Make a Soundtrack of Your Life

I think it is very important to go through life with a soundtrack.  I mean, when you go to a movie you might not necessarily pay attention to the music, but if it wasn’t there you would notice.  So it’s important to have a soundtrack that suits you.  I have been making a soundtrack of my life for years.  I just didn’t know it.

I’ll bet that I have a gazillion songs in my iTunes library.  I used to have albums and cassettes and CD’s.  I was never into 8 tracks.  If I had been driving when they were popular I would have had one but by the time I was buying music for my car it was cassettes.  Oh, I had a bunch of 45’s too.  I like iTunes.  I can take my CD’s and upload them to my iPod.  I can listen to my music anywhere I go.  I can listen in the car, at work or with my earbuds.  Shoot, I can even listen to my music through my surround sound in the family room.  I can, I just can’t figure out how.  Anyway, I like having everything in iTunes.

And I have all kinds of music.  You never know what is going to appeal to me.  I remember when Michael Jackson died.  I wanted to hear the Michael Jackson I remembered, so I bought a Jackson 5 album.  A little later that day I bought Thriller.  We sang those songs for a week straight.

My music started early.  I learned the songs that my parents played.  What I consider to be old country tells so many stories of my life.  Not necessarily the words of Marty Robbins or Merle Haggard or Johnny Cash or Loretta Lynn or Tammy Wynette but the music.  I learned every song on every album that my parents owned.  I learned the teeny-bopper songs:  Jackson 5, the Osmonds.  Then I got into the music that began to define who I was, primarily John Denver.  A lot of other music from that era was the influence of my older sister.  She had the money to buy 45’s.  I learned James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, and Carol King from her.  I didn’t like a lot of rock.  I wish I had.  Now when I go back to that music I wonder why I didn’t give it a chance.  Janis Joplin is a genius.  Fleetwood Mac captures a lot of who I am.

Music can pump me up and calm me down.  It sets the tone for my mood.  There are songs that can make me cry and make me laugh out loud.  There are songs that I know by heart and others, no matter how hard I try, I will never learn.  The ones I sing along with are usually my favorites but again, there are those that I will never learn.  There have been times in my life that I was too sad to sing, music not only hurt my heart but my ears as well.  But there have been times that I couldn’t stand the silence and music was the only thing that could fill up my heart.

But going through the playlist of some of my favorite songs I realize that when you love music by almost 70 different artists it’s so hard to pin down exactly who you are.  So here’s a stab at it:

ABBA – teenage years but resurrected with the movie Mamma Mia – I’m sure I’m not the only one
ADELE – I love her voice
Alan Jackson – old country – I wish my daddy could hear some of his music – I think I have it all
Alannah Myles – “Black Velvet” – I love that sultry sound
Alicia Keys – not necessarily a fan but I love to sing along with “Girl on Fire” – because THIS GIRL IS ON FIRE – she also includes Adam Levine in “Wild Horses” and I love his voice with hers on this song
Aretha Franklin – really?  You need a reason?
Barry Manilow – okay, so I really liked him in college – I know all the words
Blake Shelton – so hot right now – and a good mix of old & new country
Bonnie Raidt – fun songs – great voice
Carrie Underwood – attitude – pure and simple
The Voice – some of those guys can really do a good job with some good songs
Cat Stevens – yeah, I know he’s a terrorist but he reminds me of my youth and he has a good voice
Chicago – throw me back to the ’70’s!
Cyndi Lauper – because Girls Just Want to Have Fun
Dolly Parton – yeah, we argue all the time who does “I Will Always Love You” better – I say Dolly – most others say Whitney – but Dolly wrote it so I guess she doesn’t care!  Ha!
The Eagles – throwback to the ’70’s – too bad I didn’t know then how good they were
Elton John – what a musician – and we all need to hear songs from the heart
Emmylou Harris – Emmylou – it doesn’t matter what she sings
Eva Cassidy – such a beautiful voice
Fleetwood Mac – this is the best karaoke I have ever done – seriously – I can kill “Dreams”
Garth Brooks – where has he been?  – some of his stuff is just so much fun!
Holly Dunn – Daddy’s Hands makes me cry every time I hear it
Let It Go – from Disney’s Frozen – there were 28,500 women singing this at the top of their lungs during the Princess Run at Disney this year – it was playing all over the route – priceless – there’s something on YouTube with this in like 80 different languages!
James Taylor – Sweet Baby James!
Janis Joplin – I was born too late for her – but no one did a better job with “Me and Bobby McGee”
Jason Aldean – yeah, I’m country
Jim Croce – attitude via folk
Jimmy Buffett – this man has had a good life making us wish we were at the beach – just hearing his name makes me want a margarita
John Denver – John Denver defined my life – still does
John Lee Hooker – because everybody needs some Boom Boom and Bang Bang Bang Bang
Kathy Mattea – if you never listen to Kathy Mattea for any other reason listen to her rendition of “Mary Did You Know”
Keith Whitley – for someone who died so young he has 2 standards that I can never hear enough
Kellie Pickler – because attitude is a good thing
Kenny Chesney – he makes you want a beer on the beach – but “Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven” should be everyone’s theme song
Kid Rock & Sheryl Crow – Picture is perfect
Linda Ronstadt – when I was younger somebody made the mistake of telling me that I sounded like Linda Ronstadt – I can’t get enough of her
Loretta Lynn – a fabulous songwriter & she’s from Kentucky so she’s all ours!
Ave Maria – it doesn’t matter who sings it – but Luciano Pavarotti can make it sound wonderful
Luke Bryan – yeah, I’m country & my kids are too
Walking in Memphis – just makes you want to sing along and dance
Maroon 5 – Adam Levine loves me – he sings to me all the time
Martina McBride – what a voice – “In My Daughter’s Eyes” makes me cry every time I hear it
Marty Robbins – because I was raised on him
Merle Haggard – and him too
Michael Bolton – yeah you can trash me for this one – but he does a great job on “When a Man Loves a Woman”
Michael Jackson – Thriller is his best work as a solo artist so that’s the one I listen to
Miranda Lambert – the queen of attitude!
Nickel Creek – BLUEGRASS!!!
Norah Jones – remember Eva Cassidy – for the same reason
Otis Redding – yeah, I was raised on his music but never knew who he was – I do now
Patsy Cline – uh, huh
Paul McCartney – some
Randy Travis – what a voice and he can write too – no pretentiousness here
Ray Charles – no one can sing “Georgia” like Mr. Charles – and a lot of other songs
Roberta Flack – if you can’t fall in love listening to her you are hopeless
Sara Evans – pretty close to Martina McBride
Godspell – because yes, I was raised in the ’70’s
Tina Turner – please refer to Aretha Franklin
Toby Keith – oh my gosh, most of his stuff is just for fun, but have you heard “Cryin’ for Me” – if he doesn’t make you cry the saxophone will
Trace Adkins – that voice – those jeans
Tracy Byrd – any song that talks about being form the country is all right by me
Vince Gill – because when I die I want to hear “Go Rest High on that Mountain” – and while I’m alive I want to hear that sweet voice & great guitar
Whitney Houston – probably for the same reason that I love Dolly – such a voice
Willie Nelson – the songwriter of our lives – the singer of our lives – have you heard his album with Wynton Marsalis?

Of course, it changes daily.  But the point is, my life would be so dull without music.  I would be so dull without music.  Even dull music is so much better than silence.