My soundtrack

When I look back, I find that music has played a large part in my life. There are songs that immediately take me to a distinct moment in my memories. For example, with no good reason, Peaches and Herb are dead set in the middle of my first musical memories. I can start to hum "Reunited" and automatically see the swing set from Playskool (years later, it would strike me odd the school intentionally misspelled its name, but I digress).

So, I've been thinking about this lately... what are the songs tied most closely to memorable moments in my life... what is my soundtrack? Well, here goes:

A plethora of ABBA, Jim Croce and Neil Diamond songs filled the first years of my life. Mom had the albums (that's not a typo). Today, I can hear just the beginning of "Forever in Blue Jeans" and I am instantly in mom's living room, sitting in the old blue recliner (since relegated to the basement) and filled with the aroma of pot roast coming from the kitchen.

In elementary school, we sang Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely" and Whitney Houston's "Greatest Love of All," for a choral recital and I guess that was memorable, but Dr. Elmo's "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" was a mantra in the holidays of my youth (ok... even today). Each time I hear it, I am transported back to my Aunt's split level house in Oak Ridge, TN with a Christmas tree glowing downstairs and egg nog being poured. (And, the shameful, but beautiful joy I got from singing loud and proud with the radio near the real Grandma).

I vividly remember the bright pinks and blues from my favorite t-shirt in 1987 when I was "Lost in Emotion" with Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam and we spent wa-a-a-ay too much time at Michelle's house requesting that song on the late night radio shows. There were the days in Algebra with Ayanna and the teacher's unreasonably - impossibly - hyper flexible knees when we sat rapping "No Sleep til Brooklyn" by the Beastie Boys. (we could have been STARS!!)

When I got married, I warned the DJ (also my husband's manager and somewhat, friend) he would absolutely not be paid if he played Kool and the Gang's "Celebration" because it's just OVERDONE. And, though I don't have brown eyes, the only song I requested was Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl"...I've just always loved it.

As I continued college days and met one of my dearest friends, I couldn't come up with a better way to express who I was then by having my sister-in-law (local country station DJ) dedicate "Friends in Low Places" by Garth Brooks.

Since then, life has continued to take its inevitable twists and turns. Songs like David Bowie's "Changes" take me back to all my high school friends with unimaginable futures, while "Bye Bye" from Jo Dee Messina and "Let Him Fly" by the Dixie Chicks will remind me of the sadness of letting go. And, yet that is followed by the beauty of finding a true mate in "Now That I Found You" by Terri Clark.

I could go on and on... obviously, in 37 years, there have been more than a few memorable moments and, of those, a large percentage have music that takes me back. Rather than walk you through the rest of my life, I'll just say that at points in my life, some music has been poignant while, at other times, it was just a good background song.

So, what's your soundtrack?