Blood On The Tracks, newly painted garage door on Dylan’s childhood home, part of the Dylan Days tour, Hibbing, Minnesota, May 2006, photo © 2006 by Liz. All rights reserved.
I’ve had music on the brain. Last week I watched an October interview with Nancy and Ann Wilson on A&E’s Private Sessions. The two members of one of the greatest rock bands of all time, Heart, were in fine form. Ann Wilson has a new CD called Hope & Glory. She tackles everyone from Shawn Colvin, Alison Krauss, k.d. lang, Rufus Wainwright, and Elton John – all the way to classic rockers, Led Zeppelin.
Watching I’m Not There a few weeks ago at the Uptown, and researching The 6 Faces Of Dylan, stirred up a few memory bars, too. I started compiling a list of my all-time Top 10 Albums (remember those scratches, ticks, and pops!), followed closely by my all-time Top 10 Singles. What happened next was a flood of memories associated with not only the songs, but whole albums.
I cut my teeth on early James Brown, Chubby Checker (is there anyone who doesn’t know The Twist?), and Beatles ’65. I listened to them on a beige RCA suitcase record player with a silver latch. I toted that thing everywhere and wore extra grooves into my coveted collection of 45’s (housed in a padded pink, Barbie record case).
I remember my favorite 33 rpm’s as concept pieces – I couldn’t listen to just one song. I had to hear the whole waxy platter (flip!), both sides: Neil Young’s, Harvest, Joni Mitchell’s Court & Spark (and Blue), Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, the Anthology: Best of the Temptations (double set), Elton John’s Tumbleweed Connection with Come Down In Time. And don’t forget the Johnny Mathis and Nat King Cole Christmas albums.
Then there are the obscure singles like Brook Benton’s Rainy Night in Georgia (this song still gets to the sadness in me), Lulu’s To Sir With Love, or The Association’s Cherish. Along with blockbusters like Bill Withers’ Ain’t No Sunshine, Otis Redding’s Dock Of The Bay, Bobby Darin’s Mack The Knife, Wilson Pickett’s Mustang Sally, or Tina Turner’s version of John Fogerty’s (Creedence Clearwater Revival) Proud Mary.
Maybe for you it was Elvis, the Fugees, Crosby Stills & Nash, The Guess Who, Steely Dan, the Supremes, Janice Ian, or Ferron. Maybe it was an old rock or country album your parents played when you were growing up. What about Hendrix, Woodstock, Janis Joplin, The Jayhawks, Los Lobos, Nirvana, Glen Campbell (I admit, Wichita Lineman, written by Jimmy Webb, is one of my faves), Leonard Cohen, or The Squirrel Nut Zippers.
Music and memories. Head back as far into your mental musical archives as you can go. Then connect the dots:
- Make a list of your Top 10 Albums (8-tracks, cassettes, CD’s) of all time, music that has impacted your life (it doesn’t have to be forever. You can change your mind later. Grab them off the top of your head. Don’t anguish over it!)
- Make a list of your Top 10 Singles of all time (same thing, don’t make it a big deal)
- Choose one of the Titles from your combined lists of 20 Hits.
Do a 15 minute writing practice on one of the following:
- When I hear ____ I remember…
- The first time I heard ____ …
- The last time I heard ____…
- This song reminds me of _____…
- The first time I saw ______ in concert…
It doesn’t matter what kind of music you like. What matters is how the music moves you. Music lifts the spirits, forces your body to sway, slings you into the fires of passion, keeps you young, and, for better or worse, is undeniably connected to love.
Think about the music that has most impacted your life. Drop some of your Top 10 Titles into the comments below (the more memories we stir, the better!).
And if you Love Me Like Music, I’ll be your song.
-posted on red Ravine, Monday, December 10th, 2007
redravine.wordpress.com 
http://www.lesliehawes.com/wordpress/?page_id=204
This Page has so many links, it may not pass the spamblocker…
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When I hear Motley Crue’s ‘Girls Girls Girls’ it makes me think of riding rides at the amusement park. LOL.
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LB, the Crue! Now that takes you back to the wild early 80’s. Is that because they always play Motley Crue over the rides? Or the band just has that kind of roller coaster feel to them. Tommy Lee is one bad boy rocker whose legacy will carry on a long, long time. Don’t they have a new CD coming out next year?
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leslie, that’s a great post. You must have every link we forgot to put in this one! I watched the Hendrix video. And I had forgotten all about Etta James. I love her. Also Joe Cocker. When I was home in November, I found out my sister-in-law loves Joe Cocker. I had no idea. 8)
I hope people check out your post. Lots of good music and inspiration there to stir the memories. I like your category: What’s In The CD Changer Right Now.
