Speaking of music, I was listening to the great radio show Sound Opinions as I drove home from improv rehearsal last night. The theme of the show was "first love songs," and it was an interesting topic for this "romantic." I totally agree with the choices of The Beatles' "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and Tommy James & The Shondells' "I Think We're Alone Now"-- the young '60s music obsessive in me (circa 10-12 years old) thought these songs were exactly what "love" should feel like... even though I had yet to experience. Both songs match soaring melodies with the building anticipation of the lyrics-- and that was just for the thrill of holding a girl's hand!
It took me a couple more years until I could truly put this musical research to the test. The funny thing is that I remember the "feeling" more than any one girl-- there were Heathers, Jennifers, and Lisas... they came fast and furious in those days. But there are songs from that time period that I can recall even more clearly, that still remind me of that mix of joy, emerging confidence, and butterflies in the stomach:
It was the spring/summer of 1985, and I had my first real girlfriend: Heather. We had gotten to know each other in church confirmation class, and I remember having a tough time concentrating on my studies-- she was pretty cute. Towards the end of the class, I worked up the nerve to ask her to be my girlfriend (probably through a note)... and felt truly "blessed" when said YES! It was like a whole new world opened up to me. Around this time I loved The Cars, and their music perfectly matched that first summer of love vibe-- especially this song, "Magic." You might think I'm crazy, but I remember giddily riding my bike to her house (no car at that point) to watch the Live Aid concert, and seeing this band's performance was a "must."
The summer moved on, and so did Heather... she didn't age quite so well, but this next song sure did:
What a romantic song. I still love it (especially the hilarious literal version of the video). The lyrics and melody for Tears for Fears' "Head Over Heels" were a perfect match for how I was feeling that summer... the young romantic in bloom, with new aspirations...
Back in school I felt like a new man: had a few girls eyeing for my attention, and it felt like I had acquired some awesome new super powers (read too many comic books I think)! I always loved this song, "So In Love" by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD for short). Again with the sweeping romantic melody... still sounds great. I had a chance to meet the band in Boston during their reunion concert tour last year, and was very happy to get the appropriately titled album Crush (which contained this and other great songs) signed by the band-- still one of my favorites.
Then things got "serious"-- I upped my game and asked out a beautiful vision named Lisa... in my eyes she seemed kind of unattainable, but in reality I think she was just as shy as I was. Lucky for my ego she said "yes," and I was ready to start choosing names for our kids and matching linens. I'll always associate this Howard Jones song, "Like To Get To Know You Well" (and a handful of John Hughes movies) to her memory...
Dreaming into action... seemingly on top of the world... a couple school dances later, and it was all over. Lisa decided to move on, and I experienced my first real "heartbreak." A little shaken, I retreated to my art and music, and tried writing some heartfelt sonnets (or letters) to win her over... but it was not meant to be. First love can be tough! Thank God I had these guys to get me through:
A-ha's debut album Hunting High and Low came along at exactly the right time. As I mentioned in a previous post, it was chock-full of melodies and lyrics that perfectly matched my feelings of coming into my own, with a little uncertainty blues mixed in. But to quote a line in their best known song "say after me, it's no better to be safe than sorry..." Time to get my head out of the comic books!
So I soldiered on... there were many relationships to come... some hits, misses, and downright chart disasters. Yes, it took a fair share of thorns to get to the perfect rose (no Poison reference intended). But that first "new wave" of feelings is a nice memory to have-- perfectly preserved via a collection of 80s hits CDs!
Speaking of which, I heard this golden oldie on the radio yesterday:
"Alive and Kicking!" Reminds me of the time I won tickets to see Simple Minds in concert ('86 I believe), with my Dad acting as the chauffeur for me and my date (another Heather). I can still remember him checking us out in the car's rear view mirror... seeing if we were up to any funny business, I guess. Ha ha... I'm sure these are feelings I will also be experiencing one day.
No comments:
Post a Comment