Four Feet More

Arlene, No Dramas and Tommiea have nominated me for the Rockin' Girl Blogger Award! WHOOO-HOOOO (waving fist in the air like the true metal-head I was in high school)! Thanks so much for the award. I feel like I may need to be cooler now though. :)

I was also tagged for a musical meme by my dear friend, Kathy. She here it goes:

Name between 5 & 10 songs that have made an impact on your life. I'll leave it up to you to decide how many you wish to describe.

Pass it onto five other people with a link back to your own post and this one as the original.

Say You Say Me – Lionel Ritchie
This song was my favorite throughout junior high. I saw the movie “White Nights” and promptly fell in love with Mikhail Baryshnikov. Thus began my desire to learn as much about Russia as possible and maybe even visit there someday. I remember countless afternoons watching this video (which I had recorded on a VHS tape) with Kathy and some other friends. We would try to dance like Baryshnikov (with much less grace), and identify with the angst he must have felt over the fact that he could not return to his homeland. We were dramatic pre-teens, what can I say?

Pour Some Sugar on Me – Def Leppard
During high school I was a huge Def Leppard fan. My walls were covered with posters, pin-ups, and articles about the band, and I fancied myself in love with Phil Collen (one of the guitarists). This song was played at nearly every high school dance I attended, and was a welcome break from the MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice, and New Kids on the Block that filled most of the DJ’s play list. Hearing this song always takes me back to my metal head days of torn jeans and concert t-shirts.

Russians – Sting
I’ve been a Sting fan ever since I can remember, and this song was one of my favorites as a pre-teen (due to the above-mentioned crush on Baryshnikov, no doubt.) It further intensified my desire to one day visit Russia, and escalated my hopes that the cold war would end. It all seems pretty dated now, but this childhood fascination with the Soviet Union contributed to my decision to adopt from Russia.

The Rainmaker – Hans Zimmer
This song is from the soundtrack of the film, “The Power of One.” If you have not had the privilege to listen to the songs on this album, you really should check it out. They are mostly composed by Hans Zimmer, but the pieces are all sung by South African choirs, and are truly beautiful. In addition to my fascination with Russia, I have also had a long-standing desire to visit Africa. This particular piece of music always cheers me up and will most likely be featured in my vacation video (if we ever actually make it to the Serengeti).

America – Neil Diamond
Much of my childhood was spent listening to songs by ABBA, Elvis, and Neil Diamond. "America" was a favorite song, and I remember singing along to it countless times with my brother. Funny enough, this song also brings me back to my time going to school in London. When I visited the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, the Guard's Band played a selection of songs by Neil Diamond. “Song, Song Blue”” and “Sweet Caroline” were strange enough to hear during such a formal ceremony, but when they played “America,” things became just surreal. I guess the British have gotten over the whole American Revolution thing.

Beautiful Day – U2
We played this song at our wedding, as we walked down the aisle as man and wife. It was a beautiful day, and the song seemed to capture my feelings perfectly. It was also a bit of an homage to my friend Irma (the biggest U2 fan I know), who had come up to help out with the photography.

For the Longest Time – Billy Joel
This song always brings me back to our childhood road trips. We would play Billy Joel in the car, and when For the Longest Time came on, we would all sing a long, with each of us taking an a capella part. My brother Joe would take the low part, I would take the high, and mom would sing the middle part. I’ve gotten Jeff into listening to Billy Joel on road trips too, and during our Arizona trip, we initiated Vika and Eamon. They especially liked “Piano Man.” Vika said, “I don’t know why Mama, but for some reason, this song makes me happy.”


So, there you have it. Certainly not every song that has played a part in the soundtrack of my life, but some important ones, at least. For this one I tag:

Mom
Arlene
Katie
Irma
Cathy
And anyone else who would like to play along.

I'd love to hear what songs make up your personal soundtrack!