Suzanne's Soundtrack Sunday
The Music That Reminds Me of Home
On this day in 1972, my parents closed on the purchase of the house I lived in until I moved out as an adult. In the intervening 13 years, there were a lot of memories. Today, if I hear certain songs, they remind me of times growing up in that house.
"Wedding Bell Blues" was frequently heard on the stereo in the living room, and my Mom would not let it play without singing along, out of tune and all. She loved having that stereo play and her favorite stations were the ones that played the old standards. Similarly, "One Less Bell to Answer", "On Top of the World", "Lucille", and "Come Monday" all remind me of Mondays, when Mom was off and the music played all day while she puttered in the kitchen or worked on some sewing.
Jackson Browne, especially "The Pretender", reminds me of Peg and all the hours she controlled the stereo.
The early new wave stuff, like the Knack and The Buggles? Socrates got to the turntable. (Bill's Gerrard, with one of those fancy schmancy gadgets that would hold the albums in queue to be played).
Steve Forbert, Blondie, Police, Kansas, and George Thorogood remind me of the brief time that Pete lived back at home after leaving the Marines and moving out on his own. He was the one who really was on the cutting edge, frequently hitting a record store after hearing an act at My Father's Place the night before. As soon as I hear that piano at the beginning of "Romeo's Tune", it takes me back to being 11 years old...
Certain Barry Manilow and Duran Duran songs remind me of Giggles and the way she'd turn that radio dial to Z-100. I kind of feel bad for her, because she was the youngest, she didn't get to choose the music she liked until the rest of us moved out!
Revillie always reminds me of the speaker right outside my bedroom door and Bill's wake up cassette. I got to mix a bunch of those, but when that thing would go off every morning at 7am, I did my best to try to sleep through it. If I close my eyes, I'm back in my bedroom like it was yesterday, pillow and comforter over my head!
Some songs take me back to when I got my own stereo in my room and didn't have to wait my turn for the family stereo. Styx's "Boat on the River", Rush's "Subdivisions" and Kraftwerk's "Autobahn" got played to death and hearing them is like stepping into the time machine, too.
What about you? What do you hear that remind you of the old homestead?
On this day in 1972, my parents closed on the purchase of the house I lived in until I moved out as an adult. In the intervening 13 years, there were a lot of memories. Today, if I hear certain songs, they remind me of times growing up in that house.
"Wedding Bell Blues" was frequently heard on the stereo in the living room, and my Mom would not let it play without singing along, out of tune and all. She loved having that stereo play and her favorite stations were the ones that played the old standards. Similarly, "One Less Bell to Answer", "On Top of the World", "Lucille", and "Come Monday" all remind me of Mondays, when Mom was off and the music played all day while she puttered in the kitchen or worked on some sewing.
Jackson Browne, especially "The Pretender", reminds me of Peg and all the hours she controlled the stereo.
The early new wave stuff, like the Knack and The Buggles? Socrates got to the turntable. (Bill's Gerrard, with one of those fancy schmancy gadgets that would hold the albums in queue to be played).
Steve Forbert, Blondie, Police, Kansas, and George Thorogood remind me of the brief time that Pete lived back at home after leaving the Marines and moving out on his own. He was the one who really was on the cutting edge, frequently hitting a record store after hearing an act at My Father's Place the night before. As soon as I hear that piano at the beginning of "Romeo's Tune", it takes me back to being 11 years old...
Certain Barry Manilow and Duran Duran songs remind me of Giggles and the way she'd turn that radio dial to Z-100. I kind of feel bad for her, because she was the youngest, she didn't get to choose the music she liked until the rest of us moved out!
Revillie always reminds me of the speaker right outside my bedroom door and Bill's wake up cassette. I got to mix a bunch of those, but when that thing would go off every morning at 7am, I did my best to try to sleep through it. If I close my eyes, I'm back in my bedroom like it was yesterday, pillow and comforter over my head!
Some songs take me back to when I got my own stereo in my room and didn't have to wait my turn for the family stereo. Styx's "Boat on the River", Rush's "Subdivisions" and Kraftwerk's "Autobahn" got played to death and hearing them is like stepping into the time machine, too.
What about you? What do you hear that remind you of the old homestead?
Comments
I remember finding my first favorite radio station (99X - WXLO) which was a rock based top 40 station, AOR I guess - Jay Thomas (yes, THAT Jay Thomas) was the morning jock. I'd switch back and forth between 99x, WPIX-FM and WBAB.
I remember being in my Dad's car listening to WGBB-AM (always my Dad's choice, the car had NO FM) and him whistling along to Fernando by ABBA (one of his favorite contemporary songs).
Other songs with definite memories-
Saturday In The Park- Chicago: playing in the car when we crashed on the Meadowbrook Pkwy. in the rain.
Pilot- Magic: laying in the cot in the top of my brother-in-laws VW camper in the Pocono raceway infield in '75 trying to sleep while all the drunks partied. Add Manfred Mann's Earth Band: Blinded By The Light to this memory.
Boston- Don't Look Back: The song that was playing on the stereo when I kissed my first girl playing spin the bottle at a friends party. (She didn't like me)
...and the list goes on and on...