Tag: music history

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Music history 102

When I hit adolescence I entered the “dysfunctional love songs” period of my personal music history. These were songs with beautiful melodies and catchy lyrics that just happened to emphasize doom, gloom, loss, and heartbreak — all of which my angst-filled teen-aged self completely resonated with (of course)!

I started off with this song by the Gershwins…
They’re writing songs of love
But not for me
A lucky star’s above
But not for me

This depressing verse has been stuck in my head since freshman year in high school…
Talkin’ to myself and feelin’ old
Sometimes I’d like to quit
Nothin’ ever seems to fit
Hangin’ around
Nothin’ to do but frown
Rainy days and Mondays always get me down

Here’s a section from one of my favorite songs of the time…
It seems to me that there are more hearts
Broken in the world that can’t be mended
Left unattended
What do we do? What do we do?
Alone again, naturally

I remember singing this one non-stop the summer I was learning to drive…
Where is the love,
You said was mine all mine, till the end of time
Was it just a lie
Where is the love?

And finally…Dionne Warwick has got to be the queen of dysfunctional love songs (“Walk on By”, “Who Can I Turn to”, “In Between the Heartaches”, etc); but I think this one tops them all…
I just don’t know what to do with myself
I’m so used to doing everything with you
Learning everything for two
And now that we’re through
I just don’t know what to do with my time
I’m so lonesome for you, it’s a crime
Going to a movie only makes me sad
Parties make me feel as bad
When I’m not with you, I just don’t know what to do
Oh baby, if your new love ever turns you down
Come on back, I will be around
Just waiting for you, I don’t know what else to do.

Considering how many of these sentiments I completely absorbed into my consciousness, it’s a wonder I ever had a healthy relationship! Listening to them now I just shake my head…and thank my lucky stars that this musical period didn’t last forever!

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Music history 101

I had many music history classes in college, memorizing lots of composers’ birth/death dates (most of which I’ve long forgotten, not that it matters even a little bit, thanks to the internet). But tonight I’m reflecting on my personal history of music and realizing that music impacted me in a wide variety of ways during the different “eras” of my life.

I grew up on musicals. That’s the first music that I was consciously aware of. The first time my family went to an indoor theater (as opposed to a drive-in movie) was to see My Fair Lady, with Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison.

And I can still picture the light blue sweater and blue/yellow plaid skirt I wore on an elementary school field trip to see The Sound of Music at the Century 21 theater in San Jose. That was a defining moment of my young life.

The Music Man. Camelot. The King and I. Oliver. Oklahoma. West Side Story. Flower Drum Song. Fiddler on the Roof. South Pacific. The list goes on and on. These movies were the soundtrack of my childhood. We had recordings of most of them and I spent hours singing along and memorizing the lyrics. (I would sometimes dance along as well; such as when I was around twelve and would go home, put on my red net petticoat, and dance my little heart out to “Shipoopi, shipoopi, shipoopi, the girl who’s hard to get…” from The Music Man!) 😂

I absolutely loved the clever use of words, the intricate rhythms, and the beautiful melodies. But many of these movies had either a positive message, or at least a few positive songs, or else upbeat tunes which raised my energy regardless of the lyrics. So I think I owe them a debt of gratitude for helping me develop into a pretty darn positive and optimistic person.