Tunes on 2s  - Stay (I Missed You), Lisa Loeb (1994)

You say
I only hear what I want to
And you say
I talk so all the time...so
Any I thought what I felt was simple
And I thought that I don't belong
But now that I am leaving
Now I know that I did something wrong 'cuz I missed you...
Yeah, I missed you.

Listen/watch here.

This was a one-hit wonder for Lisa Loeb for as far as I can remember. Judging by the lyrics I should be telling you some story of heartbreak or love gone wrong. Instead I'm going to tell you about a roadtrip.

I think it was the fall of 1995 that I rode to Cedar Falls with my cousin Chris to visit our mutual friend Josh, who was going to school there. I vaguely remember the visit itself, but the car ride home is etched in my mind. I think it was near a holiday or other break, so Josh rode back with us to Storm Lake.

What you will remember if you know this song is that it's done in a sweet voice, with the type of emotion that can only be wrought by a mid-1990s movie soundtrack involving confused 20-somethings who listen to alternative music and have names like LeLaina and Troy and are played by actors with names like Winona and Ethan (can anyone name that movie?) It could even be said that this song is decidedly" female" and could be assumed to appeal to such an audience.

Not so in my world. This song was played MULTIPLE times on that car trip, with two 20-something guys singing their little hearts out in their best falsettos. I laughed so hard, but I sang right along. We three had some good times and lots of funny stories among us, and it's been a long time since I've thought of those. When I heard this song on satellite radio a couple weeks ago it took me right back to the front seat of Chris' car, with Josh's head poked between the seats leading us in song.

Ah, those were the days.

Tunes on 2s - Jesus Loves Me (1862)

Jesus loves me! This I know,
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong;
They are weak, but He is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me! He who died
Heaven’s gate to open wide;
He will wash away my sin,
Let His little child come in.

Of course this is a song that many of us grew up with in Sunday School, or picked up somewhere along the way. I also associate this song with my daughter's baptism. But today, we entered the church for a different reason, with a large group of family and friends singing this song as we walked down the aisle to the front pews. Today we laid my mother-in-law to rest.

Betty was a woman full of life; known for her crotcheting and knitting, her Christmas cookies, her love of gardening and flowers, and her pride in her family. She had a special relationship with each of her three grandchildren. She loved holidays and always had lots of decorations around the house and in the yard, and she was famous for the Christmas stockings she crotcheted for each family member and many friends. The immediate family also has a stocking at her house, which she would fill with little individually wrapped gifts, like funny socks or even little fart machines that she would take great delight in watching us open.

As a the most junior member of this family (except for Lucy), I am left with a feeling of deep sadness that I didn't have more time to learn from her and spend time with her. I am grieved for my husband, and for Lucy and Brandon. Lucy loves her grandma but probably won't remember much about her. It will be our job to remind her.

Jesus Loves Me. A song so perfect in its simplicity, for those entering life and those leaving it; and for those of us left to navigate between. Betty, you will be greatly missed.

Tunes on 2's - Mr. Wendal, Arrested Development (1992)

I saw a man with no clothes, no money, no plate
Mr.Wendal, that's his name,
no one ever knew his name cause he's a no-one
Never thought twice about spending on a ol' bum,
until I had the chance to really get to know one
Mr.Wendal, yeah yeah yeah, Lord, Mr.Wendal

Listen/watch here.
 
Ah, Mr. Wendal. I was reminded of this songa few weeks ago.  My brother called to tell me it had come on the radio while he was at home painting his livingroom. You might wonder why my brother was compelled to call me about a marginal early-90s rap song about the plight of the homeless. Would it make more sense if I told you I liked the song so much that I named a pet after it?
 
Probably not, but I did.
 
