The Soundtrack, Part 1

So I had this idea that I should remember, connect, and write about all of the songs, popular or embarrassing, that would make up the soundtrack of my life. This is hard to do, especially since I had no idea that I listened to music so much, even when I was a little kid. My first memory of singing a song that was on the radio (of course no MTV, mp3's, or even cassette tapes then; I am 49), was when I was in Kindergarten and my best friend, Dwayne, was in first grade. He lived next door and had what I thought was the biggest swing-set in the world. He and I would swing and sing. I remember singing so loud and watching the trees move closer as I rose higher. We sang "Purple People Eater" most of the time, but a tiny flash of memory hits me when I think of Dwayne and the song "A World of Our Own" by the Seekers (I think) plays in my head. A good song to swing to.

My family moved quite a bit throughout my childhood; I think my sister, Teresa, and I counted 17 or 18 times before college. The next music memory is in another town. We moved from Garnett, Kansas, where Dwayne and I played and sang, to Lenexa, where we would stay for about three years. In that time, I remember listening to music. Having three teenage siblings in 1969 meant there would be music. I listened to 45's on a small record player in the room I shared with my two sisters, the older one probably wishing she could just get away from the two little kids who pestered her, and, coincidentally, played her records. Three 45's come to mind and I think I might still have one of them. Teresa and I played Tommy Roe's "Sweet Pea" over and over while we acted it out with stuffed animals. We also liked The Stones' "Honky Tonk Woman" and The Carpenters' "Rainy Days and Mondays." An eclectic mix for sure. At seven I had no idea what these people were singing about, but I liked the music.

Those 45's were not the only music exposure at the house in Lenexa. My best friend in the neighborhood was Sherri (I am not even sure how she spelled her name); she was a year or two older, and she introduced me to The Osmonds, Bobby Sherman, and The Partridge Family. My life was changed forever. I dreamed of meeting Donny, Bobby, and David while I listened to them sing only to me, and the thousands of other little girls who had the same dreams.