Music...

I love music. A lot. I think good music combined with good lyrics just can't be beat. Being at the 4th of July celebration on the military base gave me the opportunity to hear some really good songs. And some not so good ones. So I've been doing some thinking. Mostly about old songs and what they remind me of. So here is my list. Songs that bring back memories...

The Devil Went Down to Georgia by The Charlie Daniels Band. My dad had this 8-track, and we listened to it all the time. We also heard a lot of Statler Brothers, Merle Haggard, and Charlie Pride.

Babe by Styx. When I was in junior high choir Adam Levowitz sang this song at a choir concert. He was moving away at the end of the year so it was like an anthem of sorts. It was the first time I remember hearing the song, and I have loved it ever since. I also had a sneaking suspicion that Adam liked Tina Schwettman, but I ended up running into Tina in college and when I asked her about that she denied it.

Working for the Weekend by Loverboy. This song reminds me of my friend Julie Cravey. She had their Get Lucky album, and I felt a combination of intrigue and shock by the cover. Tight red leather pants would never have been allowed in my house.

Mickey by Tony Basil. When I was in junior high there was a radio station in town called 79Q. Later it became 93Q and they played top 40 music. They handed out what they called cheat sheets at the malls. Mickey was one of those. It had the lyrics to the song and other info on it. I thought it was so cool to collect those things!

The Search is Over by Survivor. When I was in 10th grade our school won a contest on 93Q so they sent a DJ to one of our dances. The week before the dance they asked us to call in with song requests for that night. I called in this song and dedicated it to the guy I liked at the time. I went to the dance, and he didn't. Mortifying!

Amy Grant. Pretty much anything by Amy reminds me of my senior year of high school. My best friend, Mentanna, loved Amy and vowed to meet her one day. She worked at a Christian book store after college for awhile and ended up having lunch with Amy.

Don't You Wanna Rap? by Bryan Duncan. One semester in college Mentanna dj'ed for the college radio station on Sunday mornings. We would call her up and request this song every time.

I look back on that random sampling of songs and while they didn't really have lasting influence they still gave me memories. I could list a dozen more that did the same. Now I think so much deeper when it comes to music. I stop what I am doing when certain songs come on. I want to really listen. I play parts of songs over and over to really hear what is being said. I look up lyrics online so that I can be sure to know the words. I can't imagine what I will feel down the road when I hear songs that have meaning to me today. What emotions will they evoke? Will I just smile and make a list to post on my future blog or will I stop what I am doing and feel the words? Get lost in the memories? Since my love of music has just gotten stronger over the years I have a feeling I will not be able to do anything but stop and listen. And remember.

Which songs bring back memories for you? Do you have a current favorite? I would love to know!