Lucky If We’re Speaking On A Holiday
I have recently been making a concerted effort to seek out music sources that help to define and / or reinforce my moods. I notice that I've forgotten to pay attention to music over the years, and given that it's played such an integral part in my life, I've been looking to rekindle that connection.
My Spotify account is full of playlists that I have created to pair and partner with all sorts of occasions.
Some are instrument-specific: 88 Keys collects groups of favorite instrumental piano numbers for the times I'd like to be more reflective, while Oh The Horns pulls in warm brass when I'm looking to wake up.
Others help me “get my head in the game” so to speak, like Hoop Dreams as a basketball warm-up mix and Surf Wax America focused on #tenhanging.
Some remind me of specific people- collaborative playlists with friends, the #UncleTonyMusic list I've shared with my nieces- while others are place-specific, like all the ones I've started for the different cities I visit as I travel for work.
Managing these playlists has resurrected the college radio DJ / record store mixtape maker in me. It's been a nice practice to get back into.
One playlist called #ITookAWalk started quite literally as a random assortment of songs I heard while I put another playlist on shuffle during a walk. It has since bloomed into a “noticing” playlist, the Dadaist collection of songs I hear while out in the world- on the radio, in the mall, in restaurants. I like the fact that it forces me to notice my surroundings, and also that it helps to trigger my aforementioned ideasthesia when I listen to it. For example, when Ellie Goulding’s Burn comes on, I remember standing in the paper products section of WalMart looking for the best deal on toilet paper.
For whatever reason, I find that comforting.
Yesterday, I was doing some noticing on #siriusxmu, the Sirius FM station dedicated to indie rock in all of its forms. Earlier in the day, I heard @juliacunningham rocking us with last week’s Download 15, followed by @brooklynvegan’s blogger radio show that closed out with Times New Viking. Many of these tracks were new to me, so the noticing playlist has come in handy for future listening.
At 3pm EDT, I lucked into hearing the beginning of @jennylsq’s #xmuoldschool. The premise of the show is one I've referenced frequently as of late. Did you realize that Bloc Party’s Silent Alarm is now 15 years old? When I was growing up, my dad listened to what was considered the “classic rock” station. Most of the songs we sang along to on that station in the mid-eighties were half that old! And yet to my ears, Helicopter sounds as fresh as it did when it was first released. That's the premise of the show- revisiting “old school” indie rock that all of us hipsters haven't realized is #oldpeoplemusic to #kidsthesedays.
To my surprise and delight, #xmuoldschool’s post-Independence Day has been to follow this most American of holidays with a most American of indie rock genres: emo.
I was nearing the destination of my drive when the show started, and Jenny started naming off all of the bands that would be featured. Sunny Day Real Estate. The Promise Ring. Saves The Day. Every time I come close to forgetting how much I heart emo, post-hardcore, and all of its ilk, a moment like this comes around and smacks me in the face for it. #justwhenithoughtiwasout #theypullmebackin
And then the fateful words, just as I pulled up to the left turn that would finish my drive:
“We’re going to get things started with a song befitting the end of the holiday. From the Get-Up Kids’ 1999 release, this is Holiday.”
As soon as the squealing guitar and staccato snare called the song to order, I turned off my signal, cranked the radio, and stepped on the gas, screaming away in harmony with this favorite of songs I'd long since forgotten. Here are some of the lyrics, in case you're not familiar:
What became of everyone I used to know? Where did our respectable convictions go? Words don't match the story that your actions show. What do I know?
I'm sure you can't help but remembering- I thought you'd be the one not to forget. Remembering's not helping you yet.
Say goodnight, mean goodbye. I know you think my life would stop when you're away. Maybe I can see you on the holidays. You're worlds away. I've never forgotten all our yesterdays, but I'm lucky if we're speaking on the holidays.
I still remember where I was when I first heard this song- standing in the old galley-style Plan 9 space in Albemarle Square, listening to Stephanie’s album pick for the day. (For reference, she preferred Four Minute Mile, but played the more accessible major-label debut to placate all of us who didn’t know any better.)
I'll now remember this moment every time the song pops up on #ITookAWalk, and I will smile from ear to ear.
