Just a Singin'

WARNING: this post is rather random. I'm fighting off a nap. If you know me well, that is a hard feat.

Cory & I had a wonderful trip to Enterprise this past weekend to see some of our pals get married. One of my favorite things about long car trips is listening to music and singing along. As we headed out I quickly chose a radio station that Cory & I enjoy. I started bragging on the station and told Cory that I had not changed the station in my car for 3 days in a row because this particular station was playing awesome songs that you don’t hear on the radio that often (“Rock the Casbah”,” Blinded Me With Science”,” Baby Got Back”—these may not be “awesome” in your book, but I think they’re swell). As soon as I professed my love for this eclectic station though, my least favorite song came on which cracked Cory up. The words were literally coming out of my mouth when the intro to the detestable song came on. After that incident I began to think of other songs that would make my “not so great list” and my “love that song list”. (Angie, you would be so proud).

I’ve always enjoyed listening to music and understanding lyrics. I know that’s the point of songs, but some people can hear a song and not pay any attention to what a song is saying. Now, granted, I don’t always understand the lyrics to be what they are (ie: for a long time I thought Bon Jovi’s “Living on a Prayer” was saying “Living on Bread” (you know, like money?). The songs “Cotton Eye Joe”, “My Pony”, and “Summer of 69” have also given me grief. Sometimes songs can have a powerful or serious meaning and have such a happy beat. For example, Smashmouth’s “All Star”, now while I’m not too crazy about the actual song some of the lyrics make me appreciate it:

Somebody once asked could I spare some change for gas
I need to get myself away from this place
I said yep what a concept
I could use a little fuel myself
And we could all use a little change

Basically I just like the play on the word change. I could go on with silly songs that I read too much into but I realize anyone reading this probably thinks I am a big NERD for the song I just quoted.

There are plenty of “deep” songs that I appreciate more. Four songs that always give me chills when I hear them are “Dust in the Wind”, “Landslide”, “Sound of Silence”, and “She’s in Love with the Boy”---I get chills when it says, “Katie looks at Tommy, like I still look at you”…whew I got chills typing that.

Some songs that make me tear up are:

“Diary” by Bread,

“Brick”by Ben Folds Five

“Hello” by Lionel Richey

“Tears in Heaven” by Eric Clapton

“Freshman” by The Verve Pipe

“Father & Son” by Cat Stevens. (This one gives me chills too)

“Cat’s in the Cradle” by Harry Chapin

“That Ain’t My Truck” by Rhett Atkins

“You Were Mine” by the Dixie Chicks

Ok, I need to stop right there because the last two were country songs, and thinking about it a lot of country songs make me cry…They’re just so sad.

I’m going to leave on a funny note about myself and a sad song. When I was in the first grade I thought I had seen the man I was going to marry** and he was the star of a little movie called Home Alone. I loved Mr. Macaulay Culkin. Not only was he a cute little blond hair, blue eyed boy but he was hilarious! He made jokes and played tricks on bad guys. He knocked my socks off. I remember telling my cousin, Justin, that I was going to meet him one day and kiss him. The next year he starred in “My Girl” and my fascination with him just grew.

One afternoon before ballet practice my mom stopped by my grandmother’s house to get something. I remember going inside and my Mimi telling me, “Karen, look it’s the little boy from that movie you like” and handing over a magazine. I was super excited to see my dream guy when my little second grade heart was broken. There Macaulay was holding a little girl’s hand and kissing her on the cheek. Now, in retrospect it was a sweet little picture of a boy under the age of 10 kissing a girl on the cheek but at the time it totally crushed my world. (like I was actually going to meet him, ha)

I didn’t cry while we were still inside, but as we got in the car the Bonnie Raitt song, “I Can’t Make You Love Me” came on and that’s when the tears came and I remember lying in the back seat of the van crying like a baby. That song alone can bring tears to one’s eyes, but added with the picture of seeing the guy you like with another woman…it was just too much.

So this post was very random and kind of stupid, but maybe the next time you hear Ms. Bonnie’s song you can laugh at how ridiculous and pathetic I was!

**On a fun note, I actually did meet the man I was going to marry in first grade. J and I’m so glad it wasn’t Macaulay Culkin!