1) "Taking Care of Business" by BTO - The first (and most important) song. This is "our song" ... because it was the first song we ever danced to. I'd like to point out that the second song we ever danced to was "Unforgettable" by Natalie Cole ... and although I've petitioned to make that "our song" for years, apparently a romantic song just ain't happening.
2) "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby - When I was a baby, my Dad would sing this song to me at night to get me to sleep. He never sings ... but he sang to me ... and this song always reminds me of him.
3) "Are you Lonesome Tonight" by Elvis Presley - My brother is an ass. I love him to death ... but he's an ass. When we were growing up, he'd inevitably piss me off ... and I'd stop speaking to him. And every time, he'd come up to me and go all jelly doughnut, white jumpsuit Elvis on me ... and he'd start singing this song. Now, you'd have to know my brother to appreciate this visual ... but no matter how much I wanted to hate him, it always made me laugh.
4) "After The Rain" by Nelson - This is more of a bad memory than good ... but it's still a memory. Years ago, my best friend and I were fighting over a guy. I know ... pretty stupid. But she had an enormous crush on him ... he liked me instead of her ... and I didn't think it would be a crime for me to go out with him. Well ... it was. It didn't take long at all to discover that he and I were definately not compatible ... and so we stopped seeing each other. My friend and I went for a drive and she played this song for me to "mend the fences" so to speak. We both cried ... I felt like a jerk ... and we got past it.
5) "Have You Ever Seen The Rain" by CCR - I was really into theatre in high school. I had the lead in the school play my senior year and practices were always such a blast. Well, one Saturday at practice, it started storming. The tornado sirens went off ... and, since we were out in the country, everybody was pretty freaked out. Jane took everyone out of the small gym and had us sit against the wall in the hallway on the very bottom floor by the art room. It was storming so bad, the school lost power. So, as we're sitting there in the dark ... in total silence ... I started singing ... "I wanna know ... have you eeeeevvaaaaah seeeeeeeen the rain ..." and everybody joined in. It's a good memory.
6) "Pour Some Sugar On Me" by Def Leppard - This song came out during one of the absolute worst periods of my life. I don't think I could tell you one good thing about those four years ... and if I could erase that entire block of time from my memory, I would. But, in any case ... have you ever been to a state fair? You know what the Himalaya is? It's this ride that goes in circles on a track ... then reverses and goes the other direction ... and during the entire time, loud rock music is blasting through all these speakers. Anyway, this song was everywhere that year ... and I remember walking through the midway with my best friend, drinking a lemonade shake-up, hearing that song, and thinking, "I've gotta make a change." So I did ... so maybe this one song is the only good thing to come out of those years.
7) "Girls Girls Girls" by Motley Crue - I've got nothing romantic or meaningful to attach to this song ... only that I think it totally rocks. Everytime I hear it, I feel young ... and take a moment of silence to mourn hair bands everywhere.
8) "A Matter of Trust" by Billy Joel - Remember I told you I didn't trust guys for years?
9) "Southern Nights" by Glenn Campbell - I was raised Catholic. What does this have to do with Glenn Campbell and a pretty craptacular song? Every Friday during Lent, Catholics avoid meat ... and usually eat fish. So, when I was a little girl, my parents would go to this one restaurant/bar during Lent because they had a big fish fry every Friday night. I'm only five or so ... and my parents would give me quarters to go play songs on the jukebox. This song was my favorite. It reminds me of being small ... and my parents taking me out somewhere "adult".
10) "Paradise By the Dashboard Lights" by Meatloaf - You know that period of life you go through when the main priority in your life is hanging out with your friends and hitting "your" club? Oh yes ... we did that. And on Saturday nights, they would play this song at midnight. Yes, exactly at the stroke of midnight! We'd all pour onto the dance floor and go nuts.
The German imagines even God singing songs.
Friedrich Nietzsche
