Live life like a Song -Jimmy Buffet

Music is something we all have in common. Music is a universal language. It’s a language that we all understand. It makes us feel. The feeling is different for each and everyone, but never the less we all get the feels. 

Are you singing a tune in your head? Have you gone back to a special time and place? You may have just started tapping your foot or snapping your finger. I’ve been working on this blog post for a few weeks and this morning as I pulled out my record player I was inspired to finish it. It's been a music filled Saturday!

I’ve heard this joke growing up that my sister and I were born “with a jam box up our butt.” What I believe is meant by this is Shana and I knew music growing up. We’d play this game when Dalhart still had the XIT/Communications channel. The channel that played music, but flashed the current events of Dalhart, TX across the screen. Does Dalhart still have that channel? Dad would flip to that channel we’d get just about 8 seconds of the song and we’d have to name the title or artist. We’d race to see who could get it first and then scream it out for the win. We knew every single word to American Pie by Don McLean. Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer was our favorite music video to watch while wanting to Dance with Somebody with Whitney Houston. My Mom loves the story that Warrior by Pat Benatar was my favorite song to sing at two years old. I’ll let you imagine how it sounded coming out of a two year olds mouth.

My most frequented Pandora stations are George Harrison Radio and Beach Boys Radio. I love music from the 60’s and 70’s. At a young age, I fell in love with The Beatles. I remember like it was yesterday. I was 13 and ABC was doing a three day anthology special during Thanksgiving. It was a Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evening. From that first night I was a goner. I remember being irritated because this was also Thanksgiving break and we had family over and as you can imagine they were loud. I’d get the TV loud enough to hear and my Mom would stick her head in and say, “Shelly turn it down.” She didn’t know at that very moment I was experiencing a life changing music moment. I recorded these three life changing nights on VHS and wore that tape out watching it over and over and over; memorizing and educating myself on all Beatles trivia (I now have the box set on DVD). I went to school and forced the awesomeness upon my friends. Everybody needed to love the Beatles like I loved the Beatles. By high school my walls were covered with posters and I owned every Beatles CD. When we took our family vacation to New York we went to Strawberry Fields and the John Lennon Imagine Memorial in Central Park and stopped by the Dakota building where John and Yoko lived. I was beyond obsessed. It was love. I don’t listen to them nearly as often as I use to, but my love for them is still as strong. My Aunt Toni has started a wonderful collection of Beatles records for me. My collection makes this girls Beatles heart soar!! I could talk about my love of the Beatles all day. My childhood crush on John Lennon, my new found love for George Harrison as a solo artist and how I heard some girl talking bad about a Paul McCartney concert she attended while in line at the airport and why I didn’t lecture her. They are The Beatles for a reason. I am not alone when it comes to loving their music. Beatlemania may not be what it once was, but Beatlemania still exists in every Beatles lover’s heart.

Throughout my musical journey I have loved some music that could make anyone cringe. More than likely they too were secretly singing along. I mean Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus is catchy and fun to sing. I also have a love for New Kids on the Block and have been known to sing my heart out to the BackStreet Boys. Every now and again I enjoy listening back and remembering how much fun they made slumber parties and hanging with friends fun.

In 2010, Shana and I along with two friends decided we were going to Bonnaroo. Bonnaroo is a music festival on a farm in Manchester, TN in June that brings about 80,000 people from all over to rock out to about 100 different bands. There are three large main stages and numerous smaller ones, along with art tents, awesome food vendors, and a mushroom water fountain. This type of festival is not for the faint of heart. If you have personal space issues, don’t go. If you have a problem with heat, don’t go. If you have a problem with sweating, don’t go. If you have a problem with hot sweating strangers, don’t go. If you have a problem with a hippie lifestyle, don’t go. However, if you love music and can overlook some of these things. GO! It was an amazing time and experience! I saw Stevie Wonder. I saw Jay-Z. I saw Weezer. I saw Jack White. These are artists that I never imagined that I would ever see. EVER! On the way home from our musical trip we stopped at Graceland in Memphis, TN. It’s hard to put into words the extravagance and the wow-factor. I mean, Elvis. Enough said. This trip left me with melodic memories and stories I’ll carry and share forever.

Many musical memories have flooded me as I write this. This post could go on for days!!

·         The concerts I’ve been able to attend!

·         The Musicals that I love!

·         Taking care to not forget my CD player when away for basketball/volleyball games in school!

·         Karaoke with my Aunts!

·         Road trips with friends singing my heart out!

·         Nights I can’t sleep and turn on my ipod and before I know it I am up dancing around my room!

·         Walking around SXSW in Austin to listen to the next and upcoming band!

·         80’s hair band concerts with my Mom!

I am smiling and my heart sings as these cross my mind.

Music for me is like food. There isn't much I won't listen too or at least try. It allows me to be eclectic. I get to be a hippie, folksy, country, a rock goddess or a diva all in one day! My taste in music changes as easily as my mood.

If I am going to be completely honest I will confess that current main stream country music is hit or miss for me. I am not a Luke Bryan or Florida Georgia Line fan. I know, but I do not apologize. I want to send strongly worded letters to each asking them to wear pants that fit and clothes that make sense. You are performing at the Nickelodeon Kids awards, why in the hell are you wearing a poncho? Their image distracts me from their music. I have tried listening to their music with no visual aids and I still cannot find an ear for it. There is some country music on the radio I can handle, but most of it drives me nuts. I believe what they call True Country is more my speed. I call it 90’s country. You know exactly who I am talking about and I bet you like them better too. Those like Alan Jackson, Sammy Kershaw, Randy Travis, and Patty Loveless. This is country music to me. A few artists today could fall in this group, but they are few and far in-between.

 To live your life like a song is a wonderful idea. Music opens your heart. Music inspires you to stand up for yourself or something you believe in. Music opens your mind to seeing something differently. Music gives you hope in despair. Music can help heal wounds. I cannot imagine a world without music, even if I have suffer through ASPCA commercial with Sarah McLachlan playing in the background.

Sing your favorite power ballad in the shower. Dance around your room. Go to a music festival. Crank up the radio and belt your favorite song out! Live life like a song.

-Have a happy music filled Saturday!