Mr. Wendal was a black, white, and brown guinea pig. I don't remember exactly why I wanted a guinea pig or the circumstances surrounding convincing my parents that I could get one (Mom or Dad may be able to enlighten on that). Perhaps after a long line of gerbils and hamsters I was ready for something more substantial (and we could never have a dog). I was 16 years old at the time, and Mr. Wendal lived in my room in an old aquarium on a bed of cedar chips and newspaper that never got changed often enough. He made a funny "wee wee wee" noise and pooped a lot. I thought he was the cutest.
 
So what happened to Mr. Wendal? When I went off to college he could not come with me. Not wanting to deal with the aforementioned pooping and changing of bedding, my mom donated him to a HeadStart classroom. I like thinking that Mr. Wendal brought joy to some little kids and hope he kicked the bucket peacefully after his years of service.
 
RIP, Mr. Wendal.
 

I couldn't find a picture of me with Mr. Wendal, so I thought I'd embarass my little brother instead.

 It's a kick to see my old room though: posters of The Doors, The Little Mermaid, and Earth: One House, Many Rooms on the wall/door, curlers on the vanity, and my dad's 8-tracks under the pet table. If there was a sports bag on floor that might sum up me as a high schooler.

Tunes on 2s
Who I Am - Jessica Andrews (2001)

I am Rosemary's granddaughter
The spitting image of my father
And when the day is done
My mama's still my biggest fan

Sometimes
I'm clueless and I'm clumsy
But I've got friends who love me
And they know where I stand

It's all a part of me...
That's who I am

Listen/watch here.

Several months ago a cousin of mine posted some lyrics to this song on Facebook, and it reminded me of how much I love it. For you see, this cousin of mine and I (and many others) are indeed Rosemary's granddaughters. I'm more a spitting image of my mother; and I consider my dad one of my biggest fans, so reverse that line and it still works. The clumsy lyric reminds me of a story my Grandma Mardie still likes to tell, about how when I was about Lucy's age I would stumble and say "I such a clutz!" And I have to say, I have some of the greatest friends a girl could ever ask for.

But certainly, it is being the granddaughter of Rosemary Overmohle that makes this song give me goosebumps every time. Losing her in the 2003 was a hard thing for many of us. I remember a couple of weeks after this song was re-introduced to me through that Facebook post, I was driving to work on a Sunday night after putting Lucy to bed, trying to get ahead on my workload. I really didn't want to go in, but felt I had to. I was feeling tired and  just plain overwhelmed. Things were just a bit too much for me in that moment. I was listening to the country station on low, my mind racing and my emotions just under the surface. Somewhere along I-94 I heard the opening notes to this song. I turned it up and burst into stress-relieving tears. I am one of those people who believes that the people who have left us send us little gifts, and this was truly one. What were the odds, this song from 2001 coming on the radio at that moment?

I was going to be alright.

I am proud to be Rosemary's granddaughter.

Thanks Jessica Andrews, wherever you are.

There is one photo that I have of my Grandma Rosemary and I. Unfortunately, I have put it in such a safe place that I cannot find it. The best I can do is a photo of the photo, which I put on a sign on my back when I walked in the Breast Cancer 3-Day in her memory (2004).

The Return of Tunes on 2s!
Centerfield - John Fogerty (1985)

Hard to believe my last Tunes on 2s was April 2, 2009! So this one is in honor of the one who requested its comeback...

Got a beat-up glove, a homemade bat, and brand-new pair of shoes;
You know I think it’s time to give this game a ride.
Just to hit the ball and touch ’em all - a moment in the sun;
It’s gone and you can tell that one goodbye!

Oh, put me in, coach, I’m ready to play-today;
Put me in, coach, I’m ready to play-today;
Look at me, I can be centerfield.

Listen/watch here

Ahh, baseball. This song hands down, reminds me of my brother Josh. I seem to recall countless repeats of this on the little tape deck we had; the same tape deck that I used to record my favorite songs off Casey Cassem's American Top 40, hoping I hit the record button(s) at exactly the right moment between when he started talking and the first lyric was sung. If I remember right, I think we actually had an actual cassette tape of Centerfield, so the full experience was available. I have a distinct memory of listening to it in the little bedroom off to the left of the top of the stairs. The tape deck was sitting on the floor under the window by the door.

