Songs that evoke memories

Are you one of those people who can hear a song and instantly be transported back in time to a memory, however fleeting? I am one of those. Is that weird?

Songs, much like scents, can evoke memories. Lately I've been trying to be more in tune to how different songs make me think of times past. Instead of just brushing off a memory that a song triggers, I actually say out loud to myself "that reminds me of...". I think by doing this, I am making a better memory bank of songs for that day when I will actually sit down and create a slide show. Or maybe make a play list.

Now, not all memories are pleasant ones. There are plenty of songs that bring back sad memories, such as break ups or times when I felt like nobody in my family loved me as a child. There are songs from the 1970's that remind me of family vacations, or picnics, or my mom sitting in the front seat singing along while her 7 children rolled their eyes and silently made fun of her (ABBA "Knowing You, Knowing Me" comes to mind, on a trip to the Smoky Mountains, when we bought some 8-track tapes from a roadside stand...).

There are songs (that Radio Disney seems to have resurrected) that remind me of the carefree days of high school, or elementary school. I distinctly remember David Bowie's "Changes"...it is a memory that makes me cringe. I remember standing in the high school auditorium with the rest of my Senior class after the Senior Variety Show, and they played that song at the end. Everyone around me knew the words...except me. I pretended to know the words. "Margaritaville" is another one of those humbling songs.

That wasn't my kind of music. I've always had "mom taste" in music. I have preferred songs by vocalists such as Whitney Houston, Olivia Newton-John, Barry Manilow...you get the picture. I was not exactly Prom Queen material (not to mention the braces and bifocals I had worn since age 13)...but I digress.

It is a fun exercise to do. When you hear a song, stop for a moment and try to think of a memory that it evokes. Some songs can be great for slide shows, or playlists. I Tunes is a great place to find and buy those old songs. If you are like me you have a box of LPs in your basement with no turntable to play them on. Or a bunch of cassette tapes in boxes that you probably won't ever listen to again. Now, you don't have to buy a whole cd to get one or two good songs. Spend some time searching on I Tunes and find those songs that really bring back great memories for you. Make a play list and burn it onto a cd, or load it onto your I Pod. Play it when you need to just reflect on where you have been and where you are now. I always find that when I hear a song that brings me back to a time in my life where I felt lost (let's say from about 1977 to 1993...:)), I can stop and say a little prayer of thanks that God has me where He has me today.

Sometimes, I like to reflect and wallow in the bittersweet memories of those lost or dark times, and I can actually bring back the feelings I felt then, as if they had just happened to me. But I don't let myself do that for very long, it is probably not all that healthy. I just think it is cool to be able to bring those memories and feelings to mind, and be more "present" in my own life. We all know, as busy parents, days blur into weeks that blur into months that blur into years.

If you have trouble getting started, play a little game with your kids. Have them ask you about different years (i.e. first grade, kindergarten, freshman year), and try to remember a few things that happened during that year. A few years ago, the kids and I played that game, and I was amazed at the different, random memories that came to mind when I concentrated. And most of the time, I could recall a song that reminded me of that time. It was so much fun, and the kids really enjoyed it. The picture at the top of the post depicts the kids and I playing this game while on a family vacation in Door County in 2002. A song that will always remind me of that trip is "If I Had a Million Dollars" by the Barenaked Ladies. That is a family favorite song now.

This is just one small way to stop and smell the roses, or hear the music, and really reflect on where you've been and where you are now. Try it sometime, and keep a list of songs and memories in a journal or a notebook and then develop a playlist from this list.

Getting back into the swing of things

Today I started back up in a Bible Study. We are studying "Esther" which is Beth Moore's new study. So far, I like it. It is going to be all about being a woman. I think it will be a good study. This morning, as I was driving across town to the study, I was happy to find my ipod on the floor of the car between the seats.

Either I have not been driving much lately (which is weird because I certainly haven't been home...as evidenced by the fact that my Christmas decorations are STILL UP!), or I just haven't had my ipod playing. Maybe I've been listening to too much talk radio. I much prefer listening to music. So, today I put on my "favorites" playlist and just let it play. I don't even remember what is on this play list. Sometimes that is a good way to hear music in a new way, just let the ipod play on "shuffle" or "random".

I can get into a rut when I only listen to a certain playlist over and over again. Today I really enjoyed hearing some good Alison Krauss from her live album. Her songs remind me of a few summers ago, sitting at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, listening to Alison and her band play. The weather was perfect; we didn't get rained upon (which is rare during a summer concert at Red Rocks), and Alison's voice was just clear and pure. In fact, my hubby and I remarked about how quiet the crowd was; it wasn't a typical Red Rocks concert. In fact, I remember crumpling up my soft pretzel wrapper, and the people in front of us turned around as though I had just completely ruined their experience with my rude loudness. (It was kind of funny) Listening to Alison this morning took me back a few summers when things just seemed simpler. I'm not sure why; I'll have to mull that one over. I think it is because her music is simple and sweet.

Wednesday of this week I got up before the crack of Dawn to be in a two hour Zumba class/live broadcast for a local TV station. My sweet husband insisted that I do this; he stayed home long enough in the morning to make sure all 3 kids were safely off to school. They watched the news to see me. I wish I had set up our VCR to tape it. I have no idea what it all looked like. About every 20 minutes or so, we did a live shot, just for a few minutes. I figured we'd just wait around between live shots but actually we ended up dancing for almost the entire time. It was exhausting!

