Ginjajoy, Mom-O-Matic,Nina and Pgoodness all tagged me for the Seven Songs You’re Enjoying Right Now meme.
I’ve been putting it off because I couldn’t even think of one.
I have a hard time listing my favorite anything -- in the moment or not.
Since nothing jumped out at me, I started out thinking about music I liked in general.
I realized that for me, enjoying music has often been about listening to it with other people.
My parents loved music and my earliest musical memories are of bands they liked in the 1970's -- Harry Chapin, The Eagles, The Carpenters, The Doobie Brothers, Fleetwood Mac, Seals & Crofts, James Taylor, Paul Simon and The Starland Vocal Band (they were into that “Afternoon Delight” thing back in their day.)
I became obsessive about music in high school.
My best friend Cindy and I listened to the Violent Femmes, The Police, Prince, Tears for Fears, U2, Roxy Music, Yaz, The Specials, Laurie Anderson, David Bowie, The Cure, REM, Elvis Costello, Adrian Belew, A Flock of Seagulls, The Fixx, The Eurythmics, The B-52’s, Talking Heads, The Cars, Devo, The English Beat, INXS, The Jam, Kate Bush, Psychadelic Furs, Men At Work, Peter Gabriel, Squeeze, and Bruce Springsteen.
My college boyfriend (and first husband) was a bit like John Cusack’s character in the film “High Fidelity.” When I think about that period of my life I hear The Flaming Lips, The Pixies, Jane’s Addiction, The Minute Men, Thin White Rope, Sonic Youth, Bob Mould, Pink Floyd, Michael Brecker, Michael Hedges, Wynton Marselis, (lots of Reggae, Mon'), Elmore James, Bow Wow Wow, Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray Vaughan, 311, The Beastie Boys, The Clash, Billie Holiday, The Breeders, Dire Straights, Cocteau Twins, George Winston, James Brown, Parliament, Led Zeppelin, Liz Phair, The Pretenders, The Replacements, Suzanne Vega, Throwing Muses, Tracy Chapman, The Sugar Cubes, Echo & The Bunnymen, Love & Rockets…
I spent my senior year abroad in England with my friend Deana and in my memories it is all set to a Gipsy Kings soundtrack.
When K entered my life the beat changed. With him I hear Ani DiFranco, Aimee Mann, Allison Krauss, Michele Shocked, k.d. lang, Beth Orton, The Weepies, Nancy Griffith, Buena Vista Social Club, Coldplay, Colin Hay, Daniel Lanois, Sarah Harmer, Django Reinhardt, Emmylou Harris, Freedy Johnston, Mana, Gillian Welch, Holly Cole, Hugh Masakela, KT Tunstall, Lucinda Williams, Bonnie Raitt, Lyle Lovett, Macy Gray, Mahalia Jackson, Nina Simone, Norah Jones, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Sade, Pearl Jam, Gomez, Ryan Adams, Sam Cooke, Shawn Colvin…
So.
What am I listening to and enjoying RIGHT NOW?
I guess songs that get The Mayor and The Rooster dancing.
The sight of my toddlers shakin’ their groove things automatically spreads a smile across my face.
K and I play their favorite songs over and over again on the kitchen cd player and have spontaneous family dances.
We dance separately.
The children watch K and I act the fool.
The children invent their own moves.
We each hold one child and dance as couples.
We dance in a big clump of four.
I give you The Mayor and The Roosters seven favorite dancing songs:
Starry Eyed Surprise by Paul Oakenfold
Boom Shackalack by Apache Indian
Catch That Train by Dan Zanes
Little Red Caboose by Lisa Loeb
We Are the Dinosaurs by Laurie Berkner
Happy Happy Joy Joy by Ren & Stimpy
Two of Us, Aimee Mann & Michael Penn (I am Sam soundtrack)
63 comments:
You guys are the grooviest!
Boomshackalacka!!
How cute! My kids used to love that Dinosaur song by Laurie Berkner. Her tunes are so catchy and contagious. Victor Vito and Freddie Vasco happens to be my fave. :-)
That's it. If I don't get to live at your house in my lifetime...I have not lived!
You guys literally ROCK!
We adore Laurie Berkner at our house! She's got a PBS special now (would only run during pledge). We aired it twice this past drive, but I didn't have a chance to promote it and it failed miserably as a fundraiser. So, just a head's up to you mommies out there... keep your eyes open for "We Are...The Laurie Berkner Band" on PBS.
My house is full of dancing fools too!
It's so weird reading this post and connecting with you in the music way..
You're absolutely right and it reminds me of the post I did about 3 last pieces of music. There are so many times in my life that are 'soundtracked'. Just last night I was saying to BN that the song 'Hands' by Jewel transports me immediately back to the summer before he and I got together, listening to music lying on my bed, late in the evening with the windows open.. fabulous hot summer in my final year before the end of uni.
You have listed so many artists in the post and I'm right there thinking 'oh yeah, them!'
