♫♪♫ Music ♫♪♫

[HistoryMamaX3]

I am one of those girls that takes her music very seriously.

I love music, actually, I love good music. Music that touches my soul and makes me want to sing along. Not all music can do that, and there is a lot of music today written and played just for the sake of making money... which is sad. Real talent and hard work should be rewarded in this field and stands apart from the rest.

I am bi-polar and music has always played an important part of my personality. It is easy to tell which side of the pendulum I happen to be swinging in regards to the type of music that fills up my play-list. I have even found, over time, that I can use music to influence my moods as well. Feeling sad? Pump up the Jam! lol Or, If I find myself getting a bit carried away... Some classical music relaxes the mind. I use the same technique to help motivate me to accomplish a day's work or to unwind. Music is a great cure for life's crazy adventures.

Music has been a part of my life since my very beginnings. My dad is a talented musician (though he claims not to be) and has participated in music groups throughout my childhood. I was born to some very young parents in the beginning of the 1980's. A time where rock bands were everywhere and partying was not without a drum-set in the living room.

Wait- was that just my house?

Seriously, my parents rocked into the wee hours. Drugs, Drinking and Rock and Roll... may not sound like the safest environment for a child, but most of them had small kids and we all played while they played. Hard core? No, just the fact of life. And while my father was into Rock, he was never remiss about his love of all types of music. Gordon Lightfoot on vinyl was one of my favorite ways to wake up in the morning. The Pony Man, is still one of my favorite songs, and he'll always sing it for me when I am home to visit.

My father not only instilled a love for music variety but made sure I knew about music as well. Who sang it? Who else sang it? (An original should never be forgotten!) When was it written? What is the title? These are all questions that would be asked at rapid fire from my earliest memories. It was never enough just to sing along, but I had to know what I was singing. To this day, within the first few bars of a song I can name that tune... it amazes my darling husband every time.

My step-mom was a hard core rocker. She doesn't appreciate music in it's variety, she just likes good tunes. She wants music she can dance with and sing along. It was her greatest sorrow that I began listening to Country music when I was 10. She tried everything to persuade me away from it, even forbidding me from listening to it! My dad came to my defense and introduced Southern Rock and Bluegrass (something she hated even more!) To this day, Southern Rock will bring out the trouble in me... in her honor, it is the music I drink to!

My mother was a musical influence on me as well. She taught me that great bands such as Foriegner, Fleetwood Mac and Pat Benetar could only be appreciated while driving fast, windows down and played really, really loud. It was from her I learned how to associate music into my life depending upon style and mood. House cleaning involved Billy Idol while heartbreak and divorce involves lots and lots of Wilson Phillips.

I was a band student from grades 6-12. Even participated in the Marching Band. I loved every. single. minute. Call it what you will, but nothing is more powerful than being a part of something like that. To be able to play together and create music is a awe inspiring feat. Powerful, when done correctly. Working together to create beauty... it makes a person feel small in comparison.

As I mentioned before, I was 10 when I realized that I had a personal preference for Country music. I love it because, for the most part, it is real to life- happy- and even relatable. I am able to put myself into the songs, which makes me feel part of the music. I love being able to close my eyes and see myself in the words. However, just because I have a preference for Country music, do not for a minute think that my tastes do not cross the various musical venues. I appreciate all music, for what it is. I can and will listen to anything. Some, I just like more than others.

One of the best and worst aspects of music is its ability to trigger memories. Some songs I cannot listen to for they bring forth too much emotion. Some songs will always remind me of a particular event and there is no escaping! Sometimes, they don't even make sense to any one BUT me... for example: George Michaels' song Father Figure equals a Christmas memory. lol No two things could be further apart in the real world... however, this song was playing on the radio when I woke up Christmas morning in 1987. This was the first Christmas, and actually just months, after my parents divorced. We got red scooters. I see them every time I hear that song. It isn't a bad memory, but they are still linked nonetheless. :0)

I wish we could all appreciate music for its beauty and complexity. For real artists, it isn't just about the money or the fame but the music itself. There are many out there today that want the fame and the money... but do not have the real heart. And while some make it big, over time their lack of heart becomes obvious and they fade away. Real greatness stays with us... no matter the struggles it takes to become that way. :0)

[clairandamjones]

Aug. 11, 2009 at 3:36 AM

I see so much of myself in your journal.  My love of music has evolved in many different ways during my lifetime and includes lots of rock and a decent dose of country.  I, too, am an emotional listener, and you'll know what mood I am in by what is playing on my iPod. 

Music is extremely powerful in the way it impacts your soul, as well as your memory.  Want your kids to memorize something?  Just put it to music and they will probably never forget it.  After all, how did we all learn our ABCs? 

Great post, Carmin.  Thanks!

[ErikaRobin]

Aug. 11, 2009 at 9:15 AM

Darn you.  Now I have to go add Wilson Phillips to my playlist.  How did I not have that on there?!  

I love your style, baby.

[J.T.K]

Aug. 11, 2009 at 1:24 PM

It just goes to show just how much music plays a big part of our lives with or without our knowing it.

[MemaSu]

Aug. 11, 2009 at 7:11 PM

Music was a huge part of my life- I grew up with The Beatles, Stones; cleaned house to Fleetwood Mac ( loudly!). I love the crystal clarity of John Denver, Gorden Lightfoots' mellow baritone, & on & on. I love jazz & classic blues & classical.

I am now deaf. It is an enormous loss to no longer hear music. I cry at Christmas time, when I would be baking or decorating to carols, traditional & modern- now I listen to silence when before the sounds of bells filled my day.

Appreciate what you have- you never know how much you'll miss it if it should be lost.

[gypsysmiles]

Aug. 11, 2009 at 8:17 PM

I love you! This is awesome.

I find that music is a relationship. You fall in love with it - a genre, a band, a song... You can really define yourself, and moments in your life with music. Those silly memes on myspace that have you fill out a questionnaire about yourself using the song titles of one band can really get you thinking!