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I went to a Joe Cocker concert in a small theatre in my hometown in the early 70’s, drew (copied) a picture of Joe, and he autographed it. He gave me an A+, and flirted with my girlfriend.
I, of course, will post the drawing sometime. 🙂
If that link gets too unwieldly, you certainly can delete it. It’s linked to high heaven!
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QM, just checking in after a packed day in my San Jose conference. WOWIE (to quote a man in the next room at a hotel from another conference). This looks like fun. I LOVE Shawn Colvin. I love a lot of these singers and songs.
Music is like smell, isn’t it? Maybe even moreso for me. Just takes me right back to the time. This will be fun!!
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I am the sister in law that is the Joe Cocker fan. I recently was on You Tube & found a video of him singing “You are so beautiful to me” with Pavarotti. Wow! Oh, I also am a big fan of James Taylor. My husband & I saw him a few years ago in concert & it was great beyond my expectations. At our wedding reception, I dedicated the song “How sweet it is to be loved by you” to my husband. And let us not forget Eric Clapton, Johnny Cash, Carly Simon, B.B. King… Oh my gosh!This list could go on forever!
I do have a funny story to share. When I was very young & the Beatles were taking the U.S.A by storm, I had three girl cousins & we were very close in age. We would get together every Sunday at my grandmothers house for dinner. In those days we used our imaginations to entertain ourselves. I came up with this wonderful idea that we could pretend to be the Lennon sisters & we were each dating one of the Beatles! Because this was my idea I chose to be Diane Lennon & I got to date Paul McCartney. (Knowing what I know now I should have chosen John Lennon!) What a great post. I truly enjoyed this one! D
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leslie, can’t wait to see the drawing of Joe Cocker. And autographed, too. I liked him, too. His covers of Came In Through The Bathroom Window and A Little Help From My Friends were great.
ybonesy, glad you arrived safely. Sounds like it’s going well there. Keep us posted. 8)
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D, I have to look for that Cocker YouTube video. T hose were the later years when he sang that one, right? I was a big James Taylor fan, had everything he put out up to the 80’s probably. Loved Carly Simon, too. Wasn’t it wild when she married James Taylor. Eric and Johnny, more great names for the list.
You were quite creative with that Lennon Sisters/Beatles gig. Sounds like fun. Back then, I would have chosen Paul, too. I was nuts over him. (I remember my Beatles ring that changed faces when you turned it a certain way.)
Of course, much later I fell in love with Lennon’s music and Lennon & Yoko and their politics. All they were saying was give peace a chance. I actually saw Yoko at the Walker in Minneapolis about 4 or 5 years ago. She was still as cool as ever.
I got stuck in YouTube tonight, listening to moldy oldies. ybonesy is right, songs are like smells. They take you right back where you were when they came out.
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Ever since I read this post, songs have been going through my memory bank, and I feel very rich…yes, pun intended. When you mention going back as far as you can, how’s this for “far back.” When I talked with my Dad about how much he and I loved Dixieland Jazz, he replied, “Well, maybe because you were a fussy baby and I had to walk the floor with you at night, only we danced to Dixieland and that made you happy.”
I tried to think of my Top Ten favorites, and I can’t stop at such a small number, as music has always made connections with so many aspects of my life! Here goes a random remembering: Cat Steven’s “Morning has Broken,” Dusty Springfield’s “First Time Ever i Saw Your Face;” “When I’m Gone,” all songs about San Francisco, (from my homesick first year in No. Dakota,) “There’s No People Like Show People,” in remembrance of my thespian friends. I love ballads, so, of course I like “folk” music best; Pete Seeger, Woody & Arlo Guthrie, (Alice’s Restaurant, now there’s a story!) the Kingston Trio, Brothers Four, Joan Baez, Judy Henske, James Taylor, Billy Joel, Beatles, Randy Newman, Leonard Coen…
Help! Somebody stop me!
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Marylin, I had forgotten all about Cat Stevens (I wore out those records), Billy Joel, Arlo, and Dusty Springfield has the most amazing voice.
Your memory of your father soothing you with Dixieland music, that’s a wonderful association with him and a beautiful memory. It would make a good beginning for a short story or a novel. Have you written any stories about that memory, fiction or creative non-fiction? It seems like such a good jumping off place.