Pearl Jam.. 6th form college.. Nancy Griffith, growing up with my sister (she loved her) Tom Petty, The Eagles, my dad when I was younger and both in my collection ever since I can remember because of him. Yazz, the first single I ever bought! Flaming Lips, on eof my all time faves! Waiting for Superman just makes me wanna sing out loud..
This is a ridiculously long comment... but so often you really make me think.. and this is what you get!! :)
We stomped our way through many days to "We Are the Dinosaurs" when my kids were littler.
Also? Lisa Loeb was in my class in college. I saw her when she was half of a duo with Liz Mitchell, and "Liz and Lisa" played every Thursday night. So I can say I knew her before she made millions of dollars on "Stay" and just generally pissed me off (because I have no hope of making millions of dollars).
I have fond memories of Yaz, Soft Cell, Alison Moyet...
I think you've defined your husbands' personalities quite handily with music!
And THAT is why all of us were so scared to do this meme.
Very cool!
Amazing how music tastes evolve with children!
Oh how I wish I could have combined the dancing House of Joy with the two tots who were getting down in the driveway at 9 pm last night...
The music from the "K" era is the one I connect with the most. Well, I guess it's the one I connect with now. I probably would have connected with the same music at the same period of my life that you listened to it.
I firmly believe that music makes the memories. Keep shakin' dat ass!
"Shake shake shake...shake shake shake...shake that boooodeeee" Fun times in the house of Joys!
The Cocteau Twins... I haven't thought about them in years. I used to love all that 4AD stuff.
that picture just looks so fun.....
Whenever I try to do things like that with my kids, they get all embarassed and weird.......enjoy it now when they are small.........
I know all the words to Happy Happy Joy Joy. That and Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-a-Lot. I'm so classy!
Love Laurie!! And love that you guys all dance together!
And I'm with Janet. Can I be one of your kids too?
our musical tastes are the same (pre- and post- kids)
I just wrote about something similar and how expensive it is for me to try and recreate my "album" collection (but on CD) from then... hundreds of $$$ for one!
dancing in the kitchen is one of our favorite things to do too...
blessings,
karla
Every time I get that Happy Happy Joy Joy song out of my head someone gets it stuck in there again.
Dammit.
Love the kitchen dancing. So many artisit you name have been on my roster before too - I usually have music on all the time, I just don't ever stop to think about it that much.
Thanks for playing along :)
Ooh, kitchen dancing is my favourite kind.
And I wrote about Daniel Lanois's Acadie album being the soundtrack to to nice weekend way back when... I think it was before you started reading my blog... back in January.
The Ren and Stimpy thing made me smile - my son has a tape with Happy Happy Joy Joy on it, and he plays it non-stop...
And this is why I love your blog - we have the same taste in music...through all the years...
And i think it very cool what your children's fave songs are!
We do the Kitchen Dance Party, too!
But our goal is to create the worst moves and lamest routines. We are anticipating the chaperoning of high school dances, where we will embarrass our children, and ruin their street cred insuring they stay virginal until they graduate and leave our house.
We do the exact same thing - "Dance Party!" The kids' current favorite requests are:
- "Body Movin'" (Beastie Boys/Fatboy Slim);
- "Fell in Love With a Girl" (White Stripes);
- and to slow things down at the end, "Look What You've Done" (Jet).
Throw in some Laurie Berkner, some Ralph's World, and a SpongeBob CD, and mix well! (The best part is on special nights, we lower the lights and swivel one of the kitchen track lights to shine on a mini-disco ball meant for a car dashboard.)
Did Rooster take that picture? ;)
i love, love, love this.
i do. K and J have similar tastes in music, he did the same for me when we met.
good people, them.
My favorite time of the day is when we "dance in a big clump of four." Except my daughters insist that it is more fun to be half naked when dancing. Oh no! It's starting from toddlerhood. We have no hope for the teenage years.
Oh, you know I was all over this post like Humps on my lumps!!
Luvs it!
I just made a play list that pretty much contains your high school (and my high school) experience.
It's the greatest!!
Has nothing to do with music, but saw your reference to Antonia's Line. LOVED that movie and had been trying to think of the name all week!
kitchen dancing also very big in casa chickadee
i love the way young kids are so unaffected in their dance styles
my two are very big into dancing with their elbows...
...to the soundtrack of 'the kids from fame'
(really, i couldn't be more thrilled to have an excuse to sing out loud to 'desdamona' and 'hi-fidelity' all over again)
You MUST dance when you hear the Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy song!! YAY!!
Now, I have to dance, too!
Me, too. Whatever gets the kids groovin, I'm in. Right now we are looping the Under a Shady Tree album by Laurie Berkner...with a bit of Ralph mixed in for good measure. BubTar can't listen to a girl singing ALL the time. He says it makes babies dance in his head or something. He's four, who knows what that means. *lol*
love the dancing photo! i shall have to come over with my old Violent Femmes & Bowie & Ani DiFranco collection and get down and boogie. :)
We are kitchen dancers too. Unfortunately, the older my kids get the more risque the moves become.
