musical memories

Thank you Sophia for the meme for today. My biggest problem is going to be coming up with a whole 10 songs and not making every single one about a person. I’m thinking that I may have more of a tendency to attach songs to people than to places, but we shall see. Sounds like fun either way. :)

List ten songs from the past. Where do they take you every single time you hear them?

Van Halen's Jump takes me back to Northmount Jr. High and the Youth Center dances every Friday night, where everyone thought it was cool to jump off the stage every single time David Lee Roth said jump. I loved those dances and could probably think of 100+ songs that take me there. The crazy jumping kids is classic though. There were dedications, crushes, heartbreaks, love stories & air band contests. lol The last dance was always Stairway to Heaven seeing as it's an 8 minute long slow-ish song. I'm sure that it has long been replaced at school dances by a newer very-long-slow-song. ;)

I'll be there for you by Bon Jovi is a song that takes me back to when I was in my early 20’s - a single mom going to college and renting a single bedroom for B & I from a lady at church. (I’m sad I can’t remember her name.) Those were the days of ramen and leaving the house at 6am to ride the bus to get B to daycare & myself to class. It was dark when we left in the morning, and dark by the time we made it home. We lived there for a short while after having temporarily stayed with Paul & while looking for an apartment closer to our schools. I used to rollerblade while Brandon played in the front yard & the Crossroads cd was often what I listened to. I'll be there for you was a favorite. Those were good times. We had very little, but we were happy. :)

Those same college days had me living at the gym during every spare moment. I was fit, happy & just doing really well - I had confidence for the first time in my life. The song that has me back at the seated leg press, watching James L. walk into the weight room (I hadn’t seen him in years) is Cranberries’ Linger. Makes me smile just thinking about it. It was good to reconnect with him, especially when I was doing so well and feeling so great. There are few people from my school days whose opinions have any sort of meaning for me, but seeing him at such a high point in my life did matter.

Under the Bridge by Red Hot Chili Peppers has me driving down Crystal Beach in Keith’s red mustang with a very tiny Brandon in the carseat. It was my first time doing my usual summer stuff as a young mom. I was happy & in love with my sweet babe. As crazy as it is to think of someone who had barely turned 19 so happy and ready to embrace motherhood, I was. You’d have to first understand how lonely I was before having him. Having Brandon filled such a huge void for me. Crystal Beach & this song are kind of a first family memory for me and Brandon.

Boys II Men End of the Road has me back at the park at Yonge & Finch talking to Keith. We discussed the latest girl he’d been cheating on me with. Rachel M. Ugh. Ick. Eeeeew. It was finally really the end for us. It took forever for me to admit that I deserved better. He was B’s dad after all. But yeah, when it came to Rachel I was so very done with him and all of that. I had taken one look at her – who she was and what she had to offer & knew for a fact that she had nothing on me. She just wasn’t me and that was apparently what he wanted so I was finally out for good. (In his defense he never did promise me any sort of future - I had just loved him & hoped like crazy until I realized that being his comfortable #2 while he searched for #1 wasn't going to make me happy.)

Grandmaster Flash’s White Lines has me hanging out at the arcade at the Sheppard Centre. Oh my, picture a pre-teen little blonde wearing too much make-up, having no confidence but trying very hard to act as if she’s all that. I wasn’t (what 13 year old really is?) but it’s funny to think about. Man I’m glad we all get to grow up and that somehow I managed to turn out ok. (Thanks mom!) Oh, and if you're actually wondering - this song is in no way an indication of how I was at that age. ;) I just vividily remember it playing while I was at the arcade that day and I still think of my pre-teen years when I hear it. I could easily have chosen Pass the Dutchie by Musical Youth or Tennessee by Arrested Development as these songs also take me to my youth and growing up in the Willowtree, but the moment, song and place that I mentioned to begin with are a very specific & clear memory. I was wearing white shorts, a tank top and had just stepped outside of the arcade for a Du Maurier Light when GMF and the Furious Five came on. ...Rang dang diggedy dang di-dang ...lol

John Micheal Montgomery’s entire self-titled album makes me think about hanging out with Vivian. We’d lay out and tan by the pool at her condo & listen to him. I think that I can love you like that was her favorite song on the album at the time because of Matthew. Mine was I swear.

The Cure’s Just Like Heaven takes me back to high school - 11th grade and totally crushing on Adam P. I still remember how he smiled at me on the stairs after Tracy told him that I liked him. I still have the first love note he ever wrote me - it was his reaction to the news & she pulled me out of chemistry class to give it to me. I still know his phone number off by heart. I still smile when I read what he wrote in my yearbook at the end of that year. I still remember how mad so many other girls were when he & I started our little something. lol I’d apologize, but he was yummy. He played soccer. I enjoyed watching ;) He was a Cure fan. I easily became one. :) Hey Robin, wasn’t he the first one to show up to my surprise 16th birthday party? Somewhere you have a picture of that night. I remember how disappointed I was when Glenn P. & Denise were helping you make me think we were taking my 24 to the drive in. :)

As I Lay Me Down by Sophie B. Hawkins was Vern’s & my song when I was in Toronto and he was here. We racked up the long distance phone calls during what I guess would be our “courtship” phase. It seemed like the perfect song at the time for our long distance relationship. We set a wedding date during one of those phone calls & literally spent thousands of dollars in long distance bills between that May and August, before he & Wil came back to Toronto. The rest is history. ;)

Only one more? Aww... now I have a bazillion old songs in my head. lol How about a funny one? Whitney Houston’s I will Always Love You used to make Brandon cry as a toddler. It was played on the radio constantly, and every time she hit THAT note (if you know the song you know the one) he would start bawling. I still call it Brandon’s song, and tease him every time I hear it. Poor baby. She hits that note a lot. lol ;)

Well that took forever to do but was fun! Before I actually post this I wanna see if I can find some pictures to go with it. I have no scanner atm, so we’ll see what I can come up with.

Um yeah, I'm back awhile later and took a couple of pictures of old pictures. Not a fancy process & they look as icky as you'd expect quality-wise. :p I didn't find everything was looking for(I have a bazillion college-days pics. Where are they? Hmmm? I'm bummed that I didn't find any.)but there you have it. A complete Sunday meme with pictures and all. :)

Oh, and with links and pics this post is crazy with the html. I hope it all looks okay because I really don't feel like fixing it at this point. ;)