gotta tie yourself to the mast my friend
And the storm will end


Oh, don't you want to find?
Can't you hear this beauty in life?
The times, the highs, breaking up your mind
Can't you hear this beauty in life?


Oh, you're too afraid to touch
Too afraid you'll like it too much
The roads, the times, breaking up your mind
Can't you hear this beauty in life?


One day maybe I will dance again
One day maybe I will love again
One day maybe we will dance again
You know you've gotta
Tie yourself to the mast my friend
And the storm will end
One day maybe you will love again
You've gotta tie yourself to the mast my friend
And the storm will end


(lyrics found at www.lyrics007.com )

12 comments:

  1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR22PVLTJqw

    The other day I walked into the thrift store and heard this song. It took me waaaayy back and I was like "I know this song" "It's from a movie"
    The owner of the store comes out and tells me who it was...Rex Smith....ohhhh did that ever bring back memories...I was pretty young when this phenom came out but I remember my sister being mental about him and the movie.

    when I was really little I remember Shawn Cassidy being the craze with Da DO Run Run..

    I liked Duran Duran too....but was absolutley insane for LOVERBOY

    One beat into any of their songs and I crank the radio....to the amazement of my children...they always say how did you know that song after the first beat??? I know baby I know....Good post, music is paramount for a plethora of reasons in anybodies life.

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  2. THE KID IS HOT TONIGHT! WHO-OAH, SO HOT TONIGHT! Loverboy! Now that made me smile. Yes, I'll be we could all think of a zillion memories we have tied in with a song eh? I didn't even mention bad teenage parties with the lights off, listening to "Comfortably Numb," while some of the teens made out, and some cried in a corner. Funny.

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  3. holy smoke--I haven't heard this Rex Smith song in a billion years. I have the slightest, fuzziest memory of it, but if it doesn't just reek of that 70's feeling...

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  4. Oooh that Rex Smith song was on one of my KTel albums. And I have Loverboy's greatest hits in my car. LOL

    My poor kids have to listen to whatever I want. When Ryan was 3 his favorite song was http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPBDMihPRJA and Adam wanted to be Rick Springfield (Jessie's Girl version) for Halloween in the second grade.

    I've got nearly 3000 songs on my MP3 player and it's not enough.

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  5. Rick Springfield for halloween! That's awesome! And yet--who in his class would appreciate it???

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  6. Great song, by way Lisa--very disco. I loves me some disco now, but NO WAY would I listen to it in the 80's.

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  7. karen, your blog is one of the best parts of my day. [that and the kids bedtime] what about makeout music ? depeche mode maybe, there were probably lots of kids conceived to D.M.

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  8. Hey, Karen. Excellent installment! Morrissey. That song always makes me cry. I confess that I have a framed poster of that EP cover in my basement. Still love it. Actually, I never told you this, but when Dan was very, very ill, I was driving home from Brock and 'November Spawned A Monster' came on the radio and the theme of unfairness triggered the floodgates of so much anger and sadness that I had to pull over. Yup - the power of music both to lift you up and to turn you into a puddle. Right now the lyrics of many Switchfoot songs and The Classic Crime songs really floor me. I even have some of the lyrics on my Facebook. If nothing else it proves I have not yet been trapped in music history...

    Finally, thanks for sharing The Verve. Boy, am I strapped to a mast these days. Paula and I love The Verve, also Pulp and Catherine Wheel from that era.

    Keep posting!

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  9. Your comment on my blog made me laugh because danger just seems to urge them on...

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  10. Music evokes so many sensations, memories and feelings. It's intrinsically linked to all that we do, and becomes some sort of appropriated sound track for our lives. Well, that is, unless you are like my crusty Polish grandmother (RIP), who apparently had next to no interest in music. Can you imagine??? She'd have to write a blog (if she were interested) about BINGO. Seriously!

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  11. I love this post - you write such great ones! We listen to QUEEN on the way to school - "Bicycle" is a great post Postopia wake up for us - especially with windows down and three goofballs (that would be us) singing out loud : )

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  12. thanks! I was a huge fan of Queen, before Duran Duran came along that is, har har. When we were kids, a friend's father had the "A Day At The Races" album by queen. The record opened to reveal many naked women riding bicyles. We thought it was scandalous.

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