After two weekends where I didn't have to leave my house on Sunday, my routine has returned to its former state. Meaning? That Saturday Mom returned from her vacation, and I spent Sunday evening relaxing with her. (And, thanks to trying to wait out the rain, and generally wanting to be there, I stayed far later than I should have.) In the long run that means that on Monday night (or Tuesday morning, depending on how you look at it) I am trying to recall the words that began to come together for this week's Sunday Scribblings. Topic? Music.
What I can say is that music is the basic background for my life. I remember being a small child, and listening to the music that my parents loved. Motown. Philadelphia. RCA. I attribute my enjoyment of the music of the early 70's to them. In the late 70's, I began to come into my own. I remember using my allowance to buy 45s as often as I could, to supplement what my parents owned. They owned Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight. I purchased Anita Bell, Parliament, and Chic. They loved slow jams by the Stylistics and the Delfonics. I relished in the final, "Sayonara" in Sukiyaki by Taste of Honey.
In the 80's there was no stopping my love of music. Sugar Hill Gang, Kool Moe Dee, and Grandmaster Flash. Hip hop was new, and the beats pulsed from my parents' stereo on a regular basis. But even then, I was still a sucker for the slow jams. I pulled out Ashford and Simpson from my mother's collection and Jeffrey Osborne from my own. (After LTD.) Luther Vandross was the new king for me, and Anita Baker was the queen. Love songs. They were my after dark melody. The guaranteed mood fixer. "No More Tears" played repeatedly after every breakup. And a new love song was selected to commemorate the good times in a relationship. When I needed to, I listened to the stereo with my feet on the speakers and the headphones on. I called it my "musical bath."
Today, music is the undercurrent of my life. Still there, although, not as prominent. It takes a bit longer to "learn" who the new artists are. But my list of personal favorites continues to grow. India Arie. John Legend. Common. Destiny's Child (especially the reunion album).
Music has been and probably always will be the underpinning to my memories. Hearing "Stranger" by LTD first takes me back to a time when I tried to convince my then boyfriend that it was a song. He and I spent months, possibly years, listening for the lyrics to play on the radio. (Yes, I was probably 29 or so when I discovered the name of the song.) But it went back further than that. "Stranger" was a song in my head from when I was 10 or so, and just enjoyed singing it along with the radio. The story of a man, who experienced some weak moments while his significant other was away. At 10, the song didn't really have meaning to me, but at 37 it tells the story of some close friends.
I suspect that certain songs will always trigger strong memories for me. It is just how I was made. "Daddy's Home" will eternally be the song that my father played every night before dinner. "Sadie" will always be my mother's song. "End of the Rainbow" will always make me cry, and I will always sing along with Patti Labelle as she declares, "You are my friend."
~me
PS. - Yes, I am back-dating this one to Sunday.
I love the idea of taking a "bath" in music. The notes and words really do wash over us like warm water. Thanks for sharing this!
Posted by: Kim G. | Tuesday, June 27, 2006 at 11:29 AM