Dad Entry #192

I feel like my childhood has a soundtrack. I have early memories forever associated with songs. I assume this isn't rare. We can't undo the intertwining of melodies, memories, and emotions during such an impressionable time. We're new and we're sponges. I wonder what's on this soundtrack for M 'n' m? Which groups, singer/songwriters, performers? American Idol graduates? Crazy Disney- or Nickelodeon-created teen-megastars. Miley Cyrus (hope not), Katy Perry, Gaga, Pink, Timberlake, Bruno Mars, NeonTrees, OneRepublic, Mumford & Sons? Not bad, but let me tell ya.... I remember '80s music on the car radio. During the '80s. I hand-cranked backseat windows up and down to Journey, Air Supply, The Cars, Cindy Lauper, Pat Benatar, The Police, Boston, Foreigner, Survivor, Mr. Mister, and REO Speedwagon. Josie went on a vacation during my childhood, and that makes me feel special. (I didn't list The Outfield above because I can't name another song by them. And neither can you.) I owned 45s with tracks by Springsteen, Hall & Oats, Huey Lewis, and Twisted Sister. The iron mask on the record sleeve of my aunt Diane's Quiet Riot album freaked me out. What images will stick with Michael and Megan? Maybe I don't wanna know. And before '80s music, the record players at home and elsewhere gave me The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, James Taylor, Elton John, Credence Clearwater, The Byrds ("Turn, Turn, Turn"), Pure Prairie League ("Amie"), Steppenwolf ("Magic Carpet Ride"), Poco ("Crazy Love"), The Marshall Tucker Band ("Can't You See"), and my favorite, America. Do yourself a favor and listen to "Sister Golden Hair," "A Horse With No Name," and "Ventura Highway." My parents also had Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson, and Neil Diamond records. There were others, but I remember these for sure. From my early years, my first decade. (I was a bit older when Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Guns N' Roses, INXS, and U2 showed up.) When I was a kid, genres were still being defined. Rap. Alternative. Hip-hop. Metal. Can M 'n' m make similar claims? I guess punk and techno keep evolving; and there's a kind of alternative country now. But cassettes, music videos, and MTV were born in my youth. It's hard to forget – for lots of reasons – Michael Jackson and "Thriller." Personal music devices arrived. The Walkman. My first cassette was New Addition, and I played the shit out of "Cool It Now." Then one day my dad brought home a curious new device. It was called a compact disc player. Dire Straits' "Money for Nothing" was our family's first CD. Followed by "The White Album" and the Stones' "Hot Rocks" two-CD set of chart-toppers. We were so cool. "But we saw the rise of MP3s, iTunes, Pandora, Bluetooth, and music in the cloud," my kids will say, when they're adults and we have this argument. Blah, blah, blah. Not even close.