mixed tapes
They say that music is the language of love. Or is that French? No matter, music definitely is the language of emotions. Which explains why when we are at our most emotional ages (11-23...just pulling numbers here, nothing scientific) we listen to a LOT of music. Kate has started listening to music almost non-stop when she’s home, and Elia scraped together her life's savings to buy an iPod mini so she can listen to music on-the-go (which for a 9-year-old means around the house and in carpool). It seems someone is always listening to something in our house, and thankfully, for the most part, we share a similar taste in music. Though only two of us dance to Taylor Swift like we're her paid background singers.
While we don't, per se, live in a musical, we do each have a soundtrack to our lives. Do you ever hear a song on the radio and it takes you back to the moment you first heard it? I hear "Life is a Highway" and suddenly I'm driving my '79 Cadillac to high school, "I'm In a Hurry to Get Things Done" and I'm ripping up the dance floor at a Dordt College, any song from Coldplay's X&Y album and Greg and I are driving the 36 hours from California to Michigan with newborn Kate, and "Wheels On The Bus" plays and I'm tripping over a vast sea of toys in our sunroom.
My earliest memory of recorded music is my parents' records: ABBA, The Beatles, James Taylor, some woman with long brown hair...or was that a man? When I was in 6th grade I bought my first tape, Cyndi Lauper, and I memorized her every New York inflection in "True Colors," which I could sing for you to this day (and gladly will if you just ask). At that age I also loved Elvis, which might seem an odd combination. But over and over I would sing his "Don't cry Daddy": Daddy please don't cry, Daddy you've still got me and little Tommy, together we'll find a brand-new Mommy...." Such darkness, but thus began my infatuation with sad songs. And accents.
In college I discovered, and almost exclusively listened to country music. So much so, that my brother made me a mixed tape entitled "Good, real music so you don't only listen to Country," full of bands I wouldn't appreciate for a while. (I like to be able to hear the words of my sad songs, with the exception of Pearl Jam's "Yellow Ledbetter"--I love that song--and haven't a clue what it's about.) My roommate Jodi and I would sometimes take a break from country long enough to listen to Kenny Loggins ("Return to Pooh Corner"), which we later realized was probably not normal, and my friend Lisa and I sang loud and fierce to any and all Carpenters' songs (oh, we were truly "On Top of the World!").
After college my Sister-in-law, Meredith (who at that point was just my roommate--another story for another time), introduced me to the music of Natalie Merchant, Tori Amos, and Alanis Morissette, which was perfect for my early 20's angst. Natalie Merchant's "My Skin" was a call for my man, who at that time I figured was on a deserted island somewhere (in reality, he was just across town at Calvin College): I need a lullaby, a kiss goodnight, angel sweet love of my life. Oh, I need this.... So by the time I started dating Greg (long-distance, because he'd moved to California), I had plenty of love songs to compile on his first mixed tape, which I'm sure helped seal the deal. Am I right Greg? It's too bad I get rid of everything, cause I would love to prove it. I do know I had Counting Crow's "Raining in Baltimore" on there: There's things I remember, things I forget, I miss you I guess that I should. Three thousand five hundred miles away, what would you change if you could?
The having-young-children phase is a bit of a blur, but I do remember quite a bit of Raffi ("Mr. Sun"), Sharon Lois & Bram (Skinnamarink...don't even act like you've never heard it), and lots and lots of incessant--er, catchy--kids' songs which you can't help but get stuck in your head. But there was not a lot of other music in the house, which makes this particular story even more puzzling: Elia has an uncanny memory for tunes and words, and when she was three, Greg's co-workers were over, and she started singing an eerily familiar tune to the English department. After a few minutes, someone realized it was Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream": Put your hands on me in my skin-tight jeans.... Probably not the pinnacle of our parenting. Not the worst, but not the best.
Turns out some of the more catchy tunes are some of the least appropriate for us to sing in public. (Kate also learned that the hard way with her rendition of "What's Love Got to Do With It" at age five.) Recently, we opened our red hymnals after supper--Greg's family has a tradition of singing songs after eating--and we randomly turned to a song entitled, "Stay with Me" which Elia began to the tune of Sam Smith's song of the same title--though not the same song, I can promise you that! And on the way to school today an old familiar song started, "Your Love," by The Outfield: Josie's on a vacation far away...You know I like my girls a little bit older, I just want to use your love tonight.... Nice. Very nice. Somehow I hadn't actually listened to the words before today.
Anyhow, somewhere along the way I slowly fazed out of listening to music, and fazed into talk radio and NPR. So while now I'm more abreast of this fun party we seem to be having in our country, I'm not quite as versed in the newest batch of singers. Thankfully, Greg seems to keep up on groups, and he introduces me to new favorites (Adele, Bruno Mars, John Legend), which I then make into a playlist for parties or a mixed-CD for our friends (or, as it turns out, our friends' kids). It's taken me quite some time because I have pretty strict rules: I can't repeat a song from a past CD (or I would repeat my favorite "Just Give Me a Reason" by Pink and Nate Ruess), I can't have the same singer more than once on a CD, I have to include a mix of old and new, I have to love every song, and they have to be appropriate for all audiences (Greg says that excludes John Mayer's "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room"). "But Sarah," you say, "do you have too much time on your hands?" No. And I don't like your tone. So, drumroll please...here's my playlist for 2017:
Love Yourself -- Justin Bieber
Sleep on the Floor --The Lumineers
How to Save a Life --The Fray
House of Gold --Twenty One Pilots
Photograph --Bea Miller & Boyce Avenue
Blue Ain't Your Color --Keith Urban
Thinking Out Loud --Ed Sheeran
The Frog Prince --Keane
No Hard Feelings --The Avett Brothers
Say You Won't Let Go -- James Arthur
7 Years --Lukas Graham
Crazy --Gnarls Barkley
Hallelujah --Matthew Schuler
Trust in You -- Lauren Daigle
Break Your Heart -- Barenaked Ladies (but they're neither naked nor ladies)
Mirrors -- Justin Timberlake
Love on the Brain -- Rihanna
TheMoon and Stars --Hidden track by Elia Schemper (age 4?)
And today, as an exclusive offer, and just because I like your face, if you comment below (on my blog or Facebook) and say, "You have great taste in music, Sarah!" I'll enter you in a drawing to win this newest CD! I'll draw five winners on Wednesday, March 22. So if only 4 like my taste, your chances are pretty darn good! If you don't like my taste, that's fine too. We can't all enjoy fine music.
Good luck, and keep on rockin' to the soundtrack of your life. Or, if you're one of the lucky ones, the soundtrack of my life!