Music and Memories

Listening to Bono of U2's song "Your Song Saved My Life", I can't help but feel that songs are very influential in our lives. He wrote a list of 60 songs for his 60th birthday and sent the performers a fan letter. Brilliant! Sometimes when I write I think of how if I wrote a book, song titles would be my chapter titles. Sometimes I think I was the right age to really appreciate the impact of rock and roll music on all of our lives. I know how much music influenced my father. He had a love of Big Band music and Frank Sinatra, Glen Campbell, Barry Manilow and his very favorite Wayne Newton. He loved to see them live. My mom didn't really appreciate music too much. And, most shows my dad went to he went alone. I always loved to hear his review each time he saw Frank Sinatra. He was either fantastic or horrible. There was no in between. I remember my mom telling my brother that the song "Rock around the clock" made rock and roll take over the airwaves and changed everything. Especially the way everyone danced. I liked going to dances in high school. I was afraid at first, because I thought it would be a lot of couples dancing. But, by the time I went it was more about everyone sitting in front of the bands and listening. We had really good bands play our dances, who I would continue to follow at the local bars. I think "Smoke on the Water" and "Johnny B. Goode" were the most played songs of the local bands that played. At that time there were records, casettes, 8 tracks and fm radio. More attention was being played on the albums rather then the singles. And, as I really paid attention to which albums I bought. Which albums I didn't, because those songs I could hear on the radio all the time. And, which albums did I just put the needle down on one particular song. The two albums I would listen to every single song was Jackson Browne's Late for the Sky and The Pretender. I often talk about fear of depression. And, for some reason I loved these songs and would just relax and listen to the deep lyrics. Knowing what he had went through and then wrote about was astounding to me. Then there were the Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes records I would have to dance to. And, then there was the one who effected me the most and that was Bruce Springsteen. But, in all honesty Southside Johnny was played more then Springsteen. Until that night I saw Bruce Springsteen fill in for Southside Johnny when he was sick. I couldn't wait for his new highly anticipated album. I didn't know at the time he wrote so many of the songs. This was also the shows that included Ronnie Spector. And, Phil Spector's Christmas album was my favorite album to listen to the whole record. LOVE love LOVE Ronnie Spector and Darlene Love. Anyway, to the Song That Saved My Life would have to be Badlands by Bruce Springsteen. The line "It Ain't NO sin to be glad that you are alive" are my favorite lines of a song along with "throw roses in the rain" from Thunderoad. But, I will say this over and over again because I know I have written about it before. To see Southside Johnny, Springsteen and Steve Van Zandt still at it is the greatest gift ever. Love hearing their stories and influences. Song of the day: Bono U2 "Your song saved my Life" Quote of the day: Pop music often tells you everything is OK, while rock music tells you that it's not OK, but you can change it. Bono U2