11/21/2007

My Personal Soundtrack

Julie Pippert writes about soundtracks in her Hump Day Hmmm. To be honest, I don't really know much about the Hmm, but I wanted to jump in with this:

I hear music in my head. A lot. I wrote about it in my first post, and the song I write about there is one of the reasons I chose the title that I did for this blog.

The first time I remember this happening, I had been hearing John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High" in my head for *days*. Every time I'd quiet my mind, there it would be; also every morning when I woke up. Rocky Mountain High... Colorado... I'm a John Denver fan, but this seemed excessive.

I went to a concert where some friends were performing (not John Denver, it was a Grateful Dead cover band + originals), and I ended up meeting a quite attractive man there. We decided to go out to dinner afterwards. Over dinner, he told me he had been on his way to just a "normal" conventional life, but when he was 27, the summer before, he visited the Rocky Mountains for the first time. He had never even left his home state (NC) before. There was something about that trip that completely woke him up, and he had been interested in really *living* ever since then. Intentionally, consciously. So... I started singing "Rocky Mountain High" to him!

He was born in the summer of his 27th year
Coming home, to a place he'd never been before
He left yesterday behind him
You might say he was born again
You might say he found the key to every door

We both just busted out laughing, and were good friends for quite awhile, until we lost touch after he moved away. I can't say if there was any kind of higher purpose in all that, but it was fun and interesting.

Since then, I get song messages fairly regularly. Sometimes for other people, sometimes for me. Earlier this fall, and again last week, I was waking up with Jefferson Starship, of all things, singing in my head. I sometimes feel a little alone on this spinning earth, like everything is all up to me.. and I'm just me. How can I handle it all? Then, the song:

Precious love
I'll give to you
blue as the sky and deep in the
eyes of a love so true

And you can count on me
you can count on my love
you can count on me baby
you can count on my love to see you through

Oh, yeah - I forgot. I'm not alone. I can count on you. OK. OK, phew. I need to hear that sometimes!

When I was in my early 20s I was in an intense, fun, slightly wild relationship with an intense, fun, slightly wild man. Before we moved in together, we were listening to a station here, long gone - WGSP, Great Songs of the Past. They played songs from the 50s, 60s, & 70s, and you could usually go three days before you'd hear any one song repeated. One day, Elvis came on - "All Shook Up". Mr.Intensity looked at me, and said, "You hear that?" "Yep. Great song." The next day, again, there it was: "All Shook Up". "You hear that?" "Yeah! Didn't they just play that yesterday?" The next day: "All Shook Up". "Uh, Caren? You hear that?" "Yes." "Do you know why I've been pointing it out?" "No." "I've been wanting to tell you I love you. I'm in love. With you." "Oh. You do? And you are?" "Yes. And I'm definitely all shook up." "Oh. I love you, too."

The relationship didn't last, but I've never heard All Shook Up without thinking of him. That, and Stevie Ray Vaughn's Honey Bee, but that's another story.

Like a queen bee's honey
You as sweet as can be
I'm the king, baby
Buzz with me.....

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I used to think that "Let it Be" would come on whenever I most needed to be reminded to pull away from my sorrow. Thanks for joining in the Hmmm.

Julie Pippert said...

Oooh ahhh I want the Stevie Ray story!

This is such a neat montage of how songs and life merge. I find a lot of meaning in music, too. That's why I am so deliberate.

This is a secret I will tell you here: I listen over and over and over to a song or band that fits the "mood" of what I am writing. A short story I did a while back? Ordinary World by Duran Duran. Post today? Cherry Bomb obviously LOL.

It's my inspiration...the music (not per se the lyrics, but the music).

What interesting experiences you had...and due to openness, I am sure.

Julie
Using My Words

Pam said...

I am loving your blog....about time.....

Pam

storyteller said...

Ohmygosh! Perhaps we're sisters separated at birth? LOL I hear music in my head all the time. It often conveys as message either I or someone else needs to hear (and have posted about this more than once on Small Reflections). Who knew? I wonder how common this is? I thought it was just me :)
Hugs and blessings,