Sound Track of My Life

As I sit down to write this I don’t even really don’t know where to begin. I am supposed to share with your songs that were milestones in my life. To give you the soundtrack of my world. To me it’s the melding of metal, rock, pop, and mostly country that came first from the dashboard radios of my parents’ cars as we would make the drive back and forth from Spokane to Montana, Montana to Spokane, for the switching of me. Later it became tapes, CDs, and eventually the mp3 players and iPod’s that took over my teen years.

As I grew older and developed my own tastes I liked Shania Twain, Dolly Parton, Pink, and Britney Spears just to name a few. My interests were limited to whatever was coming across the ear buds at the time. I would write while I listened to music. I don’t know the names of all the songs or artists I listened to. But I would sing them under my breath as I would write about my own world. There are a few songs that did make a mark that I would like to share with you.

The first one is Time of Our Lives, yes, the song from dirty dancing. I loved the movie as a child. I should probably give it a rewatch since I don’t remember much about the movie except that final scene where they dance, and she is able to be herself and be unashamed is one of my favorite scenes in cinema.

When my Friend John and I started singing it when I ran karaoke it took a new level of joy to the song. We would make up dances that almost seemed choreographed and we would sing and laugh and just enjoy the moment we were in. I learned a lot from John. I was able to begin to find myself a little because he seemed so unafraid.

When I went to his funeral, I recounted that we would do that at Karaoke together and everyone laughed. My friend was so loving and caring of every person around him. I still wish I could have been a better friend to him. I still feel sad every time I head that song. But then I remember that we really did have the time of our lives when he was here. Living in the moment is what he taught me and I remember it every time I hear that song.

Another song that had an impact in my life is Broken Wing by Martina McBride. I always loved to sing, and my family did to if only to humor me. I was obsessed when we got a singing game on one of our consoles as a kid. That song was one of the songs on the game. I would sing that song on repeat for hours watching the lines fill up to tell me that I had done it perfectly.

When I first stared running Karaoke at sixteen, I would sing that song. I had put hours and even years into singing that song. It was my go too crowd pleaser. I did my sound check with it every night. My Papa would come out on Karaoke nights sometime and he loved to hear me sing that song. I don’t know why but he always told me that I sang it so beautifully. His eyes would always be watery when I would give him a hug afterwards.

No one really understands why I have a hard time singing that song still. When he passed it was expected but devastating. I still sing that song at Karaoke it took a long time to not just bawl when I heard the opening. But I sing it in his memory now and my eyes water a little every time I hear or sing that song.

My final song I want to share with you is Heartbreaker by Pat Benatar. When I saw her live in concert and she sang that song. I was so intrigued. The way she was able to manipulate her voice blew my mind. I needed to be able to do it too. I began to listen to the song. I sang it every time I ran karaoke. I sang it in the car, the shower, I finally felt I had mastered it and it got tossed into my repertoire.

But I had never done that song in front of a large crowd. So, when I went to Vegas and found the Cat’s Meow it was time to break it out. We waited for well over an hour in the packed karaoke lounge so I could sing. It was a crew, and we were all geared up to give it try. When I sang on that stage it was the coolest thing I have ever done. It was awesome the whole crowd was listening, and dancing our family friend captured the whole thing on video.

That trip wasn’t a complete success they aren’t always are. I began to form a better understanding of my mom’s friend and was really looking forward to building a better friendship with her myself. She helped me a lot that trip by talking to me and just listening in a moment when I needed it.

We came home went back to our normal lives and within a few months she was gone in a tragedy. In the blink of eye. It’s been a long year and now that song has a new meaning for me. I sing it for her because she was so enthusiastic every time, I sang that song. It didn’t matter if it was the first time or the millionth time.

The soundtrack of my life is made up of more music than I can write about. I can share with you though that different songs can touch you in different ways at different times in your life. The true soundtrack to my life is whatever makes me stop when I flip through the radio.