I’ve decided to do something a little different with this week’s 80s Music Video Sunday, which is certainly my prerogative, given that I’m the owner of the joint. I’ve been tagged by Life Out East (who is now back in the UK) to do a meme about music, and thinking about it, I realized that I could use the meme as a tie-in to 80s Music Video Sunday. As usual, scintillating commentary will be added as I see fit.

5 – You’re going on a long journey, what five albums MUST you take with you? Albums that you need to listen to regularly.

Maroon 5‘s “Songs About Jane“. This is one of only two CDs that I’ve purchased during the past few years. I love their sound, and I love all the songs on the album. I’d love to get my hands on their new album, “It Won’t Be Soon Before Long“, and I haven’t even heard any of the songs yet. That’s how much confidence I have in these guys. They’re brilliant.

Santana‘s “Supernatural“. I bought this album shortly after it was released, and it’s one of the few albums I’ve ever listened to that actually sent chills up and down my spine. Absolutely amazing.

Vanessa-Mae‘s “The Violin Player“. While not generally passionate about classical music (though it’s definitely part of my collection), this album simply blew me away. It inspires me, and I’ve even discovered that when it’s playing in the background, I can actually write faster. What can I say – the woman is incredible.

David Broza‘s “First Collection“. David Broza has long been one of my favorite Israeli performers, singing in Hebrew, Spanish and English. I’ve attended a number of his concerts, and even had the (mostly) amazing experience of organizing one while attending university. Give the man a guitar and a stool to sit on, and he turns into a god. Back in the day, one of my friends put it best when she said during a performance, “my god! It’s like he’s making love to the guitar!” This album is a great collection of a lot of his earlier stuff.

“James Taylor Live“. I have always loved the music of James Taylor, and especially connected with his references to New England and the Berkshires, an area where I spent a great deal of my childhood. His music just washes over me and relaxes me, no matter what my mood. Definitely one of the most talented singer-songwriters ever.

4 – What four albums/songs do you most associate with a journey or travel experience? You know, the ones you listen to that instantly transport you back to a place and time.

REM‘s “Green“. During my sophomore year in university, I went away to Jamaica with friends for Spring Break. While there, we hooked up with a group of young cadets from West Point, and this was the album that we took to the beach with us every day. There may have been other albums, but this is the only one I can remember. We just kept flipping that cassette over and over, and never seemed to get tired of it.

A-ha‘s “Hunting High and Low“. As I wrote back in this post, I broke my ankle shortly after arriving to spend a year in Israel after graduating from high school. While in the hospital, I listened to this album constantly, in order to block out the hospital sounds. It’s probably what saved my sanity during my stay there.

Chava Alberstein. We have one of her collections at home, as the Husband is a big fan, and I got it for him as a birthday gift many years ago. I can’t remember the name, but I will forever associate it with a road trip we once took in the US for a few days. We listened to that set over, and over, and over, and over again. To this day, whenever I hear any of the songs from that collection, I’m instantly taken back to that trip.

Depeche Mode‘s “The Singles 81 > 85“. My serious Depeche Mode awakening came about during the aforementioned year in Israel. Their songs were playing in all the clubs, and I had a friend who was particularly keen on their music (to put it mildly). I bought this album (the version with the original cover) in Israel that year, and given how frequently I listened to it, I’m amazed that the cassette still plays. Whenever I hear any of the songs on the album, I’m immediately transported back to that year, to the dance clubs of Jerusalem, many of which, are undoubtedly long gone.

3 – Your three favourite songs of all time?

This one is definitely a tough one. Let’s see if I can limit it to three…

“Mr. Jones and Me” by the Counting Crows. I love this song. It was this song that led me to all their other songs, and I could listen to it over and over again. It could definitely be an answer to the next question as well, but I don’t want to double up, so I’m only listing it here.

“Unforgettable“, the duet version from Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole. After we decided to get married, we were going nuts trying to come up with a song that we could use for the first dance. We didn’t have an “our song” as such, and were trying to come up with something that worked. I went to visit a friend in New Orleans for a weekend, and while wandering around a shopping mall in the city, this song came on. I knew immediately that this would be “the song”. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Shlomo Artzi‘s “Melech Haolam” (“King of the World”). It’s a beautiful song about a mother and her young son, how she talks to him while she dresses him, telling him that he can be anything he wants to be because for her, he is king of the world.

2 – Two feel good songs, the ones that are guaranteed to lift the blues and put a smile on your face.

“September“, by Earth, Wind and Fire.

“Cliffs of Dover“, by Eric Johnson. This obscure instrumental
is one of those songs that seems like it was created for playing at high volume in the car during the summer with the windows rolled down. Check it out here. One of my apartment-mates was a music student, and she’s the one who introduced me to the song.

1 – Absolute, overall, undoubtedly the best album of all time, in your opinion.

The Beatles – 1962-1966 (The Red Album). Need I say more?

Hmmmm. That was definitely harder than I thought it would be, having to narrow down, leave things out, etc. Before moving on to today’s featured video (drawn from the lists above), I think I’ll tag the following folks: Beth, Raanana Ramblings, Lisa, and Anglosaxy. Oooh! I’ll also tag (if one can tag after the fact…) TAFKA PP, as not only has she expressed interest over doing this meme, but we are also supposed to meet for coffee in the near future, and don’t want the fact that I didn’t tag her initially to cast a pall over the proceedings…

And now, back to our regularly scheduled blog feature…

After much deliberation, I’ve decided to go with REM’s “Stand”, taken from the aforementioned album Green. This song takes me straight back to that Spring Break in Jamaica, which was, without a doubt, one of the more interesting social experiences of my life. While I definitely had fun that week, I also realized just how much I wasn’t cut out for the whole shallow party scene, something I’d pretty much figured out at that point anyway, but kept trying to deny. I’ve never been good at shallow small talk, never been a big drinker, and couldn’t flirt to save my life. While I absolutely loved Jamaica (we even went there on our honeymoon) and for the most part had fun with the friends with whom I’d traveled, that trip was definitely one of the defining experiences of my youth, in that it helped me to realize who I’m not.

Stand
REM

Stand in the place where you live
Now face North
Think about direction
Wonder why you haven’t before
Now stand in the place where you work
Now face West
Think about the place where you live
Wonder why you haven’t before

If you are confused check with the sun
Carry a compass to help you along
Your feet are going to be on the ground
Your head is there to move you around

Stand in the place where you live
Now face North
Think about direction
Wonder why you haven’t before
Now stand in the place where you work
Now face West
Think about the place where you live
Wonder why you haven’t before

Your feet are going to be on the ground
Your head is there to move you around
If wishes were trees the trees would be falling
Listen to reason, season is calling

Stand in the place where you live
Now face North
Think about direction
Wonder why you haven’t before
Now stand in the place where you work
Now face West
Think about the place where you live
Wonder why you haven’t before

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