Songs of Home
While I was waiting and waiting and waiting in the doctor’s office today (Holland’s 4 month check-up; all systems go), I killed some time browsing through my Google Reader. I stumbled upon a story about a guy who wrote a little piece about the songs that remind him of his home. And I thought,
What a fun idea.
I think this exercise says a lot about where we grew up and how we grew up. So I’m gonna share my songs. And you share yours. At least a couple. Either in a blog post, or in the comments, but I think this will be fun.
Here are a few of mine:
1. I listened to a GREAT DEAL of Caedmon’s Call in high school. I would’ve drank their bath water. So they’re on here a few times actually. In fact, the whole 40 Acres album probably deserves to be on this list, but it’s not a list of albums, it’s a list of songs. The title song to 40 Acres is the perfect song to play on the last stretch of road to my grandparent’s ranch. And also, Back Where I Began off that same album reminds me of sitting outside FBC Canyon during the summer, waiting for our parents to pick us up after Wednesday night Priority. Good times.
2. George Strait’s The Fireman was my little brother’s favorite song, bar none. He would sing it all the time and knew every word. My mother even misplaced him in Michael’s one day and tracked him down by following the sound of him singing The Fireman. Ironically, the Fireman is not about an actual firefighter, but a guy who runs around town making out with hot women.
3. TLC’s Waterfalls. I distinctly remember this being the last dance at the 8th grade Valentine’s Dance. I had a boyfriend at this dance, and his little brother was born that night. In case you were wondering, sadly, this is what I looked like in the 8th grade:
I know. Could I be more lovely? Truly, no.
Ok. I’ve shared some of my home songs. Your turn. Don’t let me down.
1. Did I Shve My Legs For This by Deana Carter takes me back to 10th grade. I remember riding with friends working on an English project and singing this atthe top of our lungs.
2. Whitney houston’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody, The Bangles’ Manic Monday and The Pointer Sisters’ Jump (For My Love) immediately put me on my trampoline I’m our backyard with a boombox on the ground and jumprope for my microphone. I was probably weaing a Bathing suit…because that’s how I roll(ed).
3. Any Huey Lewis song from Fore!, Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet and Beastie Boys’ Fight for Your Right will have me sitting in my brother’s room listening to his cassettes and messing up how room while he was at school. It’s Hip to be Square.
The entire Alanis Morisette album, Jagged Little Pill – the volleyball team sang along to this one in the locker room
Pearl Jam’s song Daughter – this was on mixed tape that a boy made me
Bush’s song Glycerine – also on a mixed tape made by a boy.
Oh, the mixed tapes! I miss you.
1. Alright…since my first words were “I’m TNT, Dynamite”, I’m gonna have to go with some classic rock (thanks, Dad). I can remember making up a dance to Just What I Needed by The Cars in the third grade…oddly enough, in high school a certain Drew Hicks and I used to listen to The Cars greatest hits album every Monday after lunch.
2. Anything dc Talk would work, but specifically, of course, Jesus Freak. To this day, dc Talk is my favorite band of all time. The Newsboys are a close runner up with Reality.
3. Shania Twain has to be on the list. Probably most accurately That Don’t Impress Me Much. Shania filled every one of our trips from Borger/Canyon to Lubbock and back. And yes, my mom was driving.
What a fun thing to do! Ok, here are mine:
1. In 4th grade, Maureen Weydert and I used to try to be the first ones on the swings at recess. We would hog the swings for the entire, what maybe 20 minutes?, and sing Garth Brooks’ I’ve Got Friends in Low Places. This is also when we would plan on who would ask their parents if the other could spend the night that Friday. That, and Mrs. Weiland, are about the only things I remember about 4th grade.
2. TLC’s Waterfalls (sorry, had to ditto you, Erin) and Boyz II Men’s I’ll Make Love to You (sad…such an inappropriate song for a blossoming 7th grader who had no clue was “making love” meant [blush]) are interwoven into every memory of every junior high dance I ever attended. Oh, those and The Dance by Garth Brooks. What was it with childhood me and Garth??
3. Ironic by Alanis. During almost every evening in late junior high and early high school, I would wait anxiously by my stereo, which of course was always tuned to Z93, for this song to come on. With bedroom door closed, I would belt out the words, believing that my parents really didn’t hear it when she said the “bad word”.
After my sophomore year, Jesus changed my life and I went to an all-Christian repertoire. But that post is for another day…
Ohhh geez. It is kind of hard to define these songs as “songs that make me think of home”, but here are a few distinct memories.
1. In 5th grade all of the cute boys in our class sang “On Bended Knee” by Boys to Men during music period. I wish I had a picture of that. I swooned.
2. Lots and lots of country songs make me think of elementary school.
3. That I’m a bitch song….that will always remind me of 7th grade and then also when Jen Yirak told me I was singing in wrong. “I’m a chee.”
4. Some good old U2. With or without you will always represent high school romances to me. So sad. And it is such a good song.
5. My first christian CD I bought on the way home from church camp in Louisiana. It was some kind of mix cd.
6. Oh and I second Deana Carter in junior high. Strawberry Wine, it was so scandalous.
Oh, how fun. And weren’t you adorable – - no really!
1.) I Saw the Sign by Ace of Base…….if I remember correctly, I think that we made up a dance to this at Shirece Burrell’s birthday party in 5th or 6th grade. “Can we puhhhllleeassseee go by a new tape” was the first thing out of my mouth when my dad picked me up from said party. We went to Wal-mart on the way home and I was the proud owner of an Ace of Base cassette tape. Awesome.
2.) Another one that sticks out is Who I Am by Jessica Andrews. I listened to it non-stop for at least 90-days.
3.) Miami My Amy by Keith Whitley reminds me of my freshman year at Tech with Lacey. I played it almost every morning and we sang along while getting ready. We still call each other every time we here it and leave a message of it playing if we can’t get each other.
4.) Back Where I Come From by Kenny Chesney really reminds me of home and could make me cry on any given day. Lame, huh?
5.) Black Balloon by Goo Goo Dolls. This one just makes me laugh. I remember Dallas Dixon playing it frequently in the short few weeks we dated back in ‘82.
Fun post!
The one group I think about the most, especially for high school, is Nine Days. I remember driving around with Tristi Giddens and SK listening to it, over and over. I also remember driving to Erin’s house for lunch one day while singing “257 weeks” so loudly that my ears hurt!
I love this idea. Love, love, love it. (And you can sing that like Tristan Prettyman, if you want.)
I’ve been thinking about it for so long that my list has gotten absurd…so I picked the highlights and they’re on my blog. All I can say is, I hope my parents don’t get charged with post-fact child endangerment.
A sampling:
On the Road Again – Willie Nelson
My dad’s van. An experience in itself. A 1978 Ford Econoline with the back seat removed…leaving the front two (captain’s!) chairs, one bench…and lots of empty, open space for children of the pre-seatbelt-law era. Great times for my brother and I playing board games in the back, smashing matchbox cars with random tools lying about…and then the older stories of the PLAYPEN being set up back there. Glorious!
Daddy’s van had an 8-track deck, so he owned this converter thing that let us play tapes, but you could only fast forward, not rewind. When I was around the 3rd grade, I started bringing my (battery-operated) boom box to sit on the huge center console to play tapes. Until my own tape-owning days, this van ran exclusively on The Highwaymen…you know, Willie, Waylon & the boys.