Musical Monday: Recycling

Is it cheating to use an old music post? One from several months ago that maybe only one of my four readers ever saw?

I'm going to vote no. It's just been one of those weeks.

I will be nice, though, and save you one whole mouse click and just repost here what I wrote back in September of last year when I decided to start posting weekly about musical memories that I have.

So with no further ado, for your reading pleasure . . .

9.22.08

Musical Memory #1

I love music. I love to have it blasting in the car, accompanying me at home as I scrub toilets and load the dishes and the laundry; I just love music. I generally listen to the radio and though I have an iPod, I don’t use it as often as I thought I would, because with earbuds in I can’t hear my kids. So the music I am most familiar with is the pop stuff that’s on the radio. Occasionally I come across a lesser-known artist that strikes my fancy, but generally speaking, I’m a pretty generic listener, although I like all kinds of music.

Okay, that being said, one of the things I like best about music is it’s ability to *zip!* take you back in time to a specific memory or *ping* remind you of a specific person. There are so many songs that make me smile, just for the memory associated with them . . . so for kicks, I’m going to share some random memories and their associated soundtracks. Feel free to share one of yours with me!

Music Memory #1
The Song: “Sunglasses at Night”
The Artist: Corey Hart

Okay, I have to admit that this is NOT a favorite song . . . in fact it is one of those songs that, while I have a specific memory (a pretty decent one) attached to it, the song itself gets stuck in my head for, like, three weeks, and so I often change the station when it comes on. HOWEVER, I cannot help but think of the fifth-grade play whenever I hear that synthesizer start its mysterious melody. . . dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun. . .

In my school, fifth graders were the oldest kids. We had a new music teacher the year I was in fifth grade. Mr. Marrs. He was nice; a little kooky, but hey! his name was Mr. Marrs, for crying out loud! (Yes, with TWO r’s.) Mr. Marrs announced that the fifth graders would be putting on a play in the spring. This had not been done for years, definitely not since I had been in school. All the fifth grade would participate by being in the “chorus” if they did not try out or were not chosen to have a speaking part. And the play you ask? It was to be none other than Cinderella. The Disney version. With the Disney songs and everything.

Okay, so my best friend and I (with whom I still keep in occasional touch, and may even read this) decide for some reason that we are going to be the ugly stepsisters. I don’t know why we claimed those parts as our own---maybe because we didn’t think either one of us could pull off Cinderella, or (probably) so we could do our parts together--we were very joined-at-the-hip fifth graders, you know---at any rate, we pretty much staked out our territory and I don’t think anyone opposed our intent--nay our right!--to play Anastasia and Drusilla (I don’t remember who was who).

Anyhow.

With four classes of thirty fifth graders (give or take a few), there was a mighty big chorus to contend with. So that clever Mr. Marrs, he came up with extra parts for that play. And wouldn’t you know that, at the Prince’s Ball, there was a special dance number. And that dance number was choreographed to a popular little song at the time--you guessed it! “Sunglasses at Night” by Corey Hart. Oh, it was totally awesome. The girls all wore sunglasses, of course. Some even had pictures in the tinted lenses. RAD!

Isn’t that song about a stalker? Nice for little girls to dance to, eh? Sandwiched between two sugary Disney songs.

PS: Did I mention that my friend and I wore dresses that my mom made out of this shimmery purple and green fabric? And we got to wear lots of hideous makeup? (We didn’t care that it was hideous, we were just excited to wear MAKEUP!!) And, of course we sang “Sing Sweet Nightingale” all by ourselves. Besides us, only Cinderella got to sing by herself.

“Sunglasses at Night” = Fifth grade play

What's moving YOU this week? Remember, every musical post that you share gets you an entry to the Musical Monday May Giveaway, and you can earn extra entries by inviting your friends to join in the fun! Don't forget to share some comment love with other MM players!