Does music create memories? Or do memories create music? Chicken or egg? How about a chicken omelet?
Many of us hear a song, and it brings us back to a certain place or event. A family wedding. A high school prom. A college party. Or, if you are like me, some even younger years.
I recall being a 7-year-old boy and hearing KC and the Sunshine Band’s “Shake Your Booty” on the radio. I asked my mother and teenage sister what a booty was, and I recall them laughing and telling me it was what a baby wore on its feet. I bought it.
Any country music (or country western music, as Mom called it) from George Jones, Conway Twitty or Buck Owens brings back memories of their records spinning on Mom’s console stereo in the living room of my childhood home.
Songs from Foreigner, Foghat and the “Grease” soundtrack remind me of my riding along with my brother Brian in the 1970s in his Monte Carlo while cranking the volume knob on the 8-track stereo.
Any tunes from Meat Loaf hark back to when we were able to bring music to our fourth-grade class at St. Cecilia’s, and my buddy Jimmy played “Paradise By The Dashboard Light.” Sister Ellen wasn’t as amused as Jimmy was.
Songs from Elton John, The Captain and Tennille, and ELO conjure memories of hearing them play over the scratchy loudspeaker between announcements (“Please clear the water for the 10-to-3 rest period”) while swimming as a kid at our city pool.
When I hear music from Def Leppard, The Scorpions or Ozzy Osbourne, I am reminded of our high school wrestling room practices and the cassettes my teammates would play.
On the other side of the music are the songwriters and their inspiration. Some of my favorite songs are from writers’ personal experiences penned into legendary music. Gordon Lightfoot. Jim Croce. Alan Jackson. John Denver. And many more.
Yes, music — and the memories it produces — can make you smile, laugh, reminisce… and even shake your booty.
Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707