Josh was Mr. Baseball of our family. He was always on some kind of baseball team, all the way into his college years. His love certainly didn't spring from nothing - my dad is a longtime Baltimore Orioles fan, and we would make trips up to Minneapolis to see the Twins battle the orange and black in the Metrodome. Since the Mets won the World Series in 1986, Josh and I were fans. Another family trip to St. Louis involved a Mets game, and I remember also fitting in a Colorado Rockies game into a vacation in 1993 (their inaugural season).

"Centerfield" also recalls my own love and nostalgia for the game. There is just something about baseball - especially attending a game in person. I align myself more with the Twins these days, and even living in a city where Major League Baseball is so accessible, I still find myself excited every time I walk into a ballpark. Over the years I have added to my list of stadiums visited, including: Miller Park (Milwaukee Brewers, Mets games with Josh and Abbey), Camden Yards (Baltimore Orioles), Shea Stadium (New York Mets!), and of course, Target Field, the new home of the Minnesota Twins. I plan to visit more, and pass down that excitement to my daughter. I foresee her Uncle Josh participating in that, and with his own daughter!

It's said this Centerfield was inspired by Fogerty's childhood memories of baseball. Considering it went to #1 on the Billboard chart, I'd say it resonated with a lot of people in the same way. For me, it's mostly about my lip-syncing, practice-swinging little brother blasting it from the room at the top of the stairs.

Tunes on 2s - Hit Me With Your Best Shot - Pat Benatar (1980)

Tunes on 2s returns! Just in time for the spring season…

Well you're the real tough cookie with the long history
Of breaking little hearts, like the one in me
That's O.K., lets see how you do it
Put up your dukes, lets get down to it
Hit me with your best shot
Why don't you hit me with your best shot...

Listen/watch here

My very first car was a trusty little used Plymouth Reliant K that I believe was acquired during my sophomore year of college (1995). It was a boxy little maroon/dark red; my friends dubbed it “The Little Red Box.”

The Friday before Easter 1999 (10 years ago?!) I was driving the K-car along a stretch of Interstate 80 between Iowa City and Des Moines, headed to my parents’ house. I was grooving along quite nicely, enjoying the drive. I turned up the radio, hearing the opening strains of a good song. I was just starting to sing along when I saw something in the middle of the road up ahead. It was coming up fast, some chunk of metal, and I had ditch on the left side, another car on the right, and no time to slow down. I swerved and braked as much as possible and CLUNK …I bounced but was still on the road, but was rapidly losing power… the speedometer was going off the charts as I pushed on the gas, but the car wasn’t going anywhere. Unsure of what to do, car slowly coasting along, I noticed the radio was still blasting that tune I was so eager to sing – “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.” How ironic.

I was luckily near an exit, so I coasted through and turned into an antique mall. This was pre-cell phone, so I went in and called the person who would know exactly what to do - my dad. I explain the situation, in tears of course, and he instructed me to get towed to Newton, get the car in the shop and call him back when I knew what was wrong with it. Turns out the “clunk” took out a corner of the transmission. Translation – would cost more to fix than the car was worth. Upon sharing this news with dear old Dad, he offered to drive down with a trailer and pull me and the car back to Storm Lake the following day, and he’d see what he could do to patch it up.

I spent the night in a Super 8 motel room that had recently been painted - likely a few of my brain cells were lost due to those fumes. Dad arrived as promised and after inspection of the car and a call to the State Patrol, we determined that what I hit had likely been a drive shaft that was dropped from a large truck or semi.

We picked up the car and hauled it home, and the transmission was able to be patched…but the car was not up for out-of-town driving. My first car was lost to me forever. Such a good little car – no problems with it whatsoever, and then I had to go and take out her transmission.

