Musical Time Travel

This past weekend, my favorite Beastie Boys tune came on and I heard the intro and turned to my son and asked him, "So what’s the time?” and he answered, “it’s time to get ILL"...

I love music. I love music. I love music. So much so, I have to say it three times. As I write this, it’s late at night and I am listening to Big Audio Dynamite “The Globe” and it brings me right back to 1992. Crazy. My first gift from my new boyfriend who would 5 years later become my husband and the father of my two children.

My all-time favorite song is “Angel” by Jimi Hendrix (thanks, Mike Lyons), with a close second being a tie between “Walk This Way” by Aerosmith, “Wuthering Heights” by Kate Bush and “Sugar Magnolia” by the Grateful Dead. Also, I absolutely love that song “Bedrock” by Little Wayne, etc. Instantly makes me happy (IIII I can make yourrrrr bedrrrrock...)

Angel came down from heaven yesterday,
She stayed with me just long enough to rescue me
And she told me a story yesterday,
About the sweet love between the moon & the deep blue sea.
And then she spread her wings high over me,
She said she was going home and coming back tomorrow

I have noticed lately that music takes you back to different places in your life. Whenever I hear “Isn’t She Lovely” by Stevie Wonder, I think back to the day my daughter was born. “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd reminds me of my son and the day he was born.What a gorgeous song. Still makes me cry whenever I hear it.

Mama told me when I was young
Come sit beside me, my only son
And listen closely to what I say
And if you do this it'll help you some sunny day

I recently told my boy that when I was pregnant with him, I used to put my hand on my stomach whenever a song I loved came on the radio, so he would like it, too. He got a kick out of that (although I think he was secretly grossed out) and said that was probably why he likes music so much.

I cannot listen to “Red, Red Wine” by UB40 without remembering living in Allston (which is to Boston what Queens is to NYC) atop the Pizzerio Uno’s and drunkenly singing that song over and over again with Suzi, Sybil, Donna and Mike.

Rickie Lee Jones reminds me of my Nadia and all those late nights in our small dorm room and later, our apartments. Nadia and I were both in love with two New Orleans guys who were best friends and thus began my love for the Neville Brothers and Dr. John. I still love to blast “Brother John” and “Hey Pocky Way”…..

And at a Rickie Lee Jones concert 22 years ago, my Donna and I discovered Lyle Lovett (who was the opening act). I have seen him in concert about 15 times since then.

Nine Inch Nails. Tom used NIN to pursue me back in the day. We worked together and he kept bringing in NIN CDs for me. NIN is real rebel music. Still love Trent and all his nasty lyrics! Love to play him loud, if I am feeling angry! You could say that NIN provided the background music for our relationship. Passionate, angst-filled and rebellious. “Black" by Pearl Jam was our song. Later, it became "Bittersweet Symphony" by the Verve.

Jackson Browne. Introduced to me in the early 80s by my Wendy. Crazily in love with him still. His later album, “I’m Alive” got me through one of the most difficult periods of my life (the past few years). Tremendously heartbreaking lyrics in every song.Most  accurate depiction of a truly broken heart I’ve ever heard.

Hey look at the way I believed in you
And loved you all these years
Now you can fill a swimming pool with all my salty tears
you could have told me what was in your heart
but baby you lied
I thought that it would kill me
But I'm alive

Just a few of the albums that most inspired me over the past 40 something years (the ones I played over and over):

-Joni Mitchell “Blue”

-Ramones “Rocket to Russia”

-Van Halen II

-Van Halen “Women and Children First”

-Kate Bush “Hounds of Love”

-Jackson Browne “I’m Alive”

-NIN “Pretty Hate Machine”

-Fairground Attraction “Fairground Attraction”

-Aerosmith “Toys in the Attic”

-Lyle Lovett and his large band “Pontiac”

-Joan Jett and the Blackhearts “Bad Reputation”
-Jethro Tull "Songs from the Wood"
-Beastie Boys "Licensed to Ill"

My guilty pleasure? I heart Marilyn Manson. And I like it LOUD. No one else will admit that. No joke. Love him. He’s creepy and amusing. His version of “Personal Jesus” is INSANELY GOOD.

I also love Guns n Roses (thanks again, Mike Lyons). Especially “I Used to Love Her”.

And Steven Tyler? Those lips. Those eyes. Nothing more to say.

HOTTEST. OLD. GUY. EVER.

 

I figured out after writing this why I love music. It keeps me feeling young and alive. And allows me to revisit the past.