Do you ever wake up and just have a song in your head? It happens to me all the time, but usually I can pinpoint the culprit (it was on the radio, my husband sang it the day before - some reason). But the tune on my internal iPod this morning was just random. Being 'of a certain age' some of you will remember the British garage group known as 'So Solid Crew'. Calling them a group is an understatement - about 20 'yoots' from South London made up the musical entourage back in the early Noughties. Anyway, I started singing 'Oh No (Sentimental Things), but, so it turned out, with the wrong words. I've always thought that Lisa Maffia (the only woman in the 'Crew) was singing 'It's just the simple things in life, So Solid make you feel alive'. But after nine years You Tube proved me wrong. She's singing 'It's just the sentimental things in life'.... (the clue really is in the title....details, details....)
Anywho, wrong words aside, that song set off a whole chain of thought which has led to a musical trip down memory lane. 'Oh No' got me thinking about one of my best friends who is living in the dust bowl that is Eritrea (yes, East Africa). She picked herself up last year and moved there to teach for two years. More power to her. But I miss her. So...back to the music. Miss Eritrea would always sing - in a comedy Alvin and the Chipmunks-esque voice the chorus to 21 Seconds
by said, So Solid Crew. I think she was actually making fun of some of her students, but it was hilarious (she's a good teacher, honestly!) That brought back memories of meeting, randomly, at University, cooking in the halls of residence kitchen, sharing some love life horror stories (oh, so many), celebrating our achievements, spending the night in a dodgy London hospital with a suspected broken ankle, holidays, comparing mortgage deals and the (very occasional) disagreement. All that from a song!
Then - while still on You Tube, I found myself seeking out Kylie Minogue's 'Can't Get You Out of My Head'. This is the song of my 'Home Girls' - friends from high school - we've been through it all. We danced and danced to this song during a trip to Dublin (a birthday? Most likely). Just recently, one of my Home Girls got married (fab day!) and we were all there. Now that I don't see everyone often (6000 miles will see to that) I sat there at one point and just started to scroll back on the 20+ years we've all known each other (25, in some cases). The letters we wrote back and forth in class so we wouldn't get busted for talking. The trips to the local shops at lunchtime to buy salad creme and onion sandwiches (don't make that face...they're good!). Sleep overs. Nights out with a dose of MTV back at the house afterwards (my parents were very patient, now that I think about it!) My bedroom door falling off its hinges during one of (many) gatherings. Eating Chinese takeout, followed by ginger bread and custard. Walking miles to get anywhere - and not complaining. Our first holiday away. Exam disappointments and successes. Weddings, births, tears, laughter. And a stack of photos to show for it (you know who you are..!) Every friend different, but all wonderful and amazing.
Moving away makes you appreciate good friends - especially when you have to make new ones. Which takes me to song number 3, 'Be OK' by Chrisette Michelle. A mutual friend introduced me to the person I refer to as 'My Homie' in this blog. I'm not kidding. This move would've been unbearable without her. She listened (as all my friends did) to my various traumas for a good 12-18 months after I moved. She was patient. She kept the jokes flowing when I really was ready to just cry for months on end. And on a practical level, she helped me with work, which eased alot of my stress, more than even she realizes. One day, we jumped in her car and went shopping. 'Be OK' came on and I remember listening to the words while we sped down the highway and thought 'It will be ok, I will be fine.' It's now in my 'pick me up' emergency kit of tunes, although, thankfully, life isn't as hard as it was when I heard it.
Ahhhh - meeeemmmorrriiies....(a la Babs Sterisand ). I could've sat and gone from friend to friend, listening back to songs and reminding myself of the good times and our shared histories, but the work thing has a habit of getting in the way (ohhh, a Jill Scott track, that reminds me of a past boyfriend, but we're not even going to venture down that road, this entry is long enough. Another time, perhaps!)
If songs provide the soundtrack to our lives, then friends are the melodies, the harmonies and the lyrics. And the people that get on our nerves are the out of tune singers lurking in the choir!!
Put on your tunes and sing a song to friendship. Like 'So Solid Crew' said....."It's just the simple things in life"or whatever....I prefer my version....call it a remix! :)
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
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