If the First 18 Years of My Life Were the Grammys
Who cares, right? I know, I know, we've all got these lists in our head. But with the Grammys on tonight, football season over and my daughter now playing music that I have never heard of in my life (who exactly is FUN?) I figured, "Why not?". I created this list - mostly for my kids - so they would know what music was like when it was good (sorry Kelly Clarkson and pugilistic-wanna-be Chris Brown). These songs are not about best, biggest or baddest, they are simply the soundtrack to my childhood. So without further adieu...
1. "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" - James Brown
My dad worked with James Brown. Hustling his music to radio stations up and down the east coast. He once told me that James Brown told him, "George, what does radio need with my music? They already have Chubby Checker." Point being that the greatest performer of all time even doubted himself at one time. The first song I ever heard my father sing along to on the radio.
2. NIGHT MOVES - Bob Seger
The first song I remember singing along to (in my mind). My dad loved Bob Seger's music and once said (as complimentary as he could be) that he was surprised when he learned Bob Seger was white.
3. GOT YOU UNDER MY WHEELS - Alice Cooper
First album I listened to beginning to end. A childhood friend played it for me on his old turntable. After listening to the album, we went out and threw rocks at cars on the highway. We got caught and beat silly by our dads. No one was singing.
4. SHOUT IT OUT LOUD - KISS
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| I hate cats but I LOVE $$$ |
The first group that I could officially say was "all mine". I noticed their Destroyer in my dad's record store, incorrectly figured out which named matched up with which character (I thought Gene was Ace and Ace was Gene because Ace was a "cool" name and Gene sounded dorky).
I continued a twenty-year love affair (& Kiss Army membership) until realizing KISS cared more about their merchandise sales than their music.
5. LET'S GO - THE CARS
Boston band, The Cars provided the backdrop to my first attempts at drinking and driving (on my bike). I would drive to the other side of town with a small transistor radio taped to the handlebars of my bike. After a few beers, I would drive back - this song usually playing at night. That little transistor radio served me well, until one drunken night, it, my bike and I all crashed into a telephone pole.
6. JAMIE'S CRYING - VAN HALEN
My first "make-out" session took place at the 8th hole of a private golf course. We never spoke again. I wasn't crying - it was allergies.
7. DO I - J. Geils Band
The only J. Geils concert I ever saw was because a certain girl I knew was going as well. That night, I lifted her high onto my shoulders as Peter Wolf sang this song. A few months later, I lost my virginity to the very same girl. Many years later, I have developed lower back problems, like J. Geils and my virginity, I have to say it is because of that girl.
8. SHE'S GONE - Hall & Oates
What's ironic about this song of lost love is that I had yet to acquire any love yet to lose. Still the boys dubbed as Philly's "Blue-eyed soul" provided songs that transitioned me from my teens to my early twenties.
9. ROSANNA - TOTO
Just as clumsy and awkward as my first relationship, Toto's first turn as pop balladeers (instead of their former less successful attempt at Pop Power Band) made them lots of money and showed them how to have a modicum of success despite the imminent danger to your self-respect. The same formula I used for most of my relationships.
10. THEN, with most of my teen years behind me, I entered college, started listening to a little musical genius named Prince and set myself up for a very exciting next decade.
It would be a good ten years...
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