I’ve heard a couple of stories from my friends about how their mothers used to love to dance. Either around the kitchen to the radio when they were cooking (50’s & 60’s) or to go out and dance when they could get away as a couple. I know my mother loves to dance and I often picture the smile on her face when she’s dancing. So I’m thinking of early childhood memories of dancing connected to music, too. Lovely.
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When I hear Jethro Tull’s “Thick as a Brick”…
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Ah, how could I forget, Jethro Tull (named after the 18th-century agriculturist who invented the seed drill). I liked Living in the Past. And Aqualung. I actually saw Jethro Tull perform on stage in a small venue at the college I attended.
Like leslie mentions with Joe Cocker, small town venues were all the rage back then. And security was loose. We sat on blankets on the floor. I also saw the original Eagles and Bonnie Raitt on that same stage. This was back in the early days when we could still afford a ticket. Old rock at its best.
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Ah, The Eagles, Bonnie Raitt, Cat Stevens, Jethro Tull, Greg Allman, Aretha Franklin, Carlos Santanna, Crosby,Stills, Nash & Young… I share Marylins feelings about not being able to stop at the Top Ten favorites. QM, go back into YouTube & search Joe Cocker & Pavarotti. You should be able to find it easily. K & I both share a passion for Pavarotti & it is quite surprising to see that we found him on stage with the likes of many singers (including Sting!). I must confess however to never being a big fan of the Bee Gees. Not a fan of disco music at all. Also, when buying CD’s I tend to purchase “The Best Of”, whoever the artist or artists might be. More bang for the buck! D
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ZZ Top! La Grange – I still play it right before my guests arrive for a party, while I’m cooking. This is a fun, well-written prompt! If it’s okay with you, sloWalker, I might use your outline as a kind of fill-in-the-blanks Mad lib kind of poem. Let me know if you don’t want me to. I’ll link back here, of course.
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C, oh my, ZZ Top. You know, I saw an episode of Bones on TV (early in the season) and one of the bearded lead singers of ZZ was the father of one of the characters! He appeared in the episode and everything and was as quiet and strange as I remembered him. 8)
About the fill-in-the-blanks Mad lib kind of poem, please go for it! However these Writing Topics inspire people and whatever they choose to write about from them is up to the limits of their creativity and the Muse! Can’t wait to see what you write. Thanks so much.
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D, oh, Eat A Peach! And remember that Gregg Allman solo album in the early 70’s called Laid Back? It was so mellow after the Allman Brothers. Had These Days and a solo version of Midnight Rider.
And I can’t believe no one has mentioned the Grateful Dead yet. I wasn’t a big Dead Head. But when I was about 18, I drove with a friend down to Washington DC in my ’63 Austin-Healey Sprite to see the Allman Brothers. And who should be playing after them (it was a surprise to us) but the main act, the Grateful Dead. Wild times.
Ah, Disco music. I have to confess, I used to dance to it at our parties in Montana, including the Bee Gees and Saturday Night Fever. It probably won’t make my all-time list, but it was sure fun to dance to! My motto – whatever music gets you dancing…play it, and play it loud.
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Thanks, QM, about the prompt. I just saw a rerun of Bones, and a dude from zztop was on! So funny. I’m just gonna have to play some in the morning to crank up my day.
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Okay, D. I checked out the Joe Cocker & Pavarotti on YouTube – what a juxtaposition between the two. It was great. After I listened to that one, I looked up Joe Cocker at Woodstock in 1969. Talk about extremes. Quite fun.
I wanted to mention, that I had forgotten that You Are So Beautiful was co-written by Billy Preston and Bruce Fisher. Billy Preston was a child prodigy who starred in the film St Louis Blues and later played and performed with countless artists, including the Beatles, and Dylan (in Blood On The Tracks).
Here’s a link to a Preston bio/obit on New York Night Train -LINK.
And just for you (and anyone else who might want to view Joe Cocker in fine form), I’m posting the Joe Cocker YouTube links:
You Are So Beautiful with Alex Britti, Joe Cocker & Pavarotti (cowritten by Billy Preston and Bruce Fisher) – LINK
Joe Cocker at Woodstock (1969) – With a Little Help From My Friends – LINK
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C, you might be able to use them for an alarm clock. I wonder what you’ll choose – Legs, Tush, Cheap Sunglasses, or Fearless Boogie?
I can’t believe that same rerun of ZZ Top on Bones was on tonight. Now, that’s synchronicity.
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mariacristina,
ZZ Top is one of my favorites. I downloaded some off of Limewire the other day and played it for my 5th and 6th graders. They are Venezuelan…not Americans so they had no clue. They didn’t like it much.