Apparently car karma was not done with me. I was given my mom’s car to drive back to Iowa City, and as I pulled into town, at a stoplight about 1 mile from my apartment, the fuel pump went out.

Thus began a long string of car issues that shall be reserved for another post (anyone remember the next car, the Dodge Spirit, aka “Christine?”)…but it all started, appropriately, with “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.”

Author's note: On a completely unrelated topic, I can totally rock this song on Guitar Hero.

Tunes on 2s: 1999 – Prince (1983)

Listen/watch here. (I couldn't find an actual Prince performance video, but this some classic footage from Soul Train that you cannot miss - trust me).

Two thousand zero zero party over, oops out of time
So tonight I’m gonna party like it’s 1999…

I heard this song a couple of weeks ago on the local 80s radio station, and was taken back in time (a whole decade!) I remember this song being played on New Year’s Eve 1998, at a dance club in Des Moines called Pumpers (don’t get any ideas…it was a fire house theme). Pumpers was an interesting place that always seemed to bring some weird experiences my way. For instance, shortly after my 21st birthday (1997), I was at Pumpers with some girlfriends and got talked into participating in an on-stage dating game, and consequently won a date with a local sportscaster who was – gasp! – 29 years old. The date was OK but I remember thinking he was too old. Another time at Pumpers, I ran into my high school basketball coach, which was weird to say the least.

On this particular New Year’s 1998, I met a seemingly nice guy who asked me out on a date. A couple weeks later I drove to Des Moines from Iowa City for our date, and got stood up. I went to a Des Moines Buccaneers hockey game with my friend Kristy instead. He called a couple days later with some story about an ex-girlfriend who found out he was going on a date and got all crazy, and would I consider going out with him another time? (As a matter of fact, no I would not). So do you see what I mean about Pumpers?

Anyway, I digress…as we grooved out on the dance floor to Prince near midnight in 1998, we were all commenting on how weird it was that it was actually going to be 1999. As for the actual New Year’s Eve 1999, I was hunkered down at a friend’s house waiting for the apocalypse and all of the computers to crash as the clock struck midnight and the calendar turned to 2000. OK, actually, I drank a lot of alcohol, most likely Captain Morgan, and took photos like this:



That's my friend Amy looking charming in the foreground, and that's me in the back looking...yeah. FYI that post-it on my decolletage says "2000." In case I forgot, I guess?

So that’s kind of a circuitous route to the point, but the song was the catalyst to all of those places and people. In any case, I definitely partied like it was 1999 more than once.

Where did you party like it was 1999?

Tunes on 2s - A Baby Just Like You - John Denver (1975)

Listen/watch here.

The season is upon us now
A time for gifts and giving
And as the year draws to its close
I think about my living

The Christmastime when I was young
The magic and the wonder
But colors dull and candles dim
And dark my standing under

Oh little angel, shining light
You've set my soul to dreaming
You've given back my joy in life
You' ve filled me with new meaning...

I've always loved this song, and it's been on my mind since I pulled out my Rocky Mountain Christmas album this holiday season. Like many other John Denver songs, I think it's lyrically simple and beautiful, but this year it touches my heart in a different way.

Next Christmas we will have a baby. It might be the hormones, but it's a very emotional thing to think about. We have a long way to go between now and then, but I can't help but think about how much fun, and how special it will be, to have a 6-month-old in the house at Christmastime.

For this year, I am looking forward to sitting back, relaxing, and enjoying our families. Maybe once or twice I will peek into the future and think about next year's Christmas too. I hope this holiday season be as special for your family as it will be for ours.

Tunes on 2s - Wooly Bully – Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs (1965)

Listen/watch here.

Matty told Hatty about a thing she saw

Had two big horns and a wooly jaw

Wooly bully, wooly bully

Wooly bully, wooly bully, wooly bully

I foresee that many times in this Tunes on 2s journey, you will hear me talk about the infamous stack of 45s that I grew up with. These were tunes from the 1950s, records that belonged to my parents, or maybe my grandparents. This stack of records really became an integral part of my life’s musical journey.

