Records

Whenever I know I’m going to be in the kitchen alone for an extended period of time (washing A LOT of dishes or baking) I put on a record and turn up the sound.  My staple is usually The Temptations Greatest Hits LP but after flipping the record four times I figured I should see what else was around.  I put in Simon & Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits but was so disappointed* when I heard the record.  It was scratched beyond recognition.  I moved on to the Top Gun soundtrack, but only played one side because all I really wanted to hear was Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away.”  Then it was time to do my second batch of cookies (with walnuts for Mama) and I settled on The Righteous Brother’s Greatest Hits.  This is now my third favorite album in my parents’ collection.

Now I don’t know about you, but whenever I hear “Unchained Melody” I think of weddings.  It just seems like one of those first dances, or even a father daughter dance.  I don’t know if the lyrics make sense for those events, because I just focus on the sound.  But anyway, this record was still playing when Mama came home and started cooking fish just as I was cleaning up my cookie mess.  So I asked her about her wedding.  I knew that they had gotten married in Grandma’s back yard, but I couldn’t picture in my mind any sort of reception hall or dancing going on.  “We didn’t dance.  We had the reception in the back yard, and there was an accordion player.  The good thing was that he could make it sound like anything [not just an accordion].  We do have a song though.  Peter, Paul and Mary’s ‘Leaving On A Jet Plane.’”

Me being 20 years old, the first thing that pops into my head is Armageddon and the chorus to Jesse McCartney’s “Leavin’.” But have no fear, I have educated myself and can now distinguish the songs.  Still having a problem with the whole wedding-accordian though…

* Simon & Garfunkel were my first music love.  Back in middle school, in 6th or 7th grade, we had to do a project on our favorite music: present the artist(s) with a visual aide and bring in a sample of their music to play for the class.  Most of the kids were bringing in Blink-182 or Brandy or whatever, but I did my project on Simon & Garfunkel.  Mrs. Augsberger was very shocked about my choice because, as she informed me once I was done speaking, they wrote songs about drugs.  She couldn’t play my music sample because I had brought in the record and not a CD, but even if it was a CD, she probably wouldn’t have played it anyway.

Did I know it was about drugs?  No.  When I would put on that record I would envision a literal bridge spanning a brook and the beautiful scene in my head matched the swells of the music and the song just made me happy.  From then on, people probably thought I was into drugs.  The appearance of needles in my bag during seventh and eighth grade probably didn’t help much either.

I have to go put away the records that I was pulling out during my musical excursion and store them properly.  They’re all kept vertical, except the ones that I recently removed and the Temptations album that stays encased in the player for frequent use.  Thank you Rob Gordon and Dick.