Blasts

Do you have any songs that, for some reason known only to you, seem to be aggregated so that they capture a time and place in your life?  I do.  Whenever I hear Madonna's Borderline, I think of being in Miami during the summer of '84.  Deneice Williams Let's Hear For The Boy goes with Borderline because it was all over FM radio in Miami during '84.  Weird, huh?  

How about this?  When I hear the Beach Boys Fun Fun Fun, I'm transported back to driving around in a bright blue Ford Maverick Grabber with a 302 V8 during my teenage years.  I did some stuff in that car, let me tell you, and I'm pretty much transported back to that time whenever that song comes on.  I don't know why that particular song evokes that memory because it was kind of old by the time I got my license, but no matter.  That's what happens.

How about these tunes?  They go together for me to catch my late middle-school years.  I actually had a pretty good experience during that particular period in my life.  Here they are:  Steve Miller's The Joker and Steelers Wheel with Stuck In The Middle.  I don't know how Steve Miller got into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, but maybe it's because he made up a word - pompetus - in that song.  But it's pretty clear why Steelers Wheel were one hit wonders after watching this strange video.
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Two more songs that go together in my memory are Eric Burden and War's Spill The Wine and Tommy James and the Shondells Mony Mony.  I have no idea why these two are grouped in my pea brain, but they are.  They remind me of early high school years during the summer.  I always liked summer, but I didn't care much for high school.  Still, I love both of these songs. 

​Yeah, I know that Billy Idol remade Mony Mony and did it credibly.  I like that version, too, but that particular track reminds me of being in meat market bars in DC during my college years watching people fall in "love" for one night.  Tommy James was cool, trippy and this song is fantastic.  What's that?  Crimson and Clover?  Yup, I love that song, too, and it was also remade by Joan Jett, and again with a very credible cover that was good. 
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Speaking of summer, I remember being in the waves in Ocean City, MD with my nephew (who was an adult).  For some reason, between riding waves, one of us started singing Weezer's Beverly Hills, and every time I hear that tune, I always think of that day.  Weezer is a terrific band with a lot of very worthy songs.  Getting Hef to be in the video, however, was a major high coup.  

But here's the weird part.  The other song that reminds me of summer is the Bottle Rockets Kit Cat Clock.  My best friend had one of those clocks in his house when we were kids, but for some reason, when I look back and think about that clock, it's always summer.  I love summer.  In fact, I've been thinking a lot about summer recently.  And I've been thinking about the Bottle Rockets, one of the best bar bands ever.  We saw them at the old North Star Bar in Philly, and they were great.  

One last summer song, and this one reminds me of summers in college.  Yeah, it's Little Feat with Dixie Chicken.  I found a great version that features not only the band, but also Bonnie Raitt and the beautiful Emmylou Harris.  This song also reminds me of getting drunk.  Oops, I better not head down that path, hahaha.  
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Time to run.  Let me know about songs that evoke memories for you or that are linked inextricably together for a reason you might not quite understand.  I love hearing that stuff.  Talk to you soon!
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