Today, I want to tell you about a little song called “Wooly Bully.” The lyrics to this song are relatively unintelligible, (right up there with Louie, Louie), which is made even clearer by the fact I had to look up the lyrics above, and was surprised at what they were. In fact, at one point in my young life, I thought the name of the song was Puddin’ Puddin’ (aka Pudding, Pudding). This was especially cool because on some sort of family vacation, I acquired a little cloth doll called a “Puddin’ Doll.” This Puddin’ Doll had her own song! In my six-year-old mind, this made complete and perfect sense. (I'm guessing on the age here, and plus I had a convenient alread-scanned photo from my 6th birthday, below).

I was back at my parent’s house last week for Thanksgiving, where the old toybox my dad built is still enshrined in the basement. I looked for that Puddin’ Doll, and alas, she is gone…but her memory lives forever in Puddin’ Puddin’.

Tunes on 2s - You Shook Me All Night Long - AC/DC (1980)

Listen/watch here.

If you don't know this song, where have you been the past 28 years? The opening riff is unmistakable; it automatically gets people out of their chairs and out on the dance floor (or at the very least gets the toes tappin'). In 2008, it's still one of the most popular songs requested at wedding receptions (Wikipedia).

I have many memories of this song, but a particular one comes to mind as I think of my own wedding reception. I was cutting a rug for most of the night and having a ball with my friends and family. My dear husband does not enjoy the dancing as much as I do, and he was spending most of his time sitting outside talking with our guests, including his childhood friend and groomsman Steve, who he shared several hair band concert experiences with as a teenager. However, when this song started to play, he and Steve came out of the woodwork and onto the floor. It was so much fun! They were singing along and stayed out on the floor for a few hairband songs in a row. I'll never forget this song, if for nothing but the simple fact it got my husband out on the dance floor.

I had to choose this song for Tunes on 2s, because tomorrow night Husband and Brandon are going to see AC/DC at the Excel Energy Center in St. Paul. The lead singer, Brian Johnson, is 61 years old! However, judging by their recent album, these guys are still fully capable of rocking the house. They are going to have a great time!

They're so excited that Husband just turned to me and said "I want to be Angus Young for Halloween next year, by the way." Complete with velvet jacket and shorts. Can you see it?! :)

Tunes on 2s - Rico Suave - Gerardo (1991)

Listen and please, PLEASE watch here. I promise it is hilarious!

Usted, Senor, why’s your chin on the floor? cierra la boca por favor…

I stuck with the 1990s this time because I am anticipating a visit from my friend Kristy and her daughter this weekend, and I wanted to do a special post for her (plus it was her birthday yesterday). Kristy moved to my hometown as a high school freshman, and we’ve been close friends ever since. In high school we spent a lot of time cruising the loop in her car, and when Kristy liked a song, she would play it over and over until she knew every single word. It was hard not to attach oneself to such a song by association.

What can I say…the girl loved “Rico Suave.” There was something about this Spanglish rap that spoke to her, and it helped that Gerardo, complete with bandana, long hair, and tight jeans, was super hot. It wasn’t long before I caught on (the tight jeans didn’t hurt). We thought we were especially cool because we were taking Spanish at the time, so we were able to comprehend the lyrics and rap with semi-correct accents; like somehow that gave us the appropriate Latino street cred.

When I say the title of the song out loud, I can’t help but growl in a heavily accented Barry White-type voice Riccooo…SuAveee… (try it, I bet you can’t just say it!)

I for one can say, in the privacy of my own home (or maybe even with friends), I replayed this tape many times and mimicked the dance moves in the video, like I was so apt to do at that time in my life. In any case, this song will always remind me of my good friend, and how we were so easily adoptive of the pop standards of the day.

