So I'm listening to the radio... FM 100.3 (said with a deep, smooth voice)... (I was at work - it's easy listening for at work, that's why.) when "She's like the wind" by Patrick Swayze started playing.
Think of it... (Sicily 1941... Just some Golden Girls humor -- sorry.)
"She's like the wind, through my trees." (really Patrick? Through your trees? Were those the best words you could come up with? Wait - are those even the right words?) "She rides the night next to me. She moves me through moonlight, only to burn me with the sun. She's taken my heart but she doesn't know what she's done!"
Such heartfelt pain.
(No - I had to look the lyrics up. But I do know enough to sing along in the car.) (A funny blog would be what lyrics do you think you know and always sing wrong? I thought that song, "Don't forget me when I'm gone" was "Don't go camping when I'm gone." I was little. Ok - I just realized like two years ago. :))
The point is -- listening to Patrick croon away swept me right back to my eighth grade year, eating pizza at Gina's house, lying on her floor (being really allergic to her cat), watching movies until we would go up to her Kirk Cameron, Debbie Gibson and Garfield poster adorned room and sleep on her waterbed! Awesome.
Songs somehow have the power to transport (remember the movie the transporter? Oh, Colleen.) me back in time to a memory so specific that I can remember smells, sights, sounds, feelings... Amazing.
I hear the song, "Dancing Queen" and I'm back in the yellow brick house having dance parties,
"Ice, Ice Baby" and I'm on the stage at a ward talent show ( I still know some of the dance),
"Tricky" and I see Suzanne dancing in the hallway,
"I've had the time of my life" and I'm 12 years old again and in love with Scott Reed at a stake dance.
"Nothing Compares 2 U" and I'm 14 and in my cool green and black outfit that was a little too short - but so cool -- dancing with Bryan Arazani at a different stake dance. Oh he was so cute. I thought I'd just die if that song ended.
"Hot Pants Explosion" brings me all the feelings of freshman year at Ricks - homesickness, noodle overload, and it makes me want to say dog a lot for some reason.
I hear "Cat's in the Cradle" and I can see the kitchen of our house in Princeton and even the kitchen radio, the white cupboards with the curtain over the bottom cupboards, the green silverware holder (there must be a name for that) and the enormous microwave (that we still have) that was so large (you can fit a turkey in it) it took up 1/4 of the kitchen. That song always made me so sad for the unfortunate relationship between the father and son... take time for your loved ones people!
I hear "Break My Stride" and I'm at the Skate-a-Rama in a yellow leotard with a feather tutu with my mom doing aerobics. (I know you're thinking, "Oh Amy, you just dreamed that." No my friend. That was real.) (But I changed that so it didn't read like my mom was the one in the yellow leotard. Sorry, Mom!)
"Cecilia" takes me right back to my high school turkey days, as does "Trouble Me", "Rainbow Connection" and "WKRP in Cincinnati". Oh, such good times. (Speaking of which - Happy Birthday, Carrie!) There are so many more...
Ok - no one is probably enjoying my memories as much as I am. But I sure am! Go bust out your mix tapes and see how much you enjoy your own memories.
What songs make you remember?
Memories make me -- So happy.
14 comments:
First, while I've never heard that Patrick Swayze song you referenced, the lyrics reminded me of Tim's "She's My Kind of Rain" - a song I love, though the words are really confusing. She's my dreaming tree? She sits quietly there like water in a jar? What?
I'm a little bit younger than you, so the songs that rewind me to junior high dances are Savage Garden's "Truly Madly Deeply" and Chumbawamba's "Tubthumping" and the high school memories come back for Mandy Moore's "I Wanna Be With You". 50 Cent's "In Da Club" makes me remember freshman year of college, Tim McGraw "Just to See You Smile" puts me in the back of a car with Catheryn, driving to Las Vegas in the middle of the night and singing along at the top of our lungs. And anything by Journey, Chicago, or Air Supply takes me back to my wedding reception.
Thanks for the musical memories!
Amy, I was cracking up reading this blog post today!! So many of those memories I also remember! I can't even believe the white curtain thing in front of the cupboards - ugh - how awful! What were we thinking? And that microwave - it still works and is still huge! AND when you say, "Oh, Coleen." I can just hear you talking so much!! That's what's the funnest (is that a word?)about reading your blog - is hearing you talk! And I love your memories too. And Manic Monday - is you in the front seat of the car with little Stacey in the back singing it at the top of her lungs with you! And Celebration Time - Come Home!!! just for little Noah. I guess our family likes singing at the top of our lungs - like Fig said in her comment with Ryn!! And FIG - Amy and Catheryn did the whole Dave Mathews Band thing too!! And I'll always remember that she had to miss a Dave Mathews concert here in Champaign because she had to play in a basketball game in Sullivan. Oh, she was so mad. Memories, like the colors of my mind...
