Music Memories

I think it's amazing how easily a familiar song can send your mind hurtling back in time to a special memory.

Here are a few of the songs that do that for me...

Queen - Bohemian Rhaposody

When I was about 10 or 11 years old, we had a foster sister named Angie who was about 15. I remember so clearly standing in the bed of my Dad's truck with Angie as she taught me that song. Of course that was before walkmen or iPods, so she just sang it and I sang it with her. After we were done I think she realized that she had just taught a 10 year old boy to sing "Mama, I just killed a man..." and she made me promise to never tell my mom where I learned that song. And I never did... until now. Sorry Angie!

Sheriff - When I'm With You

Somewhere in my high school career, the band Sheriff did a concert for us. It was my first rock concert. The gym was set up with folding chairs and I remember one of the teachers walking around with a decibel meter, looking like quite the dork. Near the end of the concert, one of the band members yelled something about getting out of our chairs and acting like we were at a concert and people started pushing the chairs out of the way and running up to the stage. I loved "When I'm With You" so much, we had it as the first song at our wedding.

Alphaville - Forever Young

This one always reminds my of my best friend, Seth. One Friday night while we were driving around looking for something exciting to do, he put his Alphaville cassette in the stereo in his car and we jammed out. There was a slight clicking noise on "Forever Young", probably because we played it so often, and we obsessed about that little noise for a long time.

"Do you hear that noise?"

"Yeah, I hear it. What do you think it is?"

"I don't know, you hear it though right?"

Whenever I hear that song now, with or without clicking, it always reminds me of Seth and the great times we had together.

Louis Armstrong - What a Wonderful World

This was the last song played at our wedding, (well that last one we heard), it was playing as we said good-bye to everyone. On our wedding video, you can see Demarise hugging everyone and their brother, while I am holding her hand and gently but firmly trying to pull her away. I've got her in one hand and a bottle of (non-alcoholic) champagne in the other.

There is another story for this song, but it deserves a post all of its own.

ABBA - Anything by them

My entire teenage years. ABBA was the soundtrack to my adolescence. As I say to my kids now, if it's not ABBA, it's crap!

Starship - We Built This City

When I was on my mission in Montreal, of course we weren't permitted to listen to rock music. But one day a few of us were in a clothing store and "We Built This City" came on. One of the Elders was from the San Francisco area and he got so excited. I've loved it ever since. And luckily, my sister Heidi married a guy cool enough to love it too. So now I have a song with one of my Brothers in law!

Journey - Don't Stop Believing

When I was 17, I was a cast member in the Hill Cumorah Pageant in Palmyra, NY with my friends, Seth, Brad, and Simon. One night we ended up crammed into the back of Kim Sherwoods VW Jetta along with several other people. I'm sure we were breaking some sort of law, but we didn't care. We were driving along a country road singing along to this classic by Journey.

Well I could go on and on. There are so many great songs that take me back to so many great memories. All I can say is, "Thank you for the Music"