The Soundtrack of My Life

This morning the ball of fire sang chapter and verse of Adele’s “Someone Like You.” He remembered every word, found every note. I played that album somewhat obsessively for a few months, but have since moved onto Norah Jones’ new love fest. But those few months obviously left an impression.

It made me think a lot about music when I was a kid. The soundtrack of my life was set for me in those early years too… Fleetwood Mac, Allman Brothers, Charlie Daniels Band, Santana, Black Sabbath and Led Zepplin just to name a few.

I remember the first time I heard Pink Floyd’s "Momentary Lapse of Reason". I was at a high school party with my first REAL boyfriend. We were chatting with a friend in a bedroom that was absolutely trashed. As we sat on the unmade bed, feet in a pile of discarded clothing, I was momentarily jarred from my disgust (who LIVES like that??)  by the sound of "Learning to Fly."

My best friend Jen Bahl let me listen to Metallica’s "Unforgiven" during yearbook class. I didn’t hear much after that-- rewind again and again.

"Say Hello 2 Heaven" by Temple of the Dog eliminated Pearl Jam forever, and began a life-long love affair with my musical muse, the infamous Chris Cornell. ("Like Suicide by Soundgarden"… do I need to say more??)

Foo Fighters’ album "One by One" held reign over one of the worst and best years of my life.

Norah Jones’ "Come Away with Me" played almost continuously in the car while I drove around and around and around to lull to sleep a very grumpy, sick baby ball of fire.

Audioslave’s "Cochise" broke me from a post-work commute trance and required me to immediately call the station and ask “was that Chris Cornell I just heard?“

White Stripes, Raconteurs, Muse, the Black Keys ... the list goes on for miles. Music is so important to me, I tattooed it on my skin. Note by note in painful black ink.

Every day music plays in my house. Every day I'm setting the tracks for the soundtrack of his childhood. I hope he remembers it as fondly. It's filled with likes of Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin Norah Jones, Adele, Chris Cornell, Dave Grohl, Queen, Stevie Wonder, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and more classical music than he will ever remember.

Not a bad set list if you ask me.