Free Form Friday - Its Always About the Music

I don't think that there is a moment of my life that isn't associated to MUSIC. According to Family members I was greatly attached to the theme song from Romper Room - "oh come with us and gallop and gallop and gallop...oh come with us and gallop to Romper Room today....oh so sad really. My entire family sang this song to me while driving up and down the eastern seaboard until something snapped inside my Dads head. Nobody ever sang that song to me again.

You should also know that I was very confused as a child. In Romper Room they had a Good DoBee. There was also a band called "The Doobie Brothers." In my family you do not call the female body part by its Medical Name rather insert the word Doobie instead. Embarrassing at best as your three year old brain trys to wrap itself around the fact why ANYBODY would publicly announce them selves as "The Vajayjay Brothers"

However - There are two songs that remind me of living down south. Driving around in a yellow Vega or Yellow Malibu [I'm not the one for car talk] 1. Oh Black Water - By the Doobie Brothers. 2. Saturday in The Park - Chicago. 

My brother Thom use to have his own radio station. Well it was a mock radio station called WTOM and he would record himself on cassette tape while listening to Casey Kasem's American Top 40 I got to be a special guest star on these programs. So much fun! I was a huge fan of Van Halen well only because my brother was - Jamies Cryin - Barry Manilow Mandy and Foreigner Hot Blooded to name a few. You can slowly see how my musical taste are being shaped. I can specifically remember Thom asking to buy The Wall by Pink Floyd. I was terrified and facinated by this album at the tender age of 7. However, it is now one of my all time favorites and will forever remind me of my brother.

There isn't a single ABBA song out there that does not remind me of my mother. That record my friends was played and played and played. And then our record player broke. The first CD I ever purchased was Wings Greatest Hits Another strong musical influence from my mother. The day that Elvis Presley died we were living in Jacksonville Florida. My very best friend Chrissy Campbell came flying out of her house screaming that Elvis was dead. I totally remember watching this. And my brother Mike sat in his walk in closet for 2 days listening to the Radio Tribute. I brought him a sandwhich. It was the only time in my child hood that I actually felt bad for him. Well also when he lost his RedSox hat but that's another story.

Buddy Holly - I love this guy and I can't not think of my Dad when I hear him. There have been many car rides with Buddy Holly tunes blaring out. That'll Be The Day and for my sappier side - True Love Ways which has to be one of the most romantic songs on the planet.

Groove Is In The Heart - will always and forever remind me of Sarah Rogers McCluskey who now resides in England. Oh the trouble we created cannot be put into words. Patty and I use to play a mean game of Pool down at Bustahs [or Busters] for those of you outtatowners. We would play for hours on end and only play 4 songs: Hey Nineteen - Whole Lotta Love - Over You [which took Patty 20 years to remember and I had to call her to find out the song]. Shooting Star oh and I was just reminded of one more little treasure Lifes Been Good

My sister Sarah most likely has different songs that remind her of me. She is a musical dictionary and far supercedes my knowledge of all things music. However when I heard Only A Dream by Mary Chapin Carpenter I was quite literally reduced to tears. I play that song when I am desperately missing my sister. I love my sister and I love that this song so elequently describes that relationship. OK...moving past the boohooos here.

Sweet Child of Mine - Summer 88 before my Senior Year of high school. Loved Guns and Roses!! Peter Gabrial In Your Eyes and not because of the movie Say Anything, although I love that movie! But during the Summer of 1990 Camp Bernadette played this song over and over and over and over and over again. An entire girl camp crooning because they were in love with John Cusak [well I later found out not all of them] Diamonds On The Soles of Her Shoes - my friend from high school and my best guy friend Scott made many long car rides together over the 4 years. Billy Joel - Vienna - Lori Morata from Camp. Because I was really depressed and she talked me off the ledge with a million different songs. But this one stands out the most.

The Hen Pen [me - Tammy - Velma - Lori and Laura] Have thousands of songs that bring the circle back together. But for me there are two moments: One night we were all out at a bar and The B 52's Love Shack came on. We all stopped talking and broke out into song and Rush - Time Stand Still. Lori played this for me one day while sitting out on the deck. There was a lot going on in those days. Weddings, Funerals, Moves, Job Changes. I think of them always when I hear this and it totally made me cry. [yup...I'm a cryer].

When Geoff and I started hanging out there were two albums that we played continuously Billy Falcon Pretty Blue World - This version does it no justice what so ever but the only one I can find. Great album. The other album - John Hiatt Bring the Family - Lipstick Sunset still gives me shivers. These were really happy times for me. I didn't know it then but I was totally falling in love with Geoff. There were long nites talking listening to these two albums in my apartment with no furniture.

Thats gonna have to do it for now. I've left you with a very bizzare play list. But the point here is I have a song for almost every occasion every moment of my life.

So I leave you with this one last song by Clint Black - State of Mind.