Musical Markers Of My Life
Not just a youtube playlist, but a journey made of music spanning the 1960’s to the 2020’s
Live – Lightning Crashes
1994
Lyrics
Creed – One Last Breath
2001
I had the pleasure of seeing Creed perform this song in person. I was dating a gal at the time who was a Sunday school teacher and an accountant. That experience taught me how challenging it could be to be in a long distant relationship.
Lyrics
Lyrics
Bruce Hornsby, The Range – The Way It Is
1986
Living in the bay area as an idealist, it was easy to relate to the message of this song. Happy in the belief I cared about the world for all the right reasons.
They say if you are young and not liberal, you have no heart, and if you’re old and not conservative, you have no brain. I find there is a grain of truth to that.
The Bravery – Time Won’t Let Me Go
2007
As I recall this time in my life was spent deeply reflecting on my choices that got me where I was. Divorced twice, raising a 7 yr old daughter and 11 year old son. I think my biggest priority at the time was never making the same mistakes with relationships I had in the past.
This song resonated with my journey at the time. I’m not sure how much I got from it, but it had an impact on my sense of growth.
Lyrics
Lyrics
Romeo and Juliet · Dire Straits
1980
1980, the year I moved down to San Diego to pursue love. The girl I was dating and living with moved there to go to SDSU and I shortly followed thereafter.
3 years later we married. But, when this song came out I was 18 years old with my whole life ahead of me, love in my heart and exploring a world that was completely new to me. New jobs, new sights and sounds. It was a wonderful time to be alive.
Grouplove – Tongue Tied
2011
A favorite memory of mine was singing with my mom as a very young child. As we do as parents, we pass down our cherished traditions, and I am no exception to that rule.
As a work from home dad, I had the pleasure of dropping and picking up my kids from school. This gave me ample driving time to listen to music and sing with my kids. I know this one is memorable to my daughter.
Lyrics
Lyrics
Band Of Horses – No One’s Gonna Love You
2007
One in a series of discovered songs that came unexpectedly.
A reminder that hard times are not without beautiful moments. Something that anchors us to moments, both good and bad.
Band of Horses – The Funeral
2006
For weeks following my son’s loss of his best friend he played this song over and over… I remember thinking how much like me he could be. I also obsess over music and play songs repeatedly.
I’m not sure what that says about me, but do I really care? No, not really. If I like something, I generally tend to indulge myself, especially if it bring my heart joy or raises my sense of connectedness to the universe.
Lyrics
Lyrics
Band of Horses – Detlef Schrempf
2007
Band of Horses is a band I learned about through unfortunate circumstances. One of the hardest things I’ve delt with was the day I had to let my son know that his best friend had passed.
He was devastated, and through his grief he played songs from Band of Horses. Come to find out they use to listen to them a lot. I certainly can understand why.
Although it was a bad thing that happened to bring me to their music, I am grateful to have discovered them.
The Fray – How to Save a Life
2005
I don’t have a moment that I remember that anchors this one in a particular way. I can say that the video made the song much more powerful to me though. It’s truly tragic that people can suffer so profoundly, so invisibly, so isolated.
It is a great reminder that you cannot tell what a person is dealing with just by looking at them. If they act angry, it’s generally because they are scared, hurt or disappointed. So, don’t take it personally. Take it as a chance to exercise compassion.
Lyrics
Dave Brubeck – Golden Brown
1964
Let’s face it, the 60’s had some fantastic music, and Dave Brubeck was one of the coolest musicians of the day. I was only 2 when this came out, but remember living in the East Bay Area, where the music scene was Jazzy Motown heavy.
What surprises me about many early songs is how I could have lived over 50 years and still remember them and the lyrics when they had them.
Hope you enjoy this one!!
The Stranglers – Golden Brown
1981
Imagine, if you can, it’s 1981 and you’re a 19 year old with your whole life ahead of you. You hear this song and think, why does this sound so familiar? Not realizing immediately that it was a song you grew up with, but haven’t heard in years.
Remember, back in those days we listened to the radio for all our music. No social networks, youtube, or anything else. We could go years without hearing a song because we had a steady stream of new hits to enjoy each year and didn’t look back.
As kids, mom and dad controlled what we listened to, unless you had a transistor radio of your own.
Lyrics
Lyrics
I’m a lot like you were
Old man, look at my life
I’m a lot like you were
Old man, look at my life
Twenty four and there’s so much more
Live alone in a paradise
That makes me think of two
Love lost, such a cost
Give me things that don’t get lost
Like a coin that won’t get tossed
Rolling home to you
Old man, take a look at my life, I’m a lot like you
I need someone to love me the whole day through
Ah, one look in my eyes and you can tell that’s true
Lullabies, look in your eyes
Run around the same old town
Doesn’t mean that much to me
To mean that much to you
I’ve been first and last
Look at how the time goes past
But I’m all alone at last
Rolling home to you
Old man, take a look at my life, I’m a lot like you
I need someone to love me the whole day through
Ah, one look in my eyes and you can tell that’s true
Old man, look at my life
I’m a lot like you were
Old man, look at my life
I’m a lot like you were
Neil Young – Old Man
1972
One of my favorite songs to sing. Reminds of a particularly turbulent time in my life, transitioning from home to home, family to family. It had no significant meaning to me from the point of view of being a lot like my father, since I didn’t know him, but I think the lyrics and melody were beyond needing to connect with it emotionally.
Having a son now though, I wonder how much of me he sees in himself. I see how much alike we are, and it both frustrates me and brings me joy.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Our House
1970
Although released I 1970, I really didn’t get into this song until around ’73. I was living in a group home with 11 other boys ranging 10 to 16 yrs old. I was one of the younger kids in that home. We travelled a lot from San Jose to Santa Cruz area, Felton more accurately. The parents rode horses and us boys were turned loose with a dollar each for food for the day and the creek to play in, roaring camp to explore and even some good ‘ol hippy music!
Lyrics
Lyrics
Todd Rundgren – I Saw The Light
1972
Todd’s music was so freaking memorable! I was living in Milpitas, before the transitioning to my Cupertino family and my foster family had just moved into a new house. It had just been build and the rest of the neighborhood was still being developed. I remember the smell of new grass and fresh bark. I was fascinated by birds and insects and spent a good amount of time catching grasshoppers to spread their wings to look at the beautiful patterns hidden under their dull brown exterior.
Isn’t that just like most things in life, where you have to look close to see all the beauty hidden behind the mundane facade?
Todd Rundgren – Hello It’s Me
1972
Another Todd Rundgren classic. And another song tied to Turriff way, where I lived with the Barrera’s. It was on the border of Milpitas in San Jose. I could be wrong, but the station that played this was KLIV. It was a station, coincidentally, that was located on the corner of the same street the old San Jose Children’s Center was at.
As I recall, I was really just becoming aware of my deep dislike of being bullied and started defending myself. Although by today’s standards, everyone should be sheltered from the harsh realities of competition, bullying or hurt feelings, I am sure you need those things to learn about your own resilience, value, and inner strength. These things build strong character, so is it really any surprise that as we remove these obstacles for kids they end up with no character?