I cannot carry a tune. I struggle to hear the beat. I cannot read music, therefore I cannot play an instrument. Oh and dancing does not come naturally either.
That said, like with many people a single musical note and I CAN TIME TRAVEL in an instant. With one note I am lying on my shag green carpet listening to Elton John’s Your Song 45 rpm I purchased with my very own chore money. Hearing The Partridge Family’s I Think I Love You reminds me I am still waiting for David Cassidy to ask me to marry him! Catching a note of Leaving on a Jet Plane by John Denver and I am reminded of how sad I was when my dad went on a trip overseas, something that was actually a glimpse of what was to come.
With little to no musicality, my life still relies heavily upon music. I did a whole lot of driving when the kids were young. To pass the time they earned a quarter for every artist they recognized. How proud I was when they knew the difference between Elton John and Billy Joel at the ripe old age of 4. Now of course, the tables have turned. It’s not so easy for me to decipher between Kid Kudi and Kid Rock, but I give it a go! Music inspires me as well. I wonder if Alicia Keys knows that when she sings Superwoman it makes me feel as if I can do just about anything. Music fills voids for me too. I can turn on a favorite song and even if I am alone all of a sudden I am surrounded.
Since I am a football person, it would be difficult not mention the importance of music in stadiums across our country. The emotion exuded from fans can take your breath away. Watching fans sing the National Anthem in heartfelt unison moments before “battle” is always a goose-bump moment for me. Sweet Home Alabama and I’m back in crimson and houndstooth, shaking my pompom cheering on my Tide. Thunderstruck plays and I am in Spartan Stadium watching Sparty (the Michigan State mascot) in a horse-drawn chariot charge onto the field. Hearing Callin’ Baton Rouge just before a night game in LSU Stadium is an experience of a lifetime, even if you’re in enemy territory..
Music keeps so many moments in my lifetime part of who I am. Return to Pooh Corner and I am rocking my son to sleep. American Pie are my daughter and I driving to Disney under a starry sky. Unchained Melody puts me on a first date with my husband. Forever Young and I am watching a part of our football family buried far too young. Frank Sinatra and we’re all in the kitchen cooking. James Taylor songs go hand-in-hand with my sister. Boys of Fall and I shudder how important a song about a game I had no idea about can now reduce me to tears. God Bless the U.S.A. by Lee Greenwood and I still choke up in disbelief at the mind blowing, numbing and forever altering events of 9-11.
So as you can see, music has always had a direct line to my heart. Even as I sit here writing I am listening to music that will hopefully one day remind me of this day! It’s just part of my ever-growing musical memories cd. Lucky me!
Everyone has songs that resonate with them. I’d really love for you to share your song and memories with me, if for no other reason than to maybe stir up another memory inside me!
Moral: Memories, good and bad, that have been stored away can sometimes be brought alive in an instant, meaning they weren’t really stored away at all, but simply waiting for the right time to come out of hiding!
love...love...love, (nod to the Beatles)