And Gerardo? Well, he may have been a one-hit wonder, but he had a "serious" acting career too. I especially enjoyed him as Ricky in "Can't Buy Me Love."

[I just watched the linked music video and burst out laughing...it is SO BAD! I also find it interesting that the song is entirely about women, and nearly all the women in the video are caucasian. This seems weirder in context of the closing shot of the back of Gerardo's leather jacket..."Latin Til I Die."]

Does Gerardo "speak" to you? Where were you in 1991?

Tunes on 2s - Be My Lover – La Bouche (1995)

Listen/watch here

I hear what you say
I see what you do
I know everything I need to know about you
And I want you to know that it’s tellin’ me
You wanna be my lover
La da da dee da da da da...

Many a pre-party were held at Buxton Hall, Room 302 in my sophomore year of college (1995-96). This infamous “suite” was home to me, two of my best buds Dana and Amy, and this other girl we don’t really talk about anymore. On any given Friday and/or Saturday evening after a trip to Pfeiffer Dining Hall to fill up on turkey tetrazzini, we would crack open some fine beers (Keystone, Natural Light, Icehouse) and begin our party primping. This often involved taking brews into the shower, or taking a shot while waiting for curlers to set (I’m sure my parents are really proud right now). Once we were dressed in our best party clothes, i.e. jeans and the ubiquitous mid-1990s flannel shirt, the stream of guests would start to arrive. Frequent socialites included Kristy, Laura, the boys across the hall aka Dirty, Flater, Hoger, Doug and Robby-Rob, and any number of random others.


There was always a steady stream of music being played, and some fairly creative, alcohol-induced dancing. One of our favorites was “Be My Lover,” a one-hit wonder which also spawned a complete choreographed dance routine, cleverly titled the “Be My Lover Dance.” If I hear it now, I still find myself motioning certain parts of the choreography. I think it also involved a lip-synced “rap” interlude by yours truly:

I…must con-fess, girl, yes I wanna be your lover
Take a chance, my love is like no other
On the dance floor gettin’ down
Hold tight, I’ll never let you down
My love’s definitely the key
Like Boyz 2 Men I’m on bended knee
Lovin’ you, not like your brother, aw yeah, I wanna be your lover…

Sadly, I did not have to look up those lyrics. One would think that by now, something more useful would have usurped this memory, but no…the words seem to have permanent residence in my brain.

Anyway, these events were called pre-parties because we usually had somewhere else to go, so sometime around 9PM we would shove spare beers in the waistband of our jeans and trek across the street to the fraternities, where there was basically more of the same.

This weekend is the 10th reunion of my graduating college class [gulp]. Now that we’re all respectable and married and OLDER, it’s fun to think about those times once in awhile. I still find it hard to believe that with all that partying, we still managed to maintain pretty high GPAs. We were a little crazy but we sure had a lot of fun. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

The Way You Make Me Feel – Michael Jackson (1987-88)

Listen/watch here (be prepared for a classically weird MJ intro)

Hee-Hee!
Ooh!
Go On Girl!
Aaow!

Hey pretty baby with the high heels on
You give me fever like I've never, ever known
You're just a product of loveliness
I like the groove of your walk, your talk, your dress…

Yep, still stuck in the 80s. Whatever kind of freak Michael Jackson has become, you cannot deny that he turned out some good tunes that spanned decades. This one in particular was spun quite frequently at our house, back when you could purchase single records (45s) at the local Pamida store. My youngest brother was about 3 years old at the time, and he LOVED this song. He was quite fond of mimicking the high-pitched “oohs” and “hee-hees” that were signature MJ, and we would dance around the livingroom and "the porch." He was a little singing and dancing machine:

In case you were wondering - that orange thing he's holding behind his back? Yeah, that's a piece of the old orange Hot Wheels racetrack. He used it as a guitar when the solos came on. I'm not kidding - I wish I could've found that picture too!

