I have loved music my whole life. My first musical memories are of my Dad’s reel to reel tapes filled with late 1950s and early 1960s hits.
I had my first record player of my own (not a toy one) at three years old, followed shortly thereafter by my own reel to reel tape recorder.
When I was little, it was well known on the fairgrounds we travelled on, that I loved music and when they’d been replaced by the latest hits, the ride owners would give me the old records they weren’t going to play anymore.
By the time I was 10, I already had 1000 singles of my own.
As a teen, pretty much all my money was spent on records. I steadily built my collection over the years and recorded the records I couldn’t yet buy, off the radio.
And as the years went on, I’ve built collections of records, cassette tapes, mini discs, CDs and even transferred them all to mp3s.
But it’s not just a music collection.
It’s my collection of memories. So many songs take me back to times and events of the past. Days out with my Mum and Dad, people who’ve been part of my life, record shops that knew me so well, they’d save records they’d think I liked for me. Discos I went to, parties I attended. Girls I went out with, loneliness at boarding school (when my records were my best friend). I could go on and on.
Pretty much daily, I hear a song that will take me back to a specific time and place.
I’m at the moment, collating my 100 favourite songs. The funny thing is that they’re not chosen for their magnificence as pieces of music. The majority are chosen because they take me back in time, to one of those memories.
It means that you will find some ‘cheese’ in amongst my choices. But I don’t care. The music represents a little slice of my life and that’s why it’s in the list.
What is surprising though, is that I did a Top 100 list back in 2005. It was different to the list I’m forming now as only 29 songs that were on that list have made it onto my newest one. Not surprisingly, most of them were on the list because of linked-memories.
What has become obvious to me is that I’m much more nostalgic now than I was then. I suppose that comes with age. I find myself thinking back to my youth and of the people that I was with at the time.
But what has become even more obvious to me is that without the music I’ve listened to over the years, I probably wouldn’t have the memories that I have. The majority of my memories are inextricably linked to music.
Let me share with you a couple of memories that I’ve had this morning because of the songs that I heard on the radio today.
It’s 1970, and Mum and Dad are taking me and my sister, Debra, to Weymouth. We’re going to see my Uncle Jimmy & Aunt Iris Chipperfield and my cousins James, Robert Charles and Louise.
At the time Dad has two Rover P5 cars, almost identical. Both are very dark green, so dark, they look black. One is 3 litre, the other is 3.5 litre. Beige leather seats, maple walnut dashboards and with a radio in them.
We’re on our way. We cut across the Somerset villages and get to Yeovil. As we’re skirting around the outside of the town, Anne Murray’s ‘Snowbird’ comes on the radio.
Why I remember that I’m not sure. I remember that it’s a part of the journey by which time, I always thought to myself, “Not far to go now.” The funny thing is, it was only probably just over halfway there.
But whenever that song comes on the radio, I’m taken back. I can smell the leather in the car. I can see the part of the road going uphill to the roundabout near the ‘Quicksilver Mail’ pub where we turn left. I can remember the excitement of seeing my cousins soon. It’s all still in my head. I’m always 11 years old when I hear that song.
Five minutes later, I hear the familiar start to Jeff Beck’s ‘Hi Ho Silver Lining.’ I’m now in my late teens and at a Showman’s football ‘Dance’ at the Bali Hai, Streatham. The place is full of young showmen who had, earlier in the day attended a football match between two teams comprising of showmen representing their ‘section’ of the country.
This would have been on this occasion, London, and they would have been playing another section, most likely the West Midlands (their biggest rivals) or the Eastern Counties, Lancashire, Gloucester Welsh. I know it wasn’t Hampshire, because I played for them and I hadn’t played in the game that day.
At the time, Disco was the becoming ‘a thing’. And through the course of the night, tunes like Gary’s Gang’s, ‘Keep On Dancing and Sylvester’s ‘You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) would have been filling the dancefloor.
But the minute ‘Hi Ho Silver Lining’ came on, it changed the evening. All the London attendees in the room would start singing the song at the top of their voices. This was the first of two songs that were associated with the London football team at the time. The other was David Essex’s ‘Gonna Make you A Star.’
When those two records were played, the atmosphere became electric. Everybody you looked at would be singing with the biggest smiles on their faces. It was joyous. The feeling of togetherness was one I’ve not felt at any other time.
I could look around the room, surrounded by people I knew and it used to make me swell with pride, even at that age. I just loved it.
And that’s why I love music so much. It’s a major part of the fabric of my life. It’s why I love oldies. So many songs hold so many memories.
I can think of nothing that compares as a ‘memory jerker.’ Most of the time, the first few notes of a song can transport me back on a trip to the past. The majority of the time, it’s accompanied by a memory that reminds me of just how fantastic my life has been. Other times, the memory that comes to mind can just as easily make me want to cry. But I wouldn’t change it for the world.
I really can’t think of anything else that brings back memories like a song or a piece of music. And that’s why I love music so much.
But I’m probably not telling you anything you don’t already know because music probably does exactly the same thing for you.
Great isn’t it?
No comments:
Post a Comment