sweet, sweet MUSIC

I think I should have no other mortal wants, if I could always have plenty of music.  It seems to infuse strength into my limbs and ideas into my brain.  Life seems to go on without effort, when I am filled with music.

-George Elliot

Music has always been a big part of my life.  I began taking private violin lessons when I was six years old and continued doing so for many years.  During those years, I performed in many concerts, participated in my high school and college orchestras and even taught lessons myself for a little while.   Spending so much time and effort into my musical abilities has been a great blessing for me, and I hope I can encourage my daughter to participate in music lessons when she gets older.

Today, I found a few CDs that I had burned maybe 6 - 7 years ago.  None of the CDs were labeled (typical me), so I started playing them one by one to find out what songs were there.  Holy cow.  It a total flashback to my college days, and I loved being flooded with memories and reminiscing about past experiences.  Here are a few:

R.E.M. and The Cure - My lifelong friend, Karen.  I can't go a second without thinking of her whenever I hear the song "It's the End of the World as We Know It." Nor will I ever forget the day we couldn't get enough of "Friday I'm in Love" and played it over and over and over again! Love ya, K-Lo!

Dixie Chicks -  Bath & Body Works.  I'm not a big country music fan.  Folk music is about as close as I get to the country these days.  However, while working at Bath and Body Works, all my co-workers adored the Dixie Chicks which meant I had to listen to their music all the time.  After awhile, "Wide Open Spaces" didn't sound all that bad.  Good times!

Barenaked Ladies - I went through a phase when I loved this group, particularly the song "Call and Answer."  Hearing this song for the first time in awhile, I was immediately taken back to the days when I lived in a little red brick house with a green front door.  My room was in the basement, so it was always freezing.  I remembered laying in bed at night, listening to "Call and Answer" and really loving the lyrics.

Duran Duran -  The only song I like by Duran Duran is Ordinary World, the acoustic version.  Hearing this song today reminded me of my friend Jimmy.  He and I always gabbed about music, and he liked this song as much as I did.

Allison Krauss - "When You Say Nothing At All" reminds me 100% of my friend, Laney.   We used to listen to the Notting Hill soundtrack together and this song was on it.  Okay, it wasn't the Allison Krauss version, but still...

Enrique Iglesias - Who doesn't remember the song Hero?  Good ol'  Enrique reminds me of a past friend.  We're not friends anymore, but when Hero was on the radio 24/7, she and I acted like we were separated at birth.  She was a good influence on me.  Great times with a bittersweet ending.

The crazy thing about all these songs is that I never listen to them anymore.  I still like the, but my taste has definitely changed (current music loves are on the sidebar).  I guess that's okay because when I do hear them, I get to revisit all these fun memories!

Isn't it amazing how music can trigger so many memories, whether good or  bad, and feelings?  I definitely echo George Elliot when it comes to music.  I could not live without it.

Thoughts?