I love music. I can’t play it worth a spit, but I really enjoy listening to it. I like to listen to it almost constantly – at home, at work, in the car, exercising, etc. I like to compare songs to life and find deeper meanings or connections between the songs I listen to and my life. I’ve done that in a couple posts and this one will be the same. Almost. Instead of comparing a song to my life, this post will be about songs I like and what I remember, or think about, when I hear them. Some songs make me think about certain people and some songs make me remember events or things I had or did at a certain point in my life.
You may (or may not) find yourself in a song below. Happy reading.
- Trace Adkins: I Wanna Feel Something
There was a girl a while ago that I was trying to date and things were moving along smoothly, or so I thought. One of the last things she said to me when she told me she didn’t want to date me anymore was that she wasn’t feeling anything – happiness, sadness, excitement…nothing. This song reminds me of her every time I hear it. I’d be shocked and awed if she reads this. If she does, I’m sure she knows who she is. Hi.
“But I wanna feel somethin’
Somethin’ that’s a real somethin’
That moves me, that proves to me I’m still alive
I wanna heart that beats and bleeds
A heart that’s bustin’ at the seams
I wanna care, I wanna cry, I wanna scream
I just wanna feel somethin’ ”
- The Darkness: I Believe in a Thing Called love
During my college days I had a roommate (Brian) who, when he heard this song, said something about the uniqueness of the song and the rock ‘n roll nature of it. I wish I remember exactly what he said. I’m sure it was profound.
“I believe in a thing called love
Just listen to the rhythm of my heart
There's a chance we could make it now
We'll be rocking 'til the sun goes down
I believe in a thing called love
Ooh!”
- Red Hot Chili Peppers: Other Side
On my mission is where I first heard this song. I know what you’re thinking, “on your mission?!” I had some relaxed rules for the first bit of my mission and I may have taken a liberty with this song I shouldn’t have. Whatever the reason, every time I hear this song, I remember an apartment on Flatbush Ave above a Jamaican bakery on P-Day. It’s a good song and it was a great time.
“I heard your voice through a photograph
I thought it up and brought up the past
Once you've know you can never go back
I've got to take it on the other side”
- The Get Up Kids: Mass Pike
Speaking of missions, I served a few months with Richard and we ended up being roommates at BYU. He turned me on to this song, which I still listen to today. Richard likes to argue; he and I would argue about stupid things just to argue and one of the things we’d argue about was a line from the song: “Last night on the Mass Pike, I fell in love with you…” I’d say it was: “Last night on the hash pipe…” while Richard maintained it was “Mass Pike”. He was obviously correct, but sometimes when I hear this song I insert “hash pipe” just for old times.
Thought I was losing you.
Last night on the Mass Pike,
I fell in love with you.”
- Billy Joel: We Didn’t Start the Fire and Boston: More Than a Feeling
Oh boy. Good times here. When I was in high school in Vancouver, we had early morning seminary. Early, early morning. I don’t remember what time it started, but I think class started at 6:30am. During my junior year, I was the designated driver for myself, my brother and two friends (with whom I have unfortunately lost contact) – Jared and Alexis. I’d pick them up in the morning and we’d drive in my (dad’s) 1991 Geo Metro to the school. In the morning, we’d listen to We Didn’t Start the Fire and More Than a Feeling while driving in the dark and sometimes fog. That is the scene I see in my mind when I hear these songs. As a result of daily listening, I have We Didn’t Start the Fire memorized. I rarely make an error when singing that song. Yeah, I’m a nerd.
“I looked out this morning,
and the sun was gone
Turned on some music to start my day
Then lost myself in a familiar song
I closed my eyes, and I slipped away”
- Boston: Amanda
Picture 1985(ish). Got it? I do. Okay, I don’t know the year exactly, but it was around there. My dad had a cool silver stereo and it was big. He’d put this song on and we’d listen to it. Every time I hear this song, I can picture the stereo and I have a memory of listening to this song on that stereo with my dad. I enjoy the memory and the song.
“Babe, tomorrow's so far away
There's something I just have to say
I don't think I can hide what I'm feelin' inside
Another day, knowin' I love you”
- Notorious BIG: Big Poppa
I don’t remember where I first heard this song. It may have been the movie Hard Ball, a story about inner-city kids and their baseball team. One of the players, the pitcher, would listen to this song on his earphones and wave his hands in the air before he pitched the ball. Somehow that ended up being the thing to do while waterskiing. I don’t know how it made the jump, but it did and is now a tradition.
“I love it when you call me big pop-pa
Throw your hands in the air, if you’s a true player
I love it when you call me big pop-pa”
- Rascall Flats: What Hurts the Most
Fast forward a few years to my college days. I had a crush on this one girl, but never did anything about it because I was her home teacher. I didn’t want to make things awkward (lame excuse, but there it was) between us, so I didn’t do anything about it. We became, I thought, pretty good friends. We would hang out a good amount and seemed to always have fun. She ended going on a mission about the same time I graduated. I went to her farewell and wished her well. I never told her that all this time I had a big crush on her. I ended up sending her a letter while she was on her mission, but didn’t reveal any of my feelings to her.
“What hurts the most
Was being so close
And having so much to say
And watching you walk away
And never knowing
What could have been
And not seeing that loving you
Is what I was tryin' to do”
- Guns ‘N Roses: Paradise City
If you’ve read my previous post, this song will make sense to you. This is an ultimate white-trash hair band song. I would rock out to this song while driving my 1971 Chevelle Malibu. This song still gets my heart pumping and my foot somehow gets a little heavier on the gas when it comes on.
“Take me down to the paradise city,
Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty
Take me home”
There you have it folks – a small peak in on my inner musical workings. There’s more, oh man is there ever more. This will suffice for now. Be nice.
2 comments:
As with most of my profound thoughts, that one was fleeting. The Darkness was a good throw-back to 70s glam rock though. And the music video for that song is still my favorite video ever, because it was so cheesy and it had probably a $1,000 budget.
I have now read your blog so we are even. No worries about reading mine blog I am flattered really.
Good luck with the P90X. I have only made it to the third week and then I poop out. That Tony H. is CRAZY!
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