April asked about music that defined me when I was eighteen, and I’m sorry to say: none.
In 1994, we were treated to the likes of: (taken from Pop Culture Madness)
All I Wanna Do – Sheryl Crow
I’ll Make Love To You – Boys II Men
Turn The Beat Around – Gloria Estefan
I Like To Move It – Reel 2 Real
I Swear – John Michael Montgomery (or All-4-One)
Bootie Call – BLACKstreet
Another Night – Real McCoy
Sadly, for me, my musical moments of self-definition all happened when I was a child. So, in the spirit if not the letter of April’s challenge, here are five songs that defined me:
Snowbird-Anne Murray. Ahhh, what can you say about Anne Murray? Canada’s greatest treasure. I first heard this song when I was 6 and driving through the Rocky Mountains of Banff for the first time in my life. All I remember was a a crystal blue sky, bright sun, and these gigantic hunks of rock. I felt a sense of awe, wonder (and motion sickness). It was our first family outing in Canada, the first time I had a sense of life and existence being bigger than myself, and the first time I walked into a souvenir shop and bought knick-knacks that I would later look at and think what possessed me to buy this?
How Deep is Your Love-Bee Gees. If I could have married a voice, it would have been Barry’s. I don’t know what it was about this song and his style of singing, but this song so totally encapsulated how I wanted to love and be loved (“And the moment that you wander far for me, I want to feel you in my arms again”). I guess because the idea of loving someone so much, and having them love you back so that you couldn’t bear to be apart seemed to totally romantic and lovely.
Right to Be Wrong-Joss Stone. The title says it all. Life, as they say, is not about how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you get back up. I think it’s important to be gentle with ourselves, to try, fail and be okay with that.
Don’t You Worry About a Thing-John Legend. Again, like the above. I can worry and angst myself to death. This song reminds me to stop, take life one breath at a time, rather than trying to suck all my past, present and future in one inhalation.
You’ve Got a Friend in Me-Robert Goulet. This song just makes me smile. It reminds me of all the people I love.
