For the past 30+ hours I've been listening to the two versions of Mad World (Tears for Fears; Michael Andrews and Gary Jules) on repeat. Every time I find a new song I absolutely love, I listen to it over and over again for days until I'm finally worn out with it. After that, I treat it like every other song I've ever heard, except I have some lingering fondness. I figured for our entertainment, I'd list a random five songs of which I am fond.



1) All For Love - Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, Sting



When this song came out in 1993, I was 9 years old. (Ouch. Young.) It was in the soundtrack of the movie The Three Musketeers. I can remember it played on the radio over and over again for weeks. Every time it came on, my mom would ask me, "Jen, this is the trio! Who is it?" I would dutifully answer with a lot of excitement, "Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, and Sting, Mommy!" My mom would have been 27, which is still plenty hip, and these were the artists of her time. We shared a love for music that helped us to bond.



I will always think of the "trio" as Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, and Sting. And, to me, they will always be fantastic artists.



2) The Real Thing - Kenny Loggins



When my parents were going through a divorce in 1997 [13 years old], preceded by a long seperation, I was unsure of how I felt about marriage and love. There was so much fighting and stress, anger and bitterness. My favorite movie at the time was Top Gun (I may finally be outgrowing that, but I still claim Top Gun as my favorite), and Kenny Loggins has several songs on that soundtrack. My mom had his Greatest Hits CD, and I borrowed it. I would listen to the CD over and over and over again. This song never failed to make me bawl.



"I did it for you, and the boys

Because love should teach you joy,

And not the imitation,

That your momma and daddy tried to show you.

I did it for you, and for me,

And because I still believe,

There's only one thing,

You can never give up,

Never compromise on,

And that's the real thing you need in love.



You're so afraid your life is over,

And nothing I can say can change your mind.

How can anybody be so selfish,

And treat you all so cruel,

Go on and scream at me and cry. "



I did cry. I did scream. And I had several years of a very bad attitude.



3) Freak On A Leash - Korn



It was junior year '99 - 2000. I was hanging out with Nick, riding around in his '71 Chevelle SS, and trying not to hate myself and the world. I felt out of place, and didn't know how to change that. I didn't want to change that. I would sit on the bleachers at gym, and just listen to this song. Because of that, I failed several semesters of gym and ended up having to take gym twice a day every day my senior year. Smart move, right? Korn will always represent that period of adjustment after my parents' divorce and before I joined the military.



4) Chop Suey - System of a Down



It was November 2001. My really hot (and married) drill sergeant loved metal, just like I did. We weren't allowed to listen to the radio in basic training, but if we were being really good, sometimes he would turn the radio up loud and leave his office door open. If we even dared talk about the music, he would turn it off and we would do push-ups. I sidled over near the office, and sat down. I pretended to be cleaning or writing a letter or something, but I was really listening to the music. I was sitting on the ground, my head cocked to the side and leaning against one knee, with my eyes closed. I didn't hear him approach. Suddenly he was standing over me and he loudly asked, "PRIVATE. What are you doing?" I jumped to my feet, "Drill Sergeant I was - was.... Drill Sergeant I was listening to the music." I must have looked pretty down because his voice softened, "You don't hear any music, private." I replied, "Drill sergeant, yes, drill sergeant." By this point I was pretty good at reading my drill sergeants, and since he was my favorite, I caught his drift. I sat back down, closed my eyes, and listened. He went back in his office and ignored me.



I was so homesick and sad, and for some reason this song touched me.



I think it was one of two times in over six months that one of my drill sergeants was nice to me in any way, shape, or form. He must have been having a really good day.



5) Touched - VAST



This song is much more ambiguous in its meaning for me. I was listening to it when I got into a car accident, I listened to it when I was getting over an ex-boyfriend, and I've listened to it when I'm both super down and super up. Overall, VAST will always have special meaning for me. It reminds me of single life post-basic training/AIT and before I met Aaron. It reminds me of quiet desperation when I was a single mother and it reminds me of nights spent with the windows down on my car, music blaring, driving around post towards the guy's barracks, getting ready for a night of partying. If I were to pick one meaning, it would be about getting over my first boyfriend, the one that I never thought I'd stop loving.



So, there we are. A random sampling of five songs of which I'm inordinately fond. How about you? What songs have touched your heart?

Labels: random