Here’s a question for all of you out there. What songs remind you of your childhood and teenage years? I’m going to limit myself to two songs for each period I’m planning to discuss here.
Childhood: I was a child who listened mainly to the classical and broadway show music my parents played in the house, but there are two popular songs I associate heavily with those years, both of which were played on the radio frequently during a summer trip we took with two of my parents’ teenaged students, who had brought a radio along with them.
Captain & Tennille: Love Will Keep Us Together
Elton John: Someone Saved My Life Tonight
Early Teenage Years: These years were very radio-heavy for me, but these two songs are still the first that come to mind. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to listening to “Owner of a Lonely Heart” on CD, because my record had a skip in it at one point that will forever be part of the song for me. Thanks to Amy Swift for the Rick Springfield obsession, which I probably should have labeled “pre-teen”.
Rick Springfield: Love Is Alright Tonight
Late Teenage Years (college): At college, I spent much of my free time haunting a used record store in Pittsburgh called Jerry’s Records (yes, this is how I completely missed the world’s migration to CD), buying up albums from the late sixties and early seventies. I bought The Beatles, Jefferson Airplane, Billy Preston, George Harrison, Yes, The Yardbirds, Cream, etc. This is also when I became obsessed with The Roches, thanks to Aimee Lebec, wherever she is now. I played their first album so often, I wore down the grooves in the vinyl.
The Roches: The Hammond Song
The Beatles: I Want You (She’s So Heavy)
Late Teenage Years (home): My summers at home, however, were spent with friends who listened to current pop radio, so I have extremely fond memories of those days as well. It’s all about dancing around in the Fischer Opera Haus box office with Laura Lewis. 🙂
George Michael: Faith
Madonna: Like a Prayer
So again, I ask all of you: What songs remind you of your childhood and teenage years? Share if you feel so inclined.
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