My ears still have a constant ringing due to ZZ Top. Back in the early 80’s my sister worked at the Pan Am Center in Las Cruces as part of her student work-study program. She got me two front-row seats on the Eliminator tour. It was pretty amazing being that close to the stage. REALLY LOUD!
I’ve seen them twice. The “Tejas” tour (Arrested for Driving While Blind is my favorite off that album) in El Paso TEXAS, and the “Eliminator” tour (lots of good ones there…”Cheap Sunglasses, Legs, Bad…Nationwide, TV Dinners, etc.)
I practically wore out a cassette of “Tejas” in my 1986 Ford Ranger when I’d drive all over the 4-corners area. Always ZZ-Top when driving I-40 to Albuquerque and back.
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Sharp Dressed Man! ZZ TOP!
I saw them in concert in Odessa TX. Had a long horn and a buffalo on stage.
I am proud to have lost a few ear hairs to them.
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[…] red Ravine’s writing practice for last week was music. They are so upbeat over there that I feel kind of bad posting my bummer of a prose poem, which is highly influenced by the current collection by Tao Lin I’m reading, and also by the funk that comes around for me during the holiday season. […]
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When I hear Joan Armatrading, particularly Love & Affection, I’m transported straight back to high school and my first girlfriend. We played Joan’s early albums ALL the time.
Loved seeing the pic of Bob’s garage door … haven’t visited Hibbing in years, so hadn’t seen that. Very cool indeed.
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Joan Armatrading!! I love her! I’m transported back to Santa Fe and a brief but intense love I had for a guy with long hair. We went to her concert together in the Palo Solari outdoor amphitheater. Thanks for mentioning her and for visiting.
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[…] -related to Topic post, WRITING TOPIC – LOVE ME LIKE MUSIC (TOP 10) […]
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Music…I just had to come back and say that tonight, New Year’s Eve, Liz and I finished up watching a documentary on the alternative band Half Japanese. Moe, the female drummer from Lou Reed’s Velvet Underground, was in it and played with the band on a few records. I didn’t know about Half Japanese before now. Great band that will probably never be mainstream (the focus of the film).
C, hope people checked out the music Writing Practice you linked to this post. It’s moving and has a great vintage photograph of you. I also like the structure of the writing.
David, glad you liked the Dylan garage door in Hibbing. When we were at Dylan Days in 2005, it wasn’t there. The next year, the owners had had it painted on the door. They get so many visitors every year, all stopping by to see where Bob Dylan grew up. It’s amazing to hear them talk about what it’s like to live there. Maybe you’ll make it to Dylan Days someday in your Minnesota Travels.
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Last night J & I tuned in to a PBS concert program featuring Pink Floyd On their tour in Australia. We cranked up the surround sound & the whole experience was so wonderful, we didn’t want it to end! But, immediately following the program was a 90th Birthday celebration in Madison Square Garden for Pete Seger. The celebration was for a project he holds dear to his heart. It is called Clearwater & is an attempt to raise money to clean up the Hudson River. The list of musicians & speakers who performed is too numerous to mention all, but here are just a few:
Tim Robbins, Norman Lear, John Melloncamp, Arlo Guthrie, The Dirty Truckers, Joan Baez, Dave Matthews, Bruce Springsteen, & Richie Havens, just to name a few. All to honor Pete Seger & his wonderful musical & activist accomplishments. BTW, he is a very spry 90 & joined in on many of the arrangements, even one of just him playing his banjo. Did anyone else this this presentation? I just love our Public Broadcasting System! D
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diddy, thanks for resurrecting this Writing Topic on Music. I hadn’t looked at it in quite some time. WOW, that Pete Seeger concert list is quite impressive! I’ll have to tell Liz to keep a lookout for a rerun of that 90th Birthday celebration in Madison Square Garden. Sounds wonderful.
I used to love Pink Floyd, especially their Dark Side of the Moon album. Are they all still living? Liz and I were watching something last weekend about The Band — Oh, I know, it was this show on Woodstock. And the drummer Levon Helm (the Band) was being interviewed. I think he’s in his late 70’s now (boy, did I feel old). There were a few other bands featured and Liz and I were noting how so many band members from our generation aren’t around anymore.
I was just listening to the original Woodstock on vinyl in the studio. I can’t believe how much time has passed. What happened to all those years?
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[…] Liz and I traveled to the Iron Range to attend Dylan Days in Hibbing, Minnesota. We took a tour of Bob Dylan’s childhood home, stopped by Hibbing High to hear the original band from Blood On The Tracks, visited the ghostly […]
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