I had to go straight to work from there (I felt sorry for my co-workers...i'm sure I was totally RIPE by that point) and by the afternoon, I was pretty exhausted. But the music in Zumba class is very energizing. I love Latin music! I never knew I loved it until about mid-November when I started going to Zumba at my health club. It is addicting. You can't help but feel great when you hear the music. It is the most fun I have ever had working out. I am actually sad when class is over! That, I can honestly say, has NEVER happened to me in my lifetime!

I have a few songs on my ipod by a group called The Iguanas. We got a cd probably about 15 years ago when we were dating, from our friend, who has the largest music collection I have ever seen. He knows and appreciates so many obscure groups, and sometimes we just end up falling in love with his new discoveries. The Iguanas play all sorts of cool music. Some of the songs, I can imagine, would be excellent for Zumba classes. Maybe I'll make a playlist of them and on the days that I can't get to class, I'll just Zumba in my bathroom!

I don't know what it is about Latin music, but it makes me feel like I'm on a beach vacation. I used to listen to the spanish radio station when I lived in downtown Chicago, years ago. It reminded me of being in Cancun. Maybe that is why I now correlate my Zumba music with being on a vacation. I just hope that someday if we ever travel back to Mexico or somewhere way down south, I'll be able to get up and do a salsa, cumbia, merengue, or cha cha like a native. If you have never heard of Zumba, you should check out the website and find a class near you. www.zumba.com. It is an amazing workout (I've yet to see any weight loss, but I can totally tell my core and hips are getting in shape). You'll probably love the music too; just give it a chance.

a slow start

Well, so far I haven't gotten off to a great start on this blog. See, I'm trying to figure out the direction this will take. I'm not a musical scholar, that's for sure. For someone who loves music, it is never more humbling to join in with a friend's band and have them ask "do you know "XXX" song?" and I have to answer "no".

This has happened more than twice to me. First was when I was going to do some gigs with my bluegrass buddy, Del, and his band "Timberline". I am a quick learner, but every time they asked if I knew a certain song, I had to hang my head and say "no".

This also happened once when I came to another friend's band practice one Saturday afternoon to sit in with them and maybe sing a song or two. This was not a bluegrass band (and to be fair, until I met my friend Del in church choir, I hadn't spent much time listening to bluegrass), but they played more classic rock and such. I quickly brushed up on my Bonnie Raitt songs in the car on the way over, and wouldn't you know, the only song of hers that they know was one I had never heard of.

And now I must admit, most humbling of all is when I am singing with my friend Peggy. She does a weekly little church service at the Alzheimer's ward at the local nursing home and sometimes I come sing for that. I used to sing with Peggy and try to help her get a music ministry off the ground at our former church. Whenever she says "oh, we should sing this song...do you know this one?" and I, being a Christian now for well over 15 years, and being in music ministry for about 12 of those years, have to answer "no", with my head hung even a little lower. I mean, what kind of Christian gal in music ministry doesn't even know some basic hymns or contemporary music? Me, that's who.

I'm sorry but I just can't listen to K-Love all the time. I have tried, and frankly, i just don't enjoy it because it is mostly songs I simply don't know. I have my few Christian artists who's voices are in the same range as mine, and when I have to (get to) sing a solo at church, I usually go to Itunes and do a search for their name. You can only hear 30 seconds of a song before you commit to buying, so I usually say a little prayer before I click, and ask God to just show me if this is a song that someone out there needs to hear and then I buy the one that "feels" right to me.

I know, we don't live by feelings (that's a whole 'nother post), but sometimes you just get a feeling of peace and calm and you know that somehow God is going to use this song in the big tapestry of life to touch someone else's life. The coolest thing to me is that I won't even be aware of how a song I've sung has reached into someone's soul and given them something they were desperate for. But someday maybe the Lord will let me have a peek at an inkling of the seeds that were planted. That's not for me to worry about right now, though. Because I feel that if I were to try to keep track of that, it would lead to pride, and that is just not where I'm at.

That "being a part of something so much bigger than me" is a huge reason I drive over an hour each way to our awesome church in Frisco, CO to sing with the church choir there at Christmas time. Yes, the songs are beautiful, and they really reach hundreds of people, some of whom just happened to walk by the church and hear music. But it is SO much more than that. Every time I am singing during a Christmas program performance, I look out at the congregation and just wonder who is out there that NEEDS to hear the words of a particular song. It is so amazing to me to just be a part of the alto section in a choir (led by an awesome, and humble choir director Tommy) that is doing something that could change someone's entire life.

But the COOLEST thing is to sing down in Buena Vista at the prison. To sing in one of the darkest, most forgotten corners of the world, and bring light and hope to prisoners is my passion. It is "Christmas" to me. People think I'm NUTS, they don't understand why on earth some white bread mom of 3 would want to go to a scary place like a prison, or why on earth would I put 150 miles on my car (that has just rolled to 200,000 miles!) each Sunday in October, November and December for rehearsals. I really cannot articulate an answer for them. I just shrug and say "it blesses me". Maybe that is selfish, I hope not. It blesses me because it is bringing something tangible and hopeful to someone who is searching for meaning.

I'll prattle more about it later but for now, it is time to get my boys some haircuts. And now that they all have their own IPods, I can listen to MY music on the car radio. Today I'm feeling like some Eva Cassidy. I haven't heard her in a long time. It's all been about Christmas music lately. If you have never heard of Eva, you must check her out. Sadly, she is no longer with us, she died of melanoma in 1996. But her music lives on. If you want to hear what an angel sounds like, you must listen to her voice.


Eph 5:19-20 - "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ"