30 Days of Joy: Day 13-Music

I think music in itself is healing.  It's an explosive expression of humanity.
It's something we are all touched by.
No matter what culture we're from, everyone loves music.
Billy Joel

I believe that music is an important part of our lives.  It has different degrees of importance for each of us, but I believe that everyone enjoys some type of music. My dad loved country and cowboy music: Marty Robbins was a favorite of his.  I can remember hearing him play the record "El Paso" when I was very young.  My mother loved all types of music.  She had the radio on all day long so we heard the newest songs being released at the time.  Some of my earliest memories are of listening to "Purple People Eater", "Tequila", "Witch Doctor", "Tom Dooley", and "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" on the radio.  Most of these songs are from 1958 when I was 5 (6 in November) years old.  As a result of this early exposure to music, I have had a love for music my whole life.

I like all kinds of music.  My taste is very eclectic, but I always want to listen to the newest music so I can stay current.  I don't ever want to become one of those old people who puts down the music of the younger generation!  I really don't think that will happen to me.  When I was working, I didn't have a lot of time to listen to music so I made sure that I listened to music in the car to and from work.  Most of the time I learned about new groups and heard new songs from my sons.  I always spent time listening to their music so I knew what they were listening to and to keep up with what was cutting edge. We would often discuss new groups and why we liked particular songs.  They were my method of keeping up with the times.

Nowadays, I am often more current than they are because I have satellite radio in my car.  I also try to watch the top 20 videos on VH1 every Saturday morning, because I love the visual experience of videos and music. I have music on my iPhone plus I have several "radio stations" that I listen to on Pandora when I am using my computer.  I notice that many of my friends on Facebook are listening to Spotify or share their exercise playlist for the day.  No matter how we access it, music is an important part of our lives!

Have you ever had the experience of hearing a song from your past that propels you back to a specific time and place?  I'm sure that most of us have had that happen.  When I was in tenth grade (1967-1968), they played music in the lunchroom every day.  To this day, I am transported back to that lunchroom and eating an ice cream sandwich when I hear "Incense and Peppermint"!  The songs I mentioned earlier bring me back to the living room of our house in Miami.  "Amazing Grace" (bagpipe version) reminds me of my father's funeral.  "Baby Mine" from the Beaches Soundtrack reminds me of rocking my older son and singing to him when he couldn't sleep as a baby.  (Also "Under the Boardwalk" if he needed a faster rocking tune!).  "Your Song" by Elton John reminds me of early dating days with my husband while "Maggie May" brings me back to a pizza restaurant the time we snuck away in college for a weekend together in the big town of Estherville, Iowa.

I am probably in a small minority of people who loves musicals.  I always have.  I loved it when Buffy had a musical; I also enjoyed Grey's Anatomy when they had musical numbers in their show.  I was even a fan of the show Cop Rock in 1990.  Most of you have probably never heard of this Steven Bochco musical cop show.  I have watched Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, and West Side Story many times.  I loved Wicked and Les Mis (can't wait for the movie coming out in December!).  Given my love for music and musicals, it should not be a surprise to you that I am so excited about seeing Rock of Ages this weekend!


 I am the demographic for this particular movie: 80's rock band music, Tom Cruise, and a cast of other stars.  I know that many of you wouldn't go to see this movie even if someone paid you.  However, I loved the music and thoroughly enjoyed the Broadway play when we saw it on tour.  Having the visual richness and sound of a movie combined with some of my favorite actors makes this a MUST SEE in my world.  I am planning on hobbling there this weekend to totally immerse myself in this nostalgic experience.  I will just add this to the joy that music brings to my life.

For today, I am listening to Adam Lambert, Bruno Mars, Gotye, Jason Mraz, Train, and classical music plus I will probably watch Duets tonight to round out my musical joy for the day.  What are you listening to?

Have you found your joy today?