Sos, yesterday was my day of birth and since I couldn't afford to take the day off work, I brought all my old mix tapes in to listen to. I realized yesterday that my tapes moreso than cds or records have played important roles in my life, so much so that I teared up a bit while listening to some of the songs on them.
Fall of 1998 - the "Superhappy" tape. Aaron made it for me so I wouldn't be so homesick for my first year of college. It was a smattering of our favorite car songs played to and from high school, and all recorded from WVGO or the Buzz (during its one and only good year) or tapes left home by Jenni. Tear up moment: "Catepillar" by the Cure.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBX8j1lZshE
Summer of 2000 - Innocence Mission "Glow". I listened to it religiously (pun intended) during my summer of Leadership Training in Surf City, NC with my college church. By day, I was a Kroger deli counter girl, and by night, I was supposed to be witnessing to people and turning them towards Christ, but all I remember are really lovely summer moments. My friend, Jody, and I hanging out with the guys downstairs from us (against all rules! As if I needed rules. Like Ben told me today in regards to how i spend money, "Your mother shouldn't be telling YOU to be frugal! She should be telling you to spend!!") sitting out on our little deck sewing triangles into the bottoms of my jeans to make bell-bottoms, learning how to play guitar on one of the worst sounding 3/4 guitars in the world, and generally believing and hoping that this would be the summer I found love. All with Innocence Mission as a soundtrack, that summer remains a dreamy blurry sequence of peoples' faces, silly me moments that I'm embarrassed about publicly, but really cherish that girl with the messy eyebrows and wonky glasses who thought she was every bit deserving of love. Tear up moment: "I hear you Say So". The song I learned on my guitar and wanted desperately to sing well.
http://www.last.fm/music/The+Innocence+Mission/_/I+Hear+You+Say+So
The living room in my parents house - The Cure "Singles" (Side A) Jenni also had the accompanying video cassette. The Cure was my one measurable sign of coolness in high school. I might've just as thoroughly enjoyed the Newsboys, or DC Talk, or the top 5 at 10 on Q94, but I also loved the Cure, and just about anything else Jenni or Aaron would play for me. I loved Robert Smith, and was completely honored by a senior friend of my sister's who dedicated "Bob and the bad boys in black" to me when she graduated high school. Coolest song I know: "10:15 on a Saturday Night".
I know all the words to all the songs. Whenever I'm feeling intimidated or powerless to change something, I put on those songs i love and I sing or if I can't, I mime the song. I sing songs in my head to people who annoy me, like Delta 5's "None of Your Business". I used to sing songs to guys I had crushes on (in my head) like Rachel Yamagata's "Worn Me down" or Mama Cass's "Dream a little Dream". I once sang Tori Amos's "Cornflake Girl" to the opposing team in a rousing game of Dodgeball in 8th grade gym class because I was convinced it was an amazing intimidation strategy. That 13 year old is alive and well most of the time.
P.s. Thanks to Gail for recognizing it. Yes, the quote on the bottom of that card says "You are the music" - T.S. Eliot
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