The music of my life

As you know by now, I don't just talk about losing weight on this blog. It's simply become a way for me to express myself, which often means I don't end up with the thoughts going around and around in my head. And regular readers know that I talk about music a lot. It's been a big part of my life since I can remember. In fact, there are probably hundreds of songs that trigger specific memories -- some good, some not. For example, one night a couple of years ago, I heard Billy Joel's "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" in a bar and almost started crying. Seriously.

My earliest memory involving music had to be when I was about 4 years old. I don't remember the specifics, but I do remember listening to Chubby Checker's "The Twist" and Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog." I still love both of those songs.

Over the years, music became a bigger and bigger part of my life. I think it was mostly because my mom sold advertising for radio stations during my formative years. The two stations I remember most played country and classic rock, so naturally that's what we listened to most of the time. I loved Alabama, George Jones, the Oak Ridge Boys, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, etc.

As I grew into my pre-teen and teen years, I liked all of the popular artists and bands. I can still remember how excited I was the Christmas I got a stereo and albums by Madonna and Bruce Springsteen. Oh, and let's not forget about Prince. I'm pretty sure I was listening to "Let's Go Crazy" when I spilled purple nail polish on my bedspread.

Then high school came along and I really tried a bunch of different styles. Yes, I can admit it ... I loved Poison. One time I begged my mother to take me to see them in concert. I think I even agreed to clean the house for a year without complaining. (She didn't take me.) Beyond the hair bands, I did have a heavy metal phase. But it was short-lived.

It was about this time that I knew my musical tastes were pretty varied. The summer before 10th grade, I went with my mom and stepdad to see Robert Plant in concert. I played the CD over and over for weeks. Oddly enough, I barely knew who Led Zeppelin was at the time. The opening act was Cheap Trick, which also became a favorite. That same summer, I saw INXS in concert. I think I still know every word to "Never Tear Us Apart." The opening act was Ziggy Marley, which then led me to Bob Marley.

Then, in 10th grade, I discovered REM. Even though I don't listen to them that often anymore, I will probably forever consider them my all-time favorite band. My closest friends didn't listen to them, so I made new friends. Those relationships didn't last long, but my love for this music did.

By the time I got to college, I liked a little bit of everything. There was a time when I carried about a dozen CDs in my backpack so we could play them while putting out the student newspaper. I don't remember all of the CDs, but I know the stack included Dave Matthews, Tom Petty, Neil Young, The Cranberries, Live, Paul Simon, Billy Joel and Van Morrison. (Maybe one day I'll write about which song from each group had the greatest impact on my life. For example, "Ants Marching" was always one of my favorite Dave Matthews songs because a friend played it on his guitar for me on my 22nd birthday. Truth is, I never liked the song that much, but I'll never forget that birthday.)

For the record, I had a grunge rock phase during college. I still love Pearl Jam, but at the risk of being shunned, I'll admit that I never loved Nirvana. It was during this time, about midway through college, that I was introduced to Neil Young. That same friend turned me on to Nanci Griffith, whose songs I find to be inspirational, comforting and only occasionally depressing. But that did begin my love of folk music.

Toward the end of college, a whole new world opened up to me -- local music. A friend was a big fan of a local singer -- a guy with his guitar. He played at the bar where this friend was a bartender. Turns out, the guy was starting a band right about that time. After seeing dozens of solo and group performances, I will forever be a big fan of the Pat McGee Band. (They tried to make it big, but have since disbanded. I hear Pat's still out there playing on his own, though.) Pat, I can call him that because at the time I did actually know him, and my bartender friend were friends with another band, Eddie From Ohio. They're basically a folk band from Virginia, my home. Well, if you follow this blog, you know I still listen to EFO almost every time I walk/run. (If you like folk music with a twist, let me know and I'll burn you a CD of my favorite songs. I highly recommend them.)

So it's been almost 15 years since college. Until recently, I hadn't found a single musical influence that would have the same effect as the others. That brings me to today. Since June, I've been listening to Zac Brown Band almost nonstop. I mix it up every now and then, but not much. I have both of the band's CDs and there isn't a song I don't like. Sure I have my favorites, but they are all good. I guess that's what has me thinking about how music is such a big part of my life. Every song has meaning. If it doesn't, I don't listen.

Finally, I was thinking about my all-time favorite artists/bands and found it difficult to narrow the list. So I figured counting how many CDs I own by a particular artist would surely be a sign. Here are the top 5 followed by the number of CDs I own by each: REM (8), Nanci Griffith (8), Eddie From Ohio (7), Neil Young (7) and Van Morrison (5). The only one on the list that surprises me a little is Van Morrison. I would have thought the Grateful Dead or U2 or Dave Matthews or Billy Joel might have been on the list, but I only own three or four CDs from each of them. Are you surprised by anyone on my list of favorites?