The Power of Music

I love music! Whether I am listening to classic rock, classical guitar, bluegrass, jazz, folk, etc…. or playing it myself, I love music. I learned to play guitar when I was in the fourth grade and in sixth grade began playing classical guitar. I took lessons until sometime in high school when I got too busy to continue. I must admit, I got to be pretty good. I don’t play much anymore, I bought a guitar a while back when my kids wanted me to teach them and then bought a classical guitar in 2009 but usually only play when I get together with my friend, Dave. Dave writes songs and we get together every once-in-a-while and play some of his stuff - stay tuned, I will be writing about Dave in the coming weeks. I had learned a great finger-style version of “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and got to be competent with it a couple years back. Most of the time, though, my indulgence in music is as a spectator. My first choice would be The Beatles or maybe one of their solo efforts. I grew up listening to The Beatles and then to John, Paul, George and Ringo as solo artists. Just about every song has some memory attached to it. When I was growing up my siblings and I would spend two (2) weeks every summer in Flanders, New Jersey visiting our Great-Aunt Inez. These two weeks were always the highlight of my summer. There were some summers when we would go camping with my Great-Aunt Viola and her husband and I seem to remember my grandmother being on at least one of the trips. You see, Viola and her husband had a Winnebago that they traveled all over the country in and a few times we took a short trip with them. It is one such trip that comes to mind whenever I hear “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” One of our favorite games to play was Hangman and we were playing one afternoon at the campsite, listening to the radio. “I Want to Hold Your Hand” came on the radio while we were playing. Shortly afterward it was my turn to guess the phrase that Inez was thinking of. I failed…. When time came to unveil the answer it was “I Wanna Hole Your Han.” I told her that wasn’t right but she insisted that is what they were saying. All these years later and I can remember it almost like it was yesterday and it never fails to bring a smile to my face. That is the power of music.

There was a pizzeria in Little Silver that my friend, Lenny, and I would go to that had a jukebox. I remember listening to “Helen Wheels” by Wings while having a few slices of pizza. “Mind Games” brings me back to a friend’s birthday party when I was 16 years old. She had asked me to bring some records with me and “Mind Games”, the album, was one of them. We were outside listening to music, laughing and having a good time. The song was playing and I heard something like “watch this” and the next thing I know one of the girls pulls me over and plants a big kiss on my cheek as someone takes a picture. It was a year or so later that we dated for a while and are friends to this day. George Harrison’s “Crackerbox Palace” brings me back to high school and a varsity basketball game but I honestly don’t know why. I vaguely remember helping a friend, Jeff, with something and he bought me “Thirty Three & 1/3” to thank me but that might not be right. “Las Brisas” by Ringo Starr also brings me back to high school but I think of a friend, Andy. Details, once again, are a bit sketchy but I remember singing it and when I got to “yo te amo” he turned to me and said that he liked me too but not that way. Andy later became employed by WPLJ-FM in New York but sadly died of cancer while still a young man.

Of course “In My Life” is the song that my wife and I danced to at our wedding and so that brings a whole bunch of memories; after nearly 25 years we are still making memories together. Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” is the song that I proposed to her to while we were dancing at my bowling banquet at The Squires Pub. She is a fan, as am I to a lesser degree, and the song just seemed like the appropriate time to ask her to marry me. I also remember having to speak with her father the next day but that is a different story. It’s funny how things work out.

There are so many more songs and memories, not all of them Beatles-related either. The songs of the Who, Eagles, Simon & Garfunkel, Turtles, Box Tops, Platters, Harry Chapin, etc… the list goes on and on and on. There are some songs that I really like but have a difficult time listening to. “Circle” by Harry Chapin is one of them. I love the song but cannot listen to it anymore. I also have a hard time listening to “Photograph” by Ringo Starr. Ringo sang it at the “Concert for George” and said that the song has taken on new meaning since George’s death and ever since it is difficult for me to listen to. Both songs induce great memories but also make me miss those with whom the memories were made. I would, however, like to have everyone sing “Circle” at my gravesite service when the time comes.

On that note I think it is time to say good-bye for now. I hope you enjoyed reading this installment of my rant-fest and hopefully it brought a smile or two to your face. If you have any song memories you would like to share, please feel free to comment below. I would love to hear from you!