Writing 101: My Three Songs

The brown and black box containing the record player sat on a table in our bedroom and next to it was our small record collection. A variety of music could often be heard playing such as a musical retelling of ‘Peter and the Wolf’, an Adam and the Ants single ‘Stand and Deliver’ and Bucks Fizz ‘The Land of Make Believe’. However there is one song that always sticks in my mind. The song was on a compilation album and we knew exactly which groove on the record the needle needed to be placed on, once we were sure the record player was set the right speed of course. With it’s rhythmic crackle sound the song would begin and my sister and I would position ourselves so we could dance without making the needle jump off the record and sing along loudly to Abba’s ‘Thank You for the Music’.

This was the first song both my sister and I managed to learn all the way through and we would occasionally burst into song together on long journeys, along with some of the more repetitive songs that we had learnt on Brownie camp, much to our Mum’s frustration. Even now if one of us starts to sing Abba’s ‘Thank You for the Music’ the other joins in and we sing it right through, unfortunately this has embarrassed friends and family on occasion as well as our own children. This song has lived on through my own children creating even more happy memories to be associated with it. My middle child turned to me one day when the song happened to be playing and said, “Mum, this song is about me isn’t it?” and to be honest she could be right. She loves to sing and dance and her red hair seems to sparkle like gold in the sun, the lyrics just fit. She truly did start singing before she could talk and dancing before she could walk, music just seems to run through her veins and it’s wonderful to watch her. Although not so great when she is enjoying the acoustics in the bathroom when she should actually be brushing her teeth in the morning getting ready for school!

My next song choice has to be Bon Jovi’s ‘It’s my Life’. I love this song so much. We all go through tough times and we all make decisions in life that others often question and this song was released at a time when I had decided to move abroad for work and was in a new relationship that clearly wasn’t working. I love the beat of the music and how I sing the lyrics with emphasis which makes me feel more determined to be who I am and let others accept me. Personally I have spent so many years worrying about hurting others and actually hurting myself in the process, this song fills me with the strength we all sometimes need to be who we are. This is definitely one of my favourite songs to sing loudly to in the car.

Another favourite is ‘Shine’ by Take That. I was pregnant with my second child when this song was released, in fact I was overdue. I remember being sat in the car waiting for my husband to come out of work and this song came on the radio. My eldest daughter was only 22 months at the time and she had been singing songs for quite a while, one of her favourites was The Carpenters ‘Sing’. However on this particular day I listened as she sang along with Take That to ‘Shine’ and how clearly she spoke each word. The chorus lyrics seemed to easily fit how I was feeling at the time… I just wanted to meet my new baby.

‘So come on, come on, get it on
Don’t know what you’re waiting for
Your time is coming don’t be late, hey hey
So come on
See the light on your face
Let it shine
Just let it shine
Let it shine.’

This song was played constantly until she was born and once she arrived if she was unsettled in the car she would instantly calm down if I played this song, so I guess it’s a family favourite.

This challenge was part of the ‘Writing 101’ course and it was to ‘write about the three most important songs in your life and what they mean to you’. There were others I could have chosen but I hope you like the three I have written about.