My indecisiveness flies free when I get such assignments as Pick the 10 Songs that describe your life! Oh my goodness. Music is SUCH an important part of my life, it’s hard to narrow it down. After all, it’s been nearly 3 decades of song in my life (and yes, I’ll dig out the picture of me listening to music with my Dad’s big earphones when I was about 1. He was a DJ, and my Mom LOVES music too, so it’s always been a part of my life). These are all songs that transport me to particular times and places in my life. So without further ado here is my list, in no particular order.
{Have I Told You Lately, That I Love You, Rod Stewart}
My Mom used to sing this to me all the time in the car. I will forever think of her when I hear it and feel safe. I will also think of cruising down the back country roads to my Grandmother’s house with the sunroof open, singing at the top of our lungs.“Oh the morning sun in all it’s glory, greets the day with hope and comfort too. And you fill my life with laughter. You make it better. Ease my troubles, that’s what you do.
{So This is Love, James Ingram}
This is our wedding song. And our blog name. And the perfect song to describe Casey and I. I remember one of the first times we danced to it, around the pool at his parents house showing off our moves that we learned in our ballroom dancing class. This was the day that Casey would later tell me that he knew he was in love with me. I knew that I never wanted to stop dancing with him. “So this is you. So this is me. So this is what makes life complete.”
{Fly, Celine Dion}
I listened to this song on repeat when we miscarried. It can still resolve me to tears most days of the week. It is beautiful, in a haunting away. “Fly, fly precious one. Your endless journey has begun. Take your gentle happiness, far too beautiful for this. Cross over to the other shore, there is peace – forevermore. But hold this memory bittersweeet, until we meet.”
{I’ll Be There For You, The Rembrandts}
This song is two-fold. Firstly, it is the theme song of course to Friends. A show that my best friend and I started to enjoy in its last season. We then went through and watched it all, and these days we can have entire conversations in quotes from the show. It’s something we do via text quite often. When I moved in with Casey my parting gift to her was the complete series box set. But this song? It is also US. Plus, I got her to dance at my wedding to this song. So there’s a bonus! “No one could ever know me, no one could ever see me. Since you’re the only one who knows what it’s like to be me. Someone to face the day with, make it through all the rest with. Someone I’ll always laugh with, even at me worst I’m best with you.”
{Bridge Over Troubled Water, Simon & Garfunkel}
So. When I am stressed I often listen to a song on repeat that helps me. That I can sing at the top of my lungs to. That is meaningful. When my Mom was really, really sick after her kidney transplant, and Stacey was really sick after donating, and I felt really alone in the world, was in grad school, working full time, and commuting to a hospital 3 hours a way every chance I could – I was listening to this song on repeat. I was willing the words in to the unconscious brain of my Mom. The first night they took her off the ventilator and she was struggling to breathe, I sang it to her all night long. Until eventually they had to put her back on the ventilator and back to unconsciousness. My song failed. I am always transported to that scary time in 2007 when I hear this song. How I wished that I could take her pain away. “I’ll take your part, when darkness comes..and pain is all around. Like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down.”
{One Sweet Day, Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men}
This song was popular around the time my Grandmother died. By this time, we had lost two of my uncles, my Grandfather and my Grandmother on my Mom’s side of the family. I will always hear this song and think of them. I remember ice skating with my Mom, and this song came on and we held hands going around the rink – remembering the lives of those we loved and lost.
{Hallelujah, Jeff Buckley version}
A beautiful song. I have no idea why I connect with it, but I do. It’s haunting. It’s desperate. It just gets me. “And love is not a victory march, it’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah.”
{Hold On, Wilson Phillips}
This song doesn’t really need any explaining does it? This is my go to song on a bad day, when I’m feeling sorry for myself, or when I need to just get up and dance around like a fool (much like I did when it first came out, in my room, with my beloved walkman back in 1990). “You’ve got no one to blame for your unhappiness. You got yourself into your own mess. Lettin’ your worries pass you by, don’t you think it’s worth your time to change your mind?”
{White Rabbit, Jefferson Airplane}
Okay, so funny story. When I was a wee one, as I mentioned, my Dad was a DJ at a local “Oldies” station. I FELL IN LOVE with this song for whatever reason, and clearly remember asking my Dad to make a tape of it for me. And he did. And I promise, I HAD NO IDEA what this song was about. It’s been one of those “hahaisn’tthatfunny” things about me for a long time, especially when I finally figured out the song. I remember going to my Mom and Dad asking them why in the world they let me listen to it on repeat. They thought it was hysterical! I still love the song. Whatever.
{Here Comes the Sun, The Beatles}
My list would not be complete without adding in the Beatles. I am a fan of so much of their stuff. I chose this song, because I remember a few years after my Grandmother died, I finally drove myself to the Cemetery where she was buried. I finally said goodbye. The loss of her was very hard for me, because we were very close. I still feel the loss of her in a very real way. I remember vividly driving out of the cemetery and this came on my MIX TAPE (remember those?). I cried through the whole thing, having one of those moments where I felt like the universe was speaking to me. I had finally said goodbye, and it was saying “Here comes the sun, and I say, it’s alright.”
Happy Monday, everyone!
Thank you for sharing such an incredible walk in your shoes. Taking a trip down memory lane with the words you chose – so moving and emotional.
Much love to you today – love what you did here.
That Jeff Buckley song, Ah-Maz-Ing!!
Reading that last bit about your mix tape and the Beatles, made my hurt heart for you.
Wilson Phillips! Oh such memories! I love your list.
What a wonderful selection of songs!
Some of them also bring back memories for me…
Thank you for sharing the music and the memories!
great song list! I had a though time narrowing it down too.
Your wedding song is beautiful! I am surprised Wilson Philips didn't make it to more lists, it is safe to say it was a big part of most girls teen years 🙂
The story behind why you chose Beatles made me choke up. What a great way to get to know you better Jenn.
I loved Hold On, too. I have a photo album from middle school, and the first slot in it is filled with an index card with some of the lyrics from this song. And my family LOVES Friends – we refer to it so often in life.
i could definitely and happily spend hours down the rabbit hole of youtubing wilson phillips. such great memories! thanks for posting.
chrissy
http://mydearwatsonblog.blogspot.com/
You put together an incredible list. Thanks for sharing all those memories.
WONDERFUL POST!! Girl how did you not cry and laugh typing this up or did you? Wow! I'm big on music too. My parents listened to everything out loud other than how we do today mostly through headphones. I'll play a Pandora station Kidz bop for Christopher so he won't be singing anything on repeat that would make my eyes bug out. LOL! I do remember singing Sexual Healing by Marvin Gaye. My dad came in my room with his eyes all bugged out. I didn't know what the big deal was. I was about 11.
I love I'll be there for you and Hold On too. I am singing them in my head right now. Great list!
You chose my favorite version of Hallelujah from Jeff Buckley. It brings me to a worship place in my life actually and I love it.
Hallelujah always gets to me too.