I find myself wanting to cover my 6 yr old's eyes so she won't mimic them.
Great photo by the way!
Oh, your high school and college playlists bring back memories! As for that kitchen dancing thing, I don't think I've ever seen my kids more aghast than when my husband and I demonstrated a little dance move from our childhoods: the bump.
It's like we were separated at birth. Seriously.
Blogher: You, me, Nina Simone and a pitcher of beergaritas.
Yippeee! Great post and I love your music through the years - I listened to so many of the same.
That Dan Zane drives me nuts, but he certainly is catchy. My kids love to groove and rock out, too, and have the funkiest dance moves...current favorites are the Hot Dog Mickey Mouse clubhouse song and some jump like a frog song from a free cd we got with purchase of those toddler butt wipes.
Mmm, K has good taste (and not just in women)!
I love that tune from the I Am Sam soundtrack...a duet with a male voice singing the low part and the female voice singing the high part? It somehow leaks into my very soul.
You spent a year in England and you survived to tell the tale! I'm well impressed.
No music around here, as I have ear-plugs in, although there is this annoying little tune in my head, or maybe that's just dust...I came from your hoovering pal. [now can you remember what a hoover is?]
Cheers dears
I LOVE the photo!
Lisa Loeb first CD is one of the first 3 CDs I ever purchased way back in '95.
Another of that 1st three was Tomorrow the Green Grass by The Jayhawks...
I don't remember the 3rd. it was that good!
I totally want to go a'dancin' at the House of Joy; the playlist sounds awesome. ;)
I find it amusing that back in my younger days, when I was sweating in the back seat of the family station wagon on one of our many road trips, I would plug my ears and hum loudly to drown out the old country songs mom and dad had blaring from the AM radio. And now? Now whenever NPR decides to grace us with a few of the oldies, I smile and beebop down the road.
Afternoon Delight!!!!!
that deserves PROPS alone!!
Boy u've got some awesome Bands mentioned here!!
Rock On!!
Cheers! Billy ;))
Peace*
Led Zeppelin*
p.s. I spotted U have Paul Oakenfeld listed - He is on MyBlogLog as well as all the Amazing DJ's from around the World on DJList!!
;))
What fun music you have at your house! And what a cool pic of all of you dancing together.
It's funny....the music from your first husband and current husband together represent a lot of the music in our collection (my huz and i were college sweethearts from the early 90's).
Me again.
I tagged you.
Feel free to ignore.
ALL the good parties I've been to are in da kitchen...
You are training them well...
You've got some greats in there. Shawn Colvin was the soundtrack of my last year of college.
Also, love Aimee Mann, especially when she covers one of my all-time favorite Beatles tunes. The Beatles are king in my house.
Allison Krause - we danced to her cover of "I Will" as the exit song at our wedding.
I got tagged for this too, and now I am more motivated to write it!
Happy Happy Joy Joy! I had almost forgotten that great song!
Are you dancing with Russell Crowe in this pic?
I find that my music tastes have changed a lot since having my daughter and nothing makes a song a bigger hit with me then watching her shake her little bootie to it!
Ah, Laurie Berkner. She was the soundtrack for our lives a couple of years ago...
Great pic.
FABULOUS.
I totally love your take on this meme. It's great to see what you listened to at different points in your life -- and I have to agree, if I listed the 7 songs I'm listening to right now, they'd be some of the tracks from a particular kids' album we're enjoying as a family.
(that said, do you mind if I steal this meme from you?)
Love it. Can't wait. Well I can wait but it's going to be fun I just know it.
How fun!
Love this picture so much...
This looks eerily familiar . . .
I do love all your choices though!
Carrie
Oh how I hate to think of those days ahead, but I know it must happen. The only way one can grow up is those mistakes, even if us mothers know what it'll be like. ikkk.
Your taste in music is similar to mine. I am so stuck in the eighties and those rare times I have poked my head into other decades, it is slower, calmer music.
Kitchen dancing is a true sport in our house too!
I so would have hung out with you and Cindy. I loved all those tunes.
Is it wrong that my son knows all the words to Fergalicious? And requests it?
Your music and my music should hook up some time. They would totally hit it off.
My kids are really into their own craptacular pop right now, but they also like the Wicked soundtrack and can sing along to "Take the Skinheads Bowling", by Camper von Beethoven and several Ramones songs.
Ah am so proud.
ok. that does it. i've been holding back, but i now offocially have a fat crush on your husband. that picture of him dancing is just swoonmaking.
Oh my gosh... Beth, Ani, Lucinda, Michelle? We are so on the same track kiddo.
What about Jonatha Brooke? You'd love her 10Cent Wings CD.
Also, in terms of kids music, you can't miss Trout Fishing in America... I've seen them 20 times at least, they are fantastic - regardless of age.
http://troutmusic.com/
Buy anything from them, it's $ well spent, I promise.
Post a Comment