AND btw - "I hear "Break My Stride" and I'm at the Skate-a-Rama with my mom doing aerobics in a yellow leotard with a feather tutu. (I know you're thinking, "Oh Amy, you just dreamed that." No my friend. That was real.)" = is all totally NOT true! yes, the song takes me right back to the Skate-A-Rama with me doing aerobics - but I have never owned a yellow leotard - or a leotard at all, let alone one with a feather tutu...what are you thinking about??? Certainly NOT ME!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I can't stop laughing. I didn't mean that my mom was in a yellow leotard - I was! I was just with her at the skate-a-rama... I didn't realize how that sounded outside of my head. But that gave me the best laugh I've had for a while. I'll change that, mom! Also - mom, your posts prove my point about song lyrics. It's Celebrate good times, come on! (although I could be wrong too) and Memories, like the corners of my mind. So funny!!!
Im the Queen at singing the wrong lyrics. My brothers use to turn the radio down when I wasnt expecting it just to try to hear what I was saying because they knew it was all off. I still have issues singing in the car with people because Im so bad at the right lyrics. Here is one that has always stumped me...The song Round here by Counting Crows at the end he say "Im under the ___, round here a couple of times and no one I know can tell me what he says there. Ive heard both gun and car but those dont make any sense. Any ideas?
Exactly - Noah sang it that way - it wasn't the way the song was written!!! And he insisted it was Come Home!!!
Fig- how could you not know Patrick Swayze singing that song in Dirty Dancing? Doesn't everyone, regardless of age, know that?
Great post Amy. Here's how Michael used to "sing" (he didn't sing though) the Shania Twain song "who's bed have your boots been under" as "excuse me, have your boots been laundered"! Never heard a better one than that.
Okay, my memories:
Cat Stevens- Father and Son; Cheryl and I are lying on Tom's bed in the bedroom garage, she sings the father's part and I sing the son's part.
Donny Osmond- Puppy Love; 7th grade, I'm getting tormented because I have a crush on Doug Jones. He was SO cute!
Elton John- Your Song; 8th grade P.E. class. We'd sing it as we ran the track.
Paul Williams- Every single song on the We've Only Just Begun album. Best one he ever did. He was my very first favorite singer.
And last but not least (I could go on for years but I'll spare you all) Rod Stewart (because you said on your sidebar you didn't like him) singing Maggie May and Cheryl is making me clean my half of the bedroom! "Wake up Maggie I think I've got something to say to you!" If I was on Don't Forget the Lyrics and that was a choice, I'd ROCK!
Patti - I always think of you and the fam when I listen to Dolly's "White Limozeen" album. I can still hear Samuel saying "walking down the bouleTARD the walkway of the stars..." So funny! The Spirit of God makes me think of Carl and Samuel too and Carl shouting we'll sing and we'll SHOUT!
ok that's seriously hilarious. I LOVE LOVE LOVE She's like the Wind..because Patrick sings in on Dirty Dancing...and that's my favorite movie and he's such a stud. But I think it's funny that Dancing Queen reminds me of Miss Congeniality and I've had the time of my life is also Dirty Dancing. I'm pretty sure I've never even heard of any of the other ones :)
Was mom really wearing a leotard? And did she really have the tutu?? Cause I can see that. :)
And ps.. once the entire Warren family and I (excluding the parents) walked around their house singing, Nacho, Nacho Man...i want to be a nacho man!!! Instead of the Macho man song...cause we were awesome. We did it for like 30 minutes. One of the best memories of my life
Er . . . I've seen the movie, and I love it, but I can't recall the song. Whoops.
LynnEl, I was totally picturing you in a yellow leotard and tutu, doing aerobics. I think I'll just keep picturing it that way.
That song... is it Carrie Underwood?... "I dug my key into the side of his pretty little souped up 4 wheel drive. Carved my name into his leather seat... " Brian would always sing "carved my name into his lettuce leaf!" Surely he knew those weren't the lyrics... just didn't know what the real lyrics were. hahaha!
Too bad there are no photos of the yellow leotard and tutu... still unsure who was wearing it.
Jump, Shake Your Booty... disappointed to see that one didn't make the list!
Very funny blog today... was cracking up at it, as well as laughing at my own memories and wrong lyrics!! :)
Kathy Sowinski
Wasn't it our own Carrie who used to think it was, "Don't mess around with a man who shaved his legs." Instead of "Don't mess around with the man in shades, oh no." (or something like that - I could be totally wrong about the "real" lyric too!!!) HA HA HA - I always think of her when i hear that song.
Okay - maybe the tutu back in my skinny-minnie days!! Yeah - NO!! Not me, no way, no how!!! :)
But I love everyone's comments and song memories!!
"So Far Away" - driving wtih Barbara Brady and Beverly Brady to their house after visiting Elder Lowry when he returned home from his mission - again singing at the top of our lungs!! :)
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