This came to me from MyButton, who got it from Kyra. I have to admit that it intrigued me, but because I'm a bit older than some of you, many of the tunes may not make sense. Plus, they will encompass multi-genres. So...here we go...
The Theme:
"I've often felt that my life has a soundtrack. Don't we all have one? There are songs that remind me of different times of my life, different places and different things. And of course, since so many songs are about love, romance and breaking up, it is inevitable that our life soundtrack includes songs that remind us of our past relationships."
The Rules:
Write a post about the soundtrack of your life. Please include somewhere in the body of the meme "This was started by Kyra (last refuge of the lonely housewife)... I want to google to see how far and wide this meme travels." The focus is intended to be on past relationships, but it's your soundtrack. You write it the way you want it.
And so I will. I cannot limit it to just relationships...so I'll touch some other places.
______________________________________
Riders On The Storm -- The DoorsLove this song. Love the sound effects of the rain and thunder in it. It does signify that my own life has had its stormy moments and yet somehow, I've been able to come out the other side in a good way...eventually.
Moondance -- Van MorrisonThe first tune I ever heard that had any leanings toward my love of jazz. And "Moondance" is how I look at relationships, too -- free, open, unencumbered, no boundaries to hold us back... just like the moon in its nightly dance of love.
So What? -- Miles DavisA perfect tune...cool and inviting at the same time. I own in real life a calm demeanor on the outside, while inside, the emotions and passions are constantly churning and working...and my love for jazz reflects that as well. And in our applique here, well, I dearly LOVE women...their intelligence, their instincts, their passions when we men just let our jealousy die and allow them to be what they want to be...because when you do that, they will come back. Go check this tune out and see how right I am.
It Makes No Difference Now -- Merle HaggardI can hear it now....WHO?...This is an old-school country tune by a legend of the genre.
"Let things happen as they will, and I'll get by somehow...
I don't worry 'cause it makes no diff'rence now."
Of course, that's not precisely accurate. We all have the pain to deal with when relationships reach their climax. The trick is to find the strength within us when that happens. And it always happens...we need to recognize where we can be resourceful and how to utilize those resources when we need them most. Our relationships serve OUR purposes, no matter what they are. And once they are over, well, they HAVE made a real difference in us. But what the song says is that it doesn't matter what happens in life...eventually we need to move forward to the next relationship, the next job, the next situation. Because that's what life is.
Green-Eyed Lady - SugarloafFrom my senior year in high school, first year in college. It was a one-hit wonder for this group from Denver. It's a fantasy about a woman of the sea, a child of nature. And one evening, a young lady and I listened to this song (on a 45 rpm recording...ask others what THAT is) as it repeated and repeated...and we fucked and sucked and felt and masturbated and explored each other for nearly two hours while her parents were gone. And both of us learned as much about lovemaking (as opposed to just fucking) in that evening as in any time in the old days. We remained friends for years until she got married and moved to Florida.
With A Little Help From My Friends - Joe CockerThe single greatest cover of a Beatles tune in the history of rock music. In its blues riff, it speaks volumes to those of us who yearn for a depth, a passion in our friends and lovers that is hard to attain. I defy anyone to listen to Cocker here without getting caught up in its endless thirst for the touch of others.
Whole Lotta Love - Led ZeppelinIf you listen to this and this of anything else but pure fucking, you don't get the song. There's even a drum/percussion section in it that, to many, simulates two people throwing themselves at each other. Another song from high school, and the standard by which most metal groups compare themselves today....I love this recording...it reflects how two (or more) people really should dive into sex with an abandon, even in the tender moments. In other words, it's about committing yourself to the road and the risk in life.
Ball and Chain/Piece of My Heart - Big Brother and The Holding Company...and if you don't know this late 60s group, just two words - Janis Joplin. I picked both songs, because one is original in the band, while the other is an old Bessie Smith blues tune from the 30s. And because of Joplin's absolute wailing on both. Her own animalistic singing is the sound I hear in my head when I help a woman orgasm...it's the sound I want her to make!
Parker's Mood (lyrics by King Pleasure) - Charlie ParkerYes, you read right...King Pleasure was the man's professional name. Late 40s tune by the great jazzman Charlie Parker that Pleasure (I can't even write his name without laughing) adapted from Parker's saxophone solo for a later recording. It was one of the first examples of vocalese - adapting lyrics to instrumental lines...And it predates rap and sampling by about 50 years. It talks about a man dying...yes, dying...and going to heaven. For him, heaven was Kansas City. Now we all have our own vision of whatever that is, and I'm not going to pontificate. All I know is that when I first heard this - and then when I began singing it - I finally understood the concept of 'taking flight', of letting your spirit soar to whereever it takes you, having the faith that a better place is at the end of it all. Whether I believe it or not, every time I hear this, I get caught up in the trip.
Ballet Suite From "Billy The Kid" - Aaron CoplandWhat? Classical music on a list like this? You betcha. This was the only piece of classical music that my father ever paused to listen to...he liked it because he said it sounded like a cowboy movie. It was THE positive moment that I remember of our relationship. The rest, well...the rest is for another time.
Suite: Judy Blue Eyes - Crosby, Stills and NashThere were two or three groups I followed feverishly, and this (with sometimes Neil Young) was one of them. The song is an opus to love. It was a Stephen Stills salute to his girlfriend at the time, Judy Collins...another great artist of the era. There was an ethereal quality here that I retain inside me to this day.
Love The One You're With - Stephen Stills...and by extension, this anthem that personifies my own approach to love:
"If you're not with the one you love, honey -
Love the one you're with."
We all should take care of each other in the best way we can.
______________________________
There are SO many others, friends. I haven't even touched yet my passion for jazz and blues and women....But this is where I would start. Tagging? God, I don't know where to start there, either. I invite you instead to please take Kyra's idea here and put it to your own standards, your own experience. I could make half a dozen lists on this.
Thank you, Button.