Music Memories

 It will be a year Sept 2nd that my dad passed away.  He was a singer and always had a song to share.  He taught me "Once I went in swimming" when I was little.  Our family all sang it forever in car rides and at family home evenings.....  shared it at talent shows and when we needed a poem memorized, used it for children's theatre auditions......and then the grandkids learned it and morphed it.  We sang this song at the end of mom's viewing, standing in the mortuary. to cheer us up after all our guests had gone, and we sang it at the end of Marcie's viewing and so of course we had to sing it in our family circle at the end of dad's viewing.  It's traditon.
It's really just a silly song:
Once I went in swimmin
Where there were no women  And no one could see
As no one was there I hung my underwear upon a willow tree
Dove into the water , bare as Pharoh's daughter dove into the Nile
Someone saw me there and stole my Underware ....It looked like Grandpa Lyle.  ( originally it was "and left me with a Smile.") 

 I've been thinking about music and the power it has to bring memories back.  I've titled this post...............Songs that define moments in my life..... that aren't from Musicals.

You've Got a Friend- Carly Simon/James Taylor -  Hanging out at my Uncle Steve's home before I was ten and listening to this on their stereo. I have loved this song since then....in every reincarnation.  I recently saw "Beautiful- the Musical," The Carly Simon story and when this song was performed I just sobbed.  I was sitting their with one of my besties Laura and I just put my head on her shoulder, she held my hand and we cried together.

One bad Apple - Osmonds.  Marcie, Cousin Krystin and I would dress up in mom's negligee/penoir sets and then stand on the 3 levels of our mirror dresser and perform this song with fake microphones over and over again.  We thought we were amazing.

Crocodile Rock - Elton John.   A group of us 5th grade girls in Mrs.  Blosch class made up choreography and performed in the class talent show.  We thought we were destined to be famous.

You're so Vain... 6th grade dance at Oak Hills Elementary. We only had one dance...the culminating, sign the dance card in advance type dance.  This is the only song I remember, and I don't remember any of the boys I danced with.

Stairway to Heaven... Jr. High dances at Millcreek Jr. High.  You knew it was the end of the dance when they played this song.  These dances were always painfully pathetic.  So many wall flowers and so few boys to dance with. It was back when girls waited around to be asked to dance.  I like it more now when everyone just goes on the dance floor and dances.

Copa Cabana - Barry Manilow reminds me of  the beach at Bear Lake and singing about Lola at the top of our lungs with my sister Marcie as we would swing as high as we could on the sandy swing set.

Rocky Theme song.... listening to it in the family van as loud as the stereo would go as we drive up Logan Canyon on the way to Bear Lake.  We had the Rocky Sound track on an 8 track tape... and the van had an 8 track tape player...so it was probably the only one we had or could find.   I first saw Rocky at the Queen theatre on 5th south in Bountiful.  Remember  sobbing at the end with Rocky then running out to our car when it was over and punching the air like boxers.

Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen   First heard while hanging out in my bedroom with the radio on in 8th grade.  I had to stop and listen and couldn't believe the story and the range of the singers.  Still love the madness of this song.

If Wayne and I had a song, which we really we don't, it would have to be an old Big Band Song.  I was born in the wrong era and these type of songs were and continue to be my favorites. Blue Moon,  Cry me a River, I've got a Crush on you,  Somewhere over the Rainbow, Someone to watch over me, Smile....  I would sing these to Wayne as we rode in buses to choir festivals and debate tournaments.

There ain't nothing about you that don't do something for me. - Country music.  Riding with Wayne to and from Springville once a week on "wife day "  when he worked with Zac at Xaxdesign.  This song would blare from the blue XAX truck.  We traveled back and forth for five years.   Even now, Wayne uses this as his ring tone for my phone calls.

Like a Virgin- Butters family reunion BASH talent show, sung by crazy Matthew Butters ...

Islands in the Stream - Kenny rogers and Dolly Parton-- Family reunion BASH time again.  The lip sync battle with Gary Call  as Kenny and Wayne as Dolly.

Sweet Caroline- Neil Diamond- sung at the BEES baseball games with all of the Cole clan at the top of our lungs whenever it's played.....usually through the fireworks show around the 24th of July.  It's just so good, so good, so good.

You are my Sunshine - I loved singing parts with my sister Marcie growing up  and now sing it with my sister friend- Laura.  It brings great memories of girls camps and choir trips when Laura and I would go room to room, checking the kids in, saying goodnight and leaving a little song.

I  remember hearing Beatles songs all through my youth, yet I never really knew the Beatles songs until we got  Beetles Rockband  for the Wii when Monson was in High school.  Now I like these Beatle songs too:   Hey Jude, Yesterday, I wanna hold your hand, Here comes the Sun, Eleanor Rigby, She loves you.   I loved watching my kids play the guitars and drums and sing these songs, while my parents watched them.