I’m pretty sure I’ve written about song lyrics here before, I know I have on other sites, but this is a post that’s been percolating in my head for a while.
There’s no doubt. Songs of most any stripe can instantly transport a person to a moment in time that was beautiful, heartbreaking, painful, healing, exciting, whatever. But two that have been coming up in my mind a lot lately are two that play on my store’s playlist when I’m at work. These two songs instantly connect me with my dad. And I frequently will text him about the songs when they play.
First is “Midnight Train to Georgia” by Gladys Knight and the Pips.
Whenever I hear this song I’m immediately on Route 302 in New Hampshire driving by the Appalachian Mountain Club pit stop on my way to St. Lawrence for my freshman year of college. A lot of excitement, terror, all the feelings, really.
The second song is “Forever Young” by Rod Stewart. Building out from my memory it was either just before we moved to Maine or right after we moved to Maine, but we were driving to visit my Uncle who at the time was living mid-coast Maine. I think this was the same trip I asked my father why he always thanks toll workers and he responded, “Because they’re helping us get to our destination.” As I grew older he tacked on, “Because it’s a thankless job.” I was probably five or six at this point.
But I clearly remember “Forever Young” coming on the radio and my father saying, “This is my song for you.”
So this isn’t a post about some of the songs that instantly transport me to X, Y, Z moment in my darkest places. Instead these are two songs that instantly transport me to my Old Man being at my side bringing me on some big, bold adventure.
I know there’ll be a time when the songs instantly make me bawl, but today they make me flash my Myers Grin and crinkle my Myers eyes. Thanks, Old Man. I love you.
mydarkestplaces 