That song takes me back...

I was watching that black box in my living room simply wasting time, when a song came on that took me way back. It was being used for a commercial, can't tell you what the commercial was for, but the song was Blue Skies being sung by Willie Nelson. In a flash I was sitting in the ferry lineup on Salt Spring Island, I am in my then boyfriends Datsun 280z (that thing could motor) looking out the window and sunroof at the rain coming down ( of course, it's Salt Spring Island, the rain forest of Canada). Willie Nelson is singing away on the radio, I can remember that exact moment. I even recall the smell of the car. The backseat (very small and tight) had been chewed by this boyfriends mother's dog, the dog hated fake leather apparently. With all the dampness of the west coast there was always this permeating scent of dog slobber and maybe a hint of wee (dog). I remember that car very well, there were bumper stickers all over it proclaiming this boyfriends love of everything country, but in a tacky way. One of them said,"Cowgirls don't get old, they just become saddle bags." This guy was in the military and spent many weeks at a time away. One time he came back and all the bumper stickers were gone. He asked what the h-e- double hockey sticks had happened to all his beloved stickers, I claimed total innocence and told him that there had been a rash of thefts in the area and the only thing he lost were his stickers and all his Loverboy tapes (hate Loverboy, especially after hearing the song, Gotta Do It My Way, 8000 times!). But Willie Nelson I could listen too over and over again. I love music, all kinds of music. Whenever I hear anything by the Stones I am transported back to 1959 Oakdean Cres. I am in my room, with my hairbrush in hand, lip syncing in the mirror to all the songs. I knew every word to every song they did. I knew exactly when Mick was going to go "Ew hew" in Sympathy for the Devil, when the black girls were going to sing "Hey hey, gotta getta away" Yeah, I could sing every song, but don't ask me what the capitol of Hungary is, or what 17x43 is, or even what was the year that Columbus first came on the air (bet you thought I meant the "other" Columbus, I mean Peter Falk). Music has always been so important to me, probably the most important spacial element in my existence . I told Ruffel that when I die, the lid is to be closed, every one gets a shot of vodka coming through the door, and the only music to be played is "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and "Satisfaction" by, you guessed it the Stones. I loved David Bowie too, but somehow Diamond Dogs just doesn't sound right for a funeral march for Cat. My parents loved their music too. My dad was pretty cool, he had all the Beatles records and he used to love to dance with my mum to the song, "I Just Called To Say I Love You", in fact I think that was "their" song. Yep, my dad was cool, but he could not snap his fingers... used to make my mum laugh her head off when he tried. I remember mum listening to Englebert Humperdink... Jeez, with a name like that... I'd have changed it. My dad also had a fav record that he would put on when he was in a reflective, homesick mood. This record was a recording of several different trains leaving and coming into train stations. Yep, trains. Crickey, he would play them loud. It was weird, you would think that all trains would sound the same, but actually, if you listened close enough (hard not too at full blast) you could hear a subtle difference. Those were "connecting" moments for my dad and I, till my mum would come into the living room yelling (so she could be heard over the locomotives) "JOHN, turn that bloody thing down!" and that would end our languorous moments of being back in England waiting for the Flying Scotsman to pull into Victoria station. Ah the memories, may they jump out at you when ever you hear a special or painful piece of music. Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple makes me cringe and look for the Clearasil, high school sock hops were so lonely. But my nine year old hums Smoke on the Water and says that they play at school dances even to this day. I always have my Ipod on when I am on the treadmill, there I also listen to the Stones, but mostly songs like "I'm a Barbie Girl" and "Baby got Back" get me going a little faster. I guess I look at them as more of a hope and a threat so I better move it, or I will never be Barbie size and will only appeal to rap stars if my booty gets any bigger. Speaking of which I better hit the mill or I'll tune out in front of that black box again.
Musically yours till next time,
Cat x