I thought I'd take an intermission here, and talk about some of the amazing music that make up the soundtrack of my life. Psychologists believe that smell is the sense which provides the greatest access to our memories; I disagree. I believe it to be sound, specifically music. I have quite an eclectic taste in music, some of it fairly cheesy, but each one of these songs holds strong emotions for me.
All the links open a YouTube videos for the song.
Songs from my childhood:
Material Girl - Madonna: My first memory of a live concert was the Blonde Ambition Tour by Madonna. I wasn't really old enough to be watching it but I remember sneaking downstairs and hiding beside the chair as my mum and her friends watched it on TV. I think the video to this song sparked my life-long obsession with the Golden Era of Hollywood.
GI Blues - Elvis Presley: Christmas isn't Christmas without the house being woken to the Elvis Christmas Album. My mum was an obsessive fan but it was the only album she owned, so the only time she could play it. A lot of Elvis films were watched during my childhood too, and GI Blues is my favourite.
Thriller - Michael Jackson: This video was the defining musical event of my childhood. My personal opinions about MJ made this difficult decision. However, I cannot deny the impact that the music had on my life, so I have decided to include it.
Mack The Knife - Bobby Darin: My grandad passed away many years ago, but he had a cracking voice and completely owned any karaoke stage when singing this classic (which originated from the German cabaret clubs of the 1930s). It's one of my favourites to sing too.
Wannabe - Spice Girls: I've spoken about the racism I suffered as a child previously. The emergence of the Spice Girls and Mel B in particular changed a lot of things for me. For starters, everyone wanted me in their tribute act of the girl group (mixed raced girls were in short supply where I grew up). Previously I had always been bullied for my natural hair with name calling such as "pineapple head", "hair bear bunch", and "medusa" among others. Finally, I could wear my afro with pride.
Music from around twenty years ago:
For An Angel vs Lover - Paul van Dyk/Rachel McFarlane: The music that you love during your formative years (late teens/early 20s) you will always love, and for me that was house, trance and dance. Part of the Ibiza scene, I absolutely still love all of these songs and picking just a few was rough. This song was so hard to find, it was released on white label and very few copies of it are still around. This remix encapsulates my dancing days - on podiums and tables, in suspended cages! Ooh, what I would give to be 18 again!
Born Slippy - Underworld: Continuing on the dance theme, this song is everything that a good trance track should have - the haunting vocals, the building crescendo - but this brings back more memories than just the dance. Trainspotting is one of the best British films ever made and this song is synonymous with it. Spoiler Alert: The video link for this song is the final scene of the film, because, well, it's class!
Breathe - Prodigy: Fat Of The Land is one of my top ten albums and this song was one to smash your room up to. Not that I ever did, but it would of been on that playlist. The video always had me glued to the screen, feeling hot and agitated. And those contacts!
The Way I Am - Eminem: Eminem was a revolution in the rap scene and the voice of an angry youth, of which I was also part of (and still am if I'm honest). Many reasons why, but this song really resonated with me. NB: Explicit content video.
No Diggerty - Blackstreet: I think my best friend would never speak to me again if I didn't include this one. Technically a wee bit older the twenty years, but who cares? It never gets old!
Uni life and travelling:
Get A Move On - Mr Scruff: I went to uni in Sheffield and Tuesday nights were D&B at the Tuesday Club. Not my scene, but my housemate loved it and would play this every Tuesday while getting ready.
Scummy - Arctic Monkeys: (That's what we locals call it!) Although I didn't grow up in Sheffield, I lived here for a couple of years before I went to uni. I've called many places home over the years, but this is my true home in the UK. The buzz around the band as they were emerging was fairly huge. Unfortunately I never got to see them before they went galactic, but I did at the V Festival a few years later.
I Lived - OneRepublic: Several years ago I went through a very tough break up and realised that life in the UK didn't have much to offer. So at the age of 33 I decided to back my bags and go on an adventure. The original plans changed a fair bit, but I travelled to New Zealand, Fiji and ended up living in Sydney for about 18 months. This song was part of the inspiration to make the changes I wanted.
Let Me Down - WithFox: I had the extreme privilege to meet, and call my friends, the two very talented ladies of WithFox. Their single launch is one of my favourite memories of living in Sydney. Unfortunately, there is no video for this song, but I did manage to find a Soundcloud link to share this amazing song with you.
You - Robin Stjernberg: This is probably the song that holds the most amazing memories for me. The video explains it all.
All Time:
My all time favourite song (and if you ask my uni mates - the one that probably makes them think of me when they hear it) is this absolute dance classic!
I've made a Spotify playlist of all the songs so far featured in this blog, and will continue to add the songs included in future posts. If you've enjoyed the music, you can find the playlist by clicking here.
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