Music Memory Lane

Still thinking about music that brings me back to a certain place, person and other memories. I've got a list in my head, right now, and I'm ready to share. It's not in any particular order. Why not start off with the song that prompted it all...

"All I Want", Toad the Wet Sprocket: Wade Myers, Moon Valley High School, class of 1992. Boo hoo hoo, and all that jazz.

The Smiths: John Moreau, Mike Lynch, Tom Walsh (was that his last name?), Ben Brittain....but mostly John, who was my first "serious" boyfriend. And in particular, "Still Ill", as he sang that sort of to himself while we walked around a park on our first date. "Under the iron bridge we kissed..." is the line I think he was specifically hoping I'd hear. No go. Too nervous to kiss anyone on the first date. I was but an itty bitty freshman at MVHS.

"Shout", Tears for Fears: 5th grade, Bountiful, Utah. My oldest sister was on the swim team at Bountiful High, and the boy swimmers listened to the modern music station, (underground, college-type radio, new wave, whatever you happened to call it before it became "alternative" or "indie). She wanted to impress them, though she didn't actually like the music. But me, wowza, it opened up a whole new world of music for me. This was several months before the song was played on what I liked to call mainstream radio. Such a trend setter, har, har, har.

"With or Without You", U2: Awkward pre-teen yearning for, I knew not what...something more...While still living in Bountiful, I was suffering from insomnia at the ripe old age of 12. The modern music station had gone off the air, due to unpopularity and was relegated to broadcasting late nights from 10pm until 1am, or something. Thank god for insomnia, huh? I have such a clear memory of sitting on the floor of my bedroom, holding onto this crappy radio/tape deck that played tapes at a super fast speed and often ate said tapes, hearing that song come on. So haunting, so late at night, so restless. So wishing to know if any boy would ever like me, if I would ever be pretty, or have nice things. So not knowing.

Oingo Boingo, Depeche Mode (pre 1987): University of Utah's Theatre School For Youth program. Salt Lake City, Utah. Finally, a group of people that not only understood and appreciated my music tastes, but many of them had tapes or records by these groups and made me copies!!! The first music that I owned. 1984 was probably my favorite Boingo album, still is, if I had to choose. Hmmm...another iTunes foray? You can throw some Dead Milkman (not Punk Rock Girl, before that song) into the mix along with some Thompson Twins and Erasure.

"Killing an Arab", The Cure: Courtney--holy crap, batman, I forgot her last name. How strange...Anyway, 8th grade at Palo Verde Jr. High in Phoenix, AZ. Courtney loved The Cure and supplied me with copies of many albums. (You see a trend, I never had any money to buy my own music.) We used to go to her house after school and watch 120 minutes, recorded the night before, and that MTV game show "Remote Control", when Colin Quinn hosted it. Loved it. We'd eat tomato and miracle whip sandwiches on wheat bread. Yum. We lost touch during high school, lived in different zones. Randomly met up with her again, though. She was friends with a girl who was pursuing my boyfriend, John--yes, The Smiths guy--and Courtney gave me all the dirty details. Gotta love loyalty. By then she was known as Coco, which I was never able to call her. She was ditzy as Coco. She knew a lot about the people I hung out with during my first two years of high school. Told me all kinds of horrible truths that had been kept from me.

"One Voice", Barry Manilow: Ahhh....the album of the same name was my first record, EVER. Got it for Christmas when I was 6. We lived in southern Idaho, in case anyone is keeping track. I loved Barry Manilow. Would sing his songs at the top of my lungs, so my mom says. And I believe her. He still holds a soft spot in my heart, Barry does. "We're just two ships that pass in the night, we both smile, when we say it's alright..." Sigh.

"Red Headed Stranger", Willie Nelson: Young Idaho years...As a family, we did not listen to a lot of music together, but my mom or dad had bought this Willie Nelson tape and we all loved to hear it. That song was really fascinating to me, it told a complete story. I loved the sad ending and the gunslinger aspects of it. Marty Robbins, too. We had the album, "Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs" with that picture of him dressed all in black, ready to draw his pistol and shoot the other guy. Very powerful image for me. Heck, let's add "Rhinestone Cowboy" to this family nostalgia mix. I wanted to be a cowboy, when I was little. NOT a cowgirl. They didn't look like they had as much fun. I wanted to be a girl who was as tough and cool and slick as a cowboy. Like the one on the cover of that Marty Robbin's album.

"Two Princes", Spin Doctors: Michael Cruz (formerly Sullivan). His sr. year of college at ASU and my freshman. I was doing makeup for "The Doctor in Spite of Himself" and he was Sganarelle. In the dressing room we would listen to that song and Michael really liked it. It's not one of my favorite, but whenever I hear it I think of him and how much I love him. What a great, long friendship we have had. My oldest friend, I tell people. I truly have known him longer than any of my friends (excluding family, of course).

"Perfect From Now On", Built to Spill: 2000, Seattle. Leaving my last relationship. Desperately unhappy and wanting to get back on track with myself. I listened to the live album and this song felt so good to blast in my car. (I used to have a car, can you believe it? That was another life time ago.) Even when I hear it, now, I have a sense of freedom and breaking out of something that was truly stifling my soul.

Canon in D Major, Johann Pachabel: Dana Marie Blumenthal. When she was in grade school, my parents gave her some Pachabel for Christmas. She was crazy about that piece. Played it all the time. Of course, it is a timeless classic and now it's completely over used in wedding ceremonies and commercials and movies. But Dana loved it. We played it at her funeral and it took me a very long time to be able to listen to it.

Adagio for Strings, Samuel Barber: Sneaking into "Platoon" at the dollar theatre--it really was $1 back then--when we lived in Bountiful. My sister Gina took Holly and me to see it, though we had to lie to my mom. She didn't want us going, but we just had to go, we just had to. I don't even know why, except maybe because Charlie Sheen was in it and I had a little leftover crush on him from his sympathetic jock portrayal in "Lukas". Well, my mother found out that we'd gone to see that and she was very displeased. It was worth it, whatever kind of punishment happened. I don't even remember. Because I fell in love with Willem Dafoe (his acting more than anything) and that music. Very moving. Big impression.

"Then He Kissed Me", The Crystals: 8th grade and the bad radio in my life. Despite having some tapes made by friends, it wasn't enough to get me through every morning of getting ready for school. I hated the top 40 stations and refused to listen to them. Instead, I listened to golden oldies radio. I had recently seen "Adventures in Babysitting", which opens with this song, and I loved it. Fortunately, it was often on the rotation. For some reason, it was always so dark when I got up to get ready for school. I think it had something to do with wanting to make sure I got some hot water for my shower and having to be at the bus stop by 7-ish.

I could go on and on. Who couldn't? Every time I write about one song, a dozen more pop into my head. I can't write about each one fast enough. Perhaps I'll just have to revisit this topic from time to time. Make it a feature, of sorts. This weeks stroll down music memory lane....and the like.