I post this not to embarrass you, Justin (much), but to make you realize how much fun it was having a little brother. I enjoy each of my brothers, but you were a special little dude in many ways. I spent a lot of time watching after you, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. It’s kind of funny how when we were young, you brought out the “little mother” in me, and as we get older you have always succeeded in bringing out the little kid in me. Thank you for that.

Happy (early) birthday, Bud. I will always enjoy being your big sister. Aaow!

Tunes on 2s - Electric Youth – Debbie Gibson (1989)

Listen/watch here

E-lec-tric Youth!
Feel the power, you see the energy
Comin’ up, comin’ on strong
The future only belongs to the future itself
And the future is…Electric Youth!

I'm throwing you a curveball here...hey, I never said these Tunes on 2s would be about good songs, just songs that held particular memories for me.

I cannot tell you how many hours were spent dancing to this song on the brown livingroom carpet of the house I grew up in. I have no idea where anyone else was, but dude…I was busting out with moves I believed to be as close to the music video as you could get. The song incited some kind of power, some kind of ambivalence…yeah! We are Electric Youth! We know what’s up! We are cool! We have mediocre dance moves! Debbie Gibson is awesome! My love of the song created a need to have the accompanying Electric Youth fragrance, which took its rightful place on my dresser next to the Xclamation! and Love’s Baby Soft – the trio of toilet water that constituted every pre-teen girls’ fragrance collection in the late 80s/early 90s. When I needed a break from all that dancing and smelling pretty, I just forwarded the cassette tape to “Lost in Your Eyes” and expressed the flutters of my adolescent heart in song (you know you secretly still love it).

Since I embarassed my parents last time, I'll embarass myself by shooting you a photo from 1989, when I was rocking the big bad brown glasses.

It's doubtful Tunes on 2s will ever feature Debbie Gibson again, so feel free to share memories for anything in her repertoire of songs.

Tunes on 2s - American Pie – Don McLean (1972)

Listen/watch here

Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ‘ol boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’ this’ll be the day that I die…
This’ll be the day that I die

I figured the first installation of Tunes on 2s required a classic. This song flat out reminds me of my dad. He used to say (and still might say) this is one of his favorite songs of all time. I don’t really know when I specifically discovered it – it’s kind of a cult classic really – but I fell in love with it as well. It’s so illustrative…in my mind, I can see the story unfold. My favorite line is:

He was a lonely teenage broncin’ buck
with a pink carnation and a pick-up truck…

Can’t you see it?! This photo of my mom and dad going to a dance ca. 1975 might help, minus the pick-up truck.

I didn’t realize until later, after watching movies like “La Bamba” and “The Buddy Holly Story,” what this song was really about; that the “the day the music died” was referring to that one horrific plane crash near Clear Lake, IA. Did Don McLean have anymore hits? I don’t think so. He really didn’t need to.

To play along with Tunes on 2s, post a comment about what "American Pie" means to you...

Welcome to My Latest Project – Tunes on 2s

When I hear certain songs, I am transported back to a time or place, or am reminded of a certain person. Sometimes this song might be representative of a very limited slice of life (for example, a certain college party, my 13th birthday, etc.) but can carry a very powerful memory or feeling.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the role of music in my life, and want to share some of the thoughts and stories locked in my brain. I am also very interested in hearing from the readers – and finding out how the same song could possibly have a profoundly different effect or memory for different people. So please post your story in the comments! I think this could be a very interesting little exercise in perspective, and a unique illustration of the power of music. Plus, sometimes it’s just downright funny!

These blogs will be in no particular chronological order, and I expect to post 2 times per month to start– the 2nd and 22nd of each month – hence, “Tunes on 2s.” I have a wide range of musical taste spanning genres and decades, so there will likely be something for everyone. Please comment freely, and pass on this link to others. It is a bit of an experiment, so the more the merrier! As a bonus, I will post a photo out of the personal archives from that time.

Check back Tuesday night for the first “Tunes on 2s!”