Albums & Artists – Baptized by Music

My name is Jennifer Suzanne. I am just beginning the A-Z Blogging Challenge, and this year I focused on writing to avoid destruction or evanescence (the quality of being fleeting or vanishing quickly). I was named after two songs, “Jennifer Juniper” by Donovan and “Fire and Rain” by James Taylor. They represent both the light and the dark that I have come to know in myself. The girl who lies on the grass and dreams while awake, and the one who is often gone from the world, trapped by the dark ribbons in her own mind.

Jennifer Juniper lives upon the hill
Jennifer Juniper, sitting very still
Is she sleeping? I don’t think so
Is she breathing? Yes, very low
Whatcha doing, Jennifer, my love?

And the second:

Just yesterday mornin’, they let me know you were gone
Suzanne, the plans they made put an end to you
I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song
I just can’t remember who to send it to

I was literally baptized by music. Some people get in touch with spirit through nature, or art, or equations, or shopping. I can get there with those things, but they’re not my direct line. My direct line is melody, rhythm, lyric. I grew up on an organic farm in the Ozarks during the 80s. TV was limited, but albums and books were abundant and allowed. They both are my soul.   

Lest I disappear, I walked out this morning and wrote down these songs, albums or artists. They are the soundtrack of my life.

Lawrence Welk –long beautiful gowns, big band music, and the accordion.

Wings At The Speed of Sound – Paul McCartney & Wings – “Silly Love Songs” is synonymous with little money, canned snacks like tomatoes and mushrooms, and a mom who fights for me when the going gets tough.

“Strutter” – Kiss –A gang of Army brats hunting for treasures in “the ditch” and painting base housing rainbow colors with cans of spray paint found in the trash. The spankings were worth it.

Really Rosie – Carole King –My elementary days as the burgeoning writer, protector of walking sticks, child actress, latchkey kid, animal lover, daydreamer.

Abbey Road – The Beatles –This cover leaning up against the old wooden crates, with the stereo system sitting on top, that held my parent’s record collection. Albums, sandalwood soap, incense, books…so many books, my dad cooking, my mom doing cross-stitch.

Christopher Cross –The first 45 I ever purchased. Side one had the song “Never Be the Same,” and the flip side…well, who remembers the flip side? I was never the same.   

80s Wave –Flock of Seagulls, Howard Jones, Kim Wilde, and more. An affair with synthpop that has never grown cold. Why hasn’t anyone brought synthpop back again? Still waiting patiently.

Don Williams 20 Greatest Hits – My parents dