A few weeks ago, friends of mine on Facebook started posting lists of the "Top 10 albums" that influenced them. Some of them even "tagged" me in their posts, thus challenging me with the task of listing my own top 10. I ignored these challenges, for several reasons, but mostly because I found the task next to impossible. 10 albums? Like, 10 whole albums? I was pressed to think of any (let alone 10!) and I have some theories about why.
My first theory is that I am too young for albums. When I think about music that has strongly impacted me, I think of those binders with zippers up the side stuffed full of burned silver CDs with black sharpie. People made those for me; compilations of songs, some good and some really really not, but they were created as gifts from people I cared about, so they were meaningful for me. I also have strong memories of recording my favorite songs from the radio onto a cassette in my bedroom when I was a kid. The song I wanted would come on, and I would rush to the boom box, and hold down those two buttons at a time, and the wheels inside would start turning...cranking around the old cassette inside that had probably been recorded over a hundred times...Those tapes always included the annoying DJ talking over the beginning, and often another song cutting in towards the end. To put it simply, I grew up in a time of songs, not albums.
The thought that an artist or group crafted an album from beginning to end to tell me a story and take me on a musical journey was one that I have happily ignored, and continue to ignore to this day, which brings me to the second reason I don't think I can come up with 10 whole albums: I suck at music. Not just playing it, but I suck at even getting into it. I recently took a "learning style" quiz, and of course I was kinesthetic, visual, interpersonal, and not even a teeny tiny insy winsy bit musical. I know what I like, and I enjoy listening to music; I listen almost all day, but I have never been much of a connoisseur. I'm a lazy music lover. If music were BDSM, I would sub every time. Just lay back, let it happen to you, and enjoy.
And then there's another reason why I haven't written my album list. When I was growing up, life was absolutely all about me. I was an only child and probably got way way more attention than any little girl should until my little brother was born when I was five. For my whole childhood, we would listen to cassettes of kids' songs in the car. We'd sing along. Get to know the words. Learn about sharing and colors. Not exactly rock and roll, but it was awesome. Then when I was 10, my second little brother was born. So, it's safe to assume the first 15 years of my life were devoted almost exclusively to children's music.
So, recognizing that music-intelligence-wise, I am severely under developed for my age, and that my stroll down the path of musical discovery has been more like a shuffle...I will hereby attempt to complete the 10 albums-that-influenced-me challenge.
1. Elton John, Good bye Yellow Brick Road
I got a CD player when I was twelve. It was chunky and white, and I put ladybug stickers on it. This was the first CD that I ever owned, and I listened to it endlessly. Very good dancing music.
2. Paul Simon, Negotiations and Love Songs
Upon learning that I had been given a CD player for my 12th birthday, and that I had never ever heard of Paul Simon, my loving next-door neighbor Sam told me that my parents had failed to raise me, and that she was taking the task on herself, and handed me this CD. I spent whole summers in our front yard with a sheet spread out on the freshly cut grass doing handstands and dancing by myself with this in the background.
3. Bing Crosby, White Christmas Album
Talk about influence! It doesn't really feel like Christmas without some crooning there in the background.
4. Sharon, Lois and Bram, The Elephant Show
My first live show. I was small, probably five. I have recently started listening to this again, and was amazed by how shrill, stupid-enthusiastic, and persistently annoying it is. My mother is a saint to listen to this for 15 years.
5. Raffi, Singable Songs for the Very Young
Until I was three, my mom had other kids come over and watched them during the day. One of the only memories I have of that time was the "jumping couch," a special time during the day in which my mom would turn on the music, and allow all the small toddler-people to bounce on the couch as much as we wanted. Raffi, along with the Elephant's Show, was a popular jumping-couch choice. Still makes me feel bouncy.
6. Spice Girls, Spice World
I feel like I need to apologize here. I know it's bad. I was young. They were just so pretty and sparkly! I became obsessed. The Spice Girls rose to international acclaim when I was in Junior High. I was a soon-to-be-teenager, and I was their target audience. Hook, line and sinker, man. I wanted to be their friend. I wanted into the club...to be like them, so beautiful and adored. I even wanted the stupid-big shoes. It was a phase, and I am over it now, thank you for asking. But this album was my favorite possession for a few months.
7. How the Elephant Got It's Trunk, Ruyard Kipling, as read by Jack Nicholson
Ok, not technically an album of music, but still strongly influential, so it's in! I listened to this last night, and it still puts a calm smile on my face. And is has Bobby McFerrin jamming throughout, which is just fantastic. I highly recommend it.
8. Celtic Moods/Celtic Dawn/Celtic Mist/Celtic Tapestry/Celtic-fuzzy-rainbows-and-shit
Any one of the dozens of "Celtic" music compilations my mom played in our home...they all sounded exactly the same, but they were all relaxing, and this style still makes me feel at home.
9. Bob Marley, Legend
Soundtrack to college?
10. The Sound of Music Soundtrack
Which my mom recorded onto a cassette tape from a record, probably right after college. It's scratchy, but good. And you can sing along in the car, which is a plus. (As a side note here, you should probably thank me for not including all the other 90s Disney soundtracks on this list, as they were also popular car-favorites!)
My first theory is that I am too young for albums. When I think about music that has strongly impacted me, I think of those binders with zippers up the side stuffed full of burned silver CDs with black sharpie. People made those for me; compilations of songs, some good and some really really not, but they were created as gifts from people I cared about, so they were meaningful for me. I also have strong memories of recording my favorite songs from the radio onto a cassette in my bedroom when I was a kid. The song I wanted would come on, and I would rush to the boom box, and hold down those two buttons at a time, and the wheels inside would start turning...cranking around the old cassette inside that had probably been recorded over a hundred times...Those tapes always included the annoying DJ talking over the beginning, and often another song cutting in towards the end. To put it simply, I grew up in a time of songs, not albums.
The thought that an artist or group crafted an album from beginning to end to tell me a story and take me on a musical journey was one that I have happily ignored, and continue to ignore to this day, which brings me to the second reason I don't think I can come up with 10 whole albums: I suck at music. Not just playing it, but I suck at even getting into it. I recently took a "learning style" quiz, and of course I was kinesthetic, visual, interpersonal, and not even a teeny tiny insy winsy bit musical. I know what I like, and I enjoy listening to music; I listen almost all day, but I have never been much of a connoisseur. I'm a lazy music lover. If music were BDSM, I would sub every time. Just lay back, let it happen to you, and enjoy.
And then there's another reason why I haven't written my album list. When I was growing up, life was absolutely all about me. I was an only child and probably got way way more attention than any little girl should until my little brother was born when I was five. For my whole childhood, we would listen to cassettes of kids' songs in the car. We'd sing along. Get to know the words. Learn about sharing and colors. Not exactly rock and roll, but it was awesome. Then when I was 10, my second little brother was born. So, it's safe to assume the first 15 years of my life were devoted almost exclusively to children's music.
So, recognizing that music-intelligence-wise, I am severely under developed for my age, and that my stroll down the path of musical discovery has been more like a shuffle...I will hereby attempt to complete the 10 albums-that-influenced-me challenge.
1. Elton John, Good bye Yellow Brick Road
I got a CD player when I was twelve. It was chunky and white, and I put ladybug stickers on it. This was the first CD that I ever owned, and I listened to it endlessly. Very good dancing music.
2. Paul Simon, Negotiations and Love Songs
Upon learning that I had been given a CD player for my 12th birthday, and that I had never ever heard of Paul Simon, my loving next-door neighbor Sam told me that my parents had failed to raise me, and that she was taking the task on herself, and handed me this CD. I spent whole summers in our front yard with a sheet spread out on the freshly cut grass doing handstands and dancing by myself with this in the background.
3. Bing Crosby, White Christmas Album
Talk about influence! It doesn't really feel like Christmas without some crooning there in the background.
4. Sharon, Lois and Bram, The Elephant Show
My first live show. I was small, probably five. I have recently started listening to this again, and was amazed by how shrill, stupid-enthusiastic, and persistently annoying it is. My mother is a saint to listen to this for 15 years.
5. Raffi, Singable Songs for the Very Young
Until I was three, my mom had other kids come over and watched them during the day. One of the only memories I have of that time was the "jumping couch," a special time during the day in which my mom would turn on the music, and allow all the small toddler-people to bounce on the couch as much as we wanted. Raffi, along with the Elephant's Show, was a popular jumping-couch choice. Still makes me feel bouncy.
6. Spice Girls, Spice World
I feel like I need to apologize here. I know it's bad. I was young. They were just so pretty and sparkly! I became obsessed. The Spice Girls rose to international acclaim when I was in Junior High. I was a soon-to-be-teenager, and I was their target audience. Hook, line and sinker, man. I wanted to be their friend. I wanted into the club...to be like them, so beautiful and adored. I even wanted the stupid-big shoes. It was a phase, and I am over it now, thank you for asking. But this album was my favorite possession for a few months.
7. How the Elephant Got It's Trunk, Ruyard Kipling, as read by Jack Nicholson
Ok, not technically an album of music, but still strongly influential, so it's in! I listened to this last night, and it still puts a calm smile on my face. And is has Bobby McFerrin jamming throughout, which is just fantastic. I highly recommend it.
8. Celtic Moods/Celtic Dawn/Celtic Mist/Celtic Tapestry/Celtic-fuzzy-rainbows-and-shit
Any one of the dozens of "Celtic" music compilations my mom played in our home...they all sounded exactly the same, but they were all relaxing, and this style still makes me feel at home.
9. Bob Marley, Legend
Soundtrack to college?
10. The Sound of Music Soundtrack
Which my mom recorded onto a cassette tape from a record, probably right after college. It's scratchy, but good. And you can sing along in the car, which is a plus. (As a side note here, you should probably thank me for not including all the other 90s Disney soundtracks on this list, as they were also popular car-favorites!)
