The Soundtracks of Our Lives

As the years continue to whiz by, I have noticed more and more the impact of music in my life. I think without even realizing it, most of us have a soundtrack to our lives. Quite often, on any given day, I'll hear a song and it can take me back to a moment or time from my past.

Sometimes the memory is quite general and just conjures up a broad emotional feeling. It could be joy, laughter, anger or sadness to name a few. Other times, it takes me to some very specific moments, to the point where I can feel not only emotional, but see and sometimes almost smell the memory in great detail.

In a recent visit with my mom, I was recalling an image I could still see when I closed my eyes. I was about 3 or 4 years old. I remember being in this small apartment in the kitchen in East New York, Brooklyn. My mom was ironing and I was dancing inside this box on the floor to a song that was called "Little Boxes". I didn't know it at the time, but it was originally done by Pete Seger. I think it was the line that used the phrase "ticky-tacky" that caught my ear.

To be truthful, I haven't heard the song in almost 60 years. I just bring it up because of the memory. That feeling of innocence, and a simple life as a three year old, that the song still conjures up.

As I moved forward in life, my memories are of listening to the Beatles, especially the first album, Meet the Beatles. Somehow I ended up still having that original album, filled with scratches and hisses. If I hear certain songs from that album today, I immediately go back to 5 year old Chris, laying on the floor in the living room in front of the speaker, imagining there are miniature versions of the Beatles singing from inside the speaker. In those days the speakers looked like pieces of furniture.

When I hear one of the songs from that album now, I still know the order and anticipate hearing the next tune. I don't mean the classics like "I Saw Her Standing There" but more like "Little Child" or "Hold Me Tight". It's just funny how my memory still holds every lyric to these songs.

My youth, also oddly enough, or not, possessed the soundtrack of Herb Albert & the Tijuana Brass. My parents belonged to a record club which I believe was A&M records, so we had all of the Herb Albert albums. It was a unique sound, and with no vocals and trumpet as lead, for some reason it caught my ear. Also, I can't deny, even as a young boy, I was a bit taken by the Taste of Honey Album cover. In case you don't remember, here it is......

I realized, once I started writing this, the length of the list of artists who have influenced my life, and tied to various times or events, goes on and on.

I'm curious to know of those of you reading this, what your songs or artists might be that take you back to a specific time, place or feeling in your life.

I will try and list a few more here, but will spare you all the specifics. I want to get to the bigger point of this blog, rather than just sharing my list for the soundtrack of my life.

I do have to say, the longer you live, the range of emotions that get stirred becomes more complicated. Rather than just bringing up innocent memories, you may find songs making you feel melancholy or bring you to tears from either joy or sadness, or maybe both. Music is often the key to opening the door of our emotions we've been hiding inside.

I remember a period of time when I drifted away from music and really got into sports. Between the Mets, Jets, Knicks and Rangers I spent most of my focus from about 8-13 years old on my teams. Who I might add, back then, won quite a bit more than today.

When I was 13 I would go off with one of my good friends to collect door to door for his Long Island Press route. Seems crazy now, but yes, newspapers were delivered door to door. Then every Friday you would collect in cash from the subscribers.

In any event, the reason I bring this up, is on one particular occasion of collecting , my friend started singing and reciting lyrics to some new music he was listening to. It turned out to be songs from Elton John's Good-Bye Yellow Brick Road double album. To this day, one of my all-time favorites. Definitely a top 5 deserted island choice for me.

Shortly after, I bought the album and with that, the value of music returned to my life.

From there various phases of music came and went and came back again. My first concert was with the aforementioned friend from the Press route and of course it was to see Elton John. It was called the "Louder Than the Concorde, But Not Quite as Pretty" tour.

I later in life had the opportunity to interview Elton, and had him sign the concert booklet from that tour nearly 20 years later. One of my coolest moments in my TV career.

The other earlier concerts I remember were Aerosmith and Kiss at Madison Square Garden. That led to a period of progressive rock bands like Yes, ELP, Jethro Tull to name a few.

This was followed by the punk and New Wave period. Being able to say I saw bands like the Ramones & The Clash live several times, now sounds cooler than I realized it was at the time.

There would be great bands like U2, Depeche Mode, Squeeze, The Cars, B-52's..... the list goes on and on.

Later in life my son began his interest in music and his first band that really grabbed him was The Dave Matthews Band. That may get eye rolls from some, much like my stating I like Cold Play and have enjoyed their live shows. Not sure why people need to criticize musical tastes of others, as you are not forced to listen to anything.

I suppose I'm a little guilty of doing this when it comes to Swifties. It's not so much her music that I have some issues with, but I suppose it's how everything she does is so influential to millions of people, that disturbs me a bit.

I'm sure many of us are different in how music has influenced our lives. I do believe however, that it does more so than we are often aware compared to other forms of art and performance. I believe we all have a soundtrack to our lives and invite you to track back yours as an exercise. It's fun and it can be therapeutic.

The manner in which our life's path can change can sometimes alter our musical path.

For example, I have been to 78 Dave Matthews (Band) shows since May 2002. Don't ask. That might be worthy of a completely separate blog. However, every summer I would get excited about what DMB shows I would be attending. Over the last several years, that enthusiasm has been waning and I attend fewer and fewer shows. Much of the history behind attending all those shows often involved family outings or short trips to attend the concerts. This of course involved my first wife. I found that attending shows after she had passed away has left a strange hole in the experience. It's just not the same. While I continue to listen to the music, albeit not as often, I do think it's one of those times in my life I have to just leave the memories in their place. Yes, I have gone to some shows since she left us, but they are fewer and farther between.

I suppose the point of this is to demonstrate how the social and emotional impact of music in our lives can stream in both directions.

Whatever your musical taste or history I hope you take the time to explore it or at least become aware of the impact it has had and continues to have in our lives. Life often gets us on a treadmill to just keep up with things. I say, if you can't get off the treadmill, then at least take in some tunes to help you get through it.