Everyone has a soundtrack. Whether music has been introduced to you at a young age, forever intertwined with your joys and sorrows or has simply played in the background, creating mood and punctuation as you careen through life; we all have memories tied up with song.
I grew up in a house of music. No, we don’t play but we do enjoy. Thoroughly. I can’t remember a Saturday morning while growing up that we didn’t have a music video show on our television. Trax, Simulrock, Top 40 Video, Video Hits, Rage, Video Smash Hits, Take 40 Australia and the rest. Wow, there are some memories! If you lived in Adelaide Australia during the 80’s and 90’s you should recognise all of these. My parents gave me the gift of appreciating music of all kinds (well almost!). Be it singing along with Toni Basil’s Mickey wanting to be a cheerleader, begging Mum to do our makeup so we could dance around the coffee table to Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance with Somebody or belting out The Supremes’ Baby Love at the top of our voices, we loved it all! When there wasn’t music on TV the record player would be on and later, CDs.
It wasn’t all pop. My parents are huge fans of Motown, love their Rock, appreciate Classical, can get down to a groovin’ Latino beat and listen to everything in between. We got to listen to all the greats, so much music and all so different. Sam Cooke, The Drifters, The Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, The Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, Dusty Springfield, Ray Charles, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Deep Purple, Led Zep, ACDC, Black Sabbath, Bob Marley, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Whitney, Talking Heads, Paul Simon, Carly Simon, Janis Joplin, John Farnham, Cold Chisel just to name a few. Having such a solid foundation of music while growing up led to a love of music for life.
My memories as a little girl singing along and dancing to 80’s classics always make me smile. The memories of seeing Paul Simon perform at the Adelaide Grand Prix after concert, sitting on the shoulders of my Dad so I could see the stage, as I was only 8 years old, are awesome. Being a 15-year-old girl, in love with Boyz II Men, losing my voice along with my little sister and best friend while singing and screaming at their concert. Slow dancing at high school dances with the boys I thought I was in love with. Singing along in my bedroom with angst to Lauryn Hill. Getting through a breakup with Amy Winehouse. Seeing bands like Metallica on the main stage. Basement Jaxx and Groove Armada in the Boiler Room. Dancing until the sun came up to house music and drum and bass. Singing “Closing Time” when it was time to go home. Bumping and grinding to the best R’n’B anthems every weekend. Watching Anberlin at my fist Soundwave. Dancing around the lounge room while I hold my son listening to Bush. So many memories, so many great songs and artists.
Music Festival Fun
I hope to give my children the gift of loving music. The appreciation of music of all kinds truly is a gift and one to be cherished and nurtured. I’m sure we all have a soundtrack if we think about it. Mine is varied, fun, nostalgic and sometimes a little quirky. Here’s to the music and memories it helps us create and remember.
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