track 1

Assignment from Georgia: "Come up with a playlist that works as a soundtrack for an important time in your life and elaborate on the whats and the whys."--You choose the time or times, the songs, come up with a little in the way of why the songs are connected to those times, and simply share.

Dick Clark has said, "Music is the soundtrack of our lives."

Well duh, Dick.

Today is March 1st, 2006, and I'm going to begin to put together my own compilation. It will take awhile, so I'll have to post only one song at time. Maybe two, depending on the commentary. As Georgia suggested, the whats and the whys.

And so, let's get it on...I mean, let's get it started...I mean...

1. Dancing Nancies (Dave Matthews Band)

This is a no-brainer. Anyone who knows me knows that this would have to be the first song on my list. It's my anthem.

This song has been my favorite since I was about 17 years old or so. I actually first heard it at a place called Hotel Jamestown where I had gone to listen to a friend's band practice. I went out in the hallway for a minute when someone had put in the UTTAD cd and this song started. I was a little distracted because Steve Gustafson and Dennis Drew were just leaving the building and they stopped to talk with me a minute (they know my dad's family), but I just wanted to listen to the song. It haunted me, and a few days later I bought the tape (yes, the tape). That tape eventually broke and I have since also worn out 2 or 3 cds from playing it so much. And, as a side note, few songs (if any) more accurately showcase the talent of these musicians, individually and collectively, more than this song does.

I have listened to this song countless times. I have referred to it being as sacred as a hymn to me. While most songs on my list will have specific references with time, place, etc., this song fits into many, many facets of my life. I have listened to it when I was elated, and when I was desperatley depressed. This song fits in to a memory of sitting in my parked car, by myself, in a parking lot at an elementary school in Sugar Grove, Pennsylvania, just because I needed somewhere to go so I could be alone and blast the song. What's my favorite song? This is my immediate answer.

Could I have been
A parking lot attendant?
Could I have been
A millionaire in Bel Air?
Could I have been
Lost somewhere in Paris?
Could I have been
Your little brother?

Those are the lyrics on the UTTAD album, but they change with nearly every live performance.

Could I have been anyone other than me?
Could I have been oh, anyone other than me?
Could I have been anyone other than me ?
Could I have been anyone?

Do you ever ask yourself this question? I am constantly asking myself this question, and it can be highly frustrating.

He stands, touch his hair, his shoes untied,
Tongue gaping stare.
Could I have been a magnet for money?
Could I have been anyone other than me?

Tongue gaping stare. I love that description.

Twenty-three, I’m so tired of life.
Such a shame to throw it all away.
The images grow darker, still,
Could I have been anyone other then me?

When this song became my instant favorite, there's no way I could have known what that verse would mean to me later in my life. When I was 23. When my son died. When I was tired of life, but it would have been such a shame to throw it all away...but the images grew darker with each day and I couldn't escape the fact that I was, well, me.
Also, this verse reminds me of something else. Jeremy. This was his favorite song, too, and it was sung at his funeral, the words changed to "Twenty-one and so tired...".
But then..

Then I
Look up at the sky
My mouth is open wide, lick and taste
What’s the use in worrying?
What’s the use in hurrying?
Turn, turn we almost become dizzy...

What a relief. I imagine myself in a little girl state of mind spinning in circles, outside, looking up, and that, somehow, makes me feel better. I feel blessed beyond capacity for all that is around me. It will be okay.

I am who I am who I am,
Well, who am I?
Requesting some enlightenment:
Could I have been anyone other than me?

Sing and dance
I’ll play for you tonight
The thrill of it all.
Dark clouds may hang on me sometimes
But I’ll work it out.

Yes, playing for people - it's thrilling for me. And there's something I've had to remind myself, in those very words: dark clouds may hang on me sometimes but I'll work it out. I usually do.

And then I
Look up at the sky.
My mouth is open wide.
Lick and taste, what's the use in worrying?
What's the use in hurrying?
Turn, turn, we almost become dizzy...

Falling out of a world of lies...

Yes, yes I did.

Could I have been a dancing nancy?
Dancing nancy...
Could I have been anyone other than me?

A dancing nancie (or nancy) is a slang term for a transvestite prostitute in parts of France, Belgium, and Spain.

Sing and dance
La la la hey la la la hey la la la
Sing and dance
La la la hey la la la hey la la la
Sing and dance
I'll play for you tonight
The thrill of it all
Dark clouds may hang on me sometimes,
But I'll work it out

And then I
I look up at the sky
My mouth is open wide
Lick and taste, what's the use in worrying?
What's the use in hurrying?
Turn, turn we almost become dizzy...

To get the full effect, please never stop listening when the lyrics end. The instrumental at the end is one of the best parts of the song.

Enjoy.

**stay tuned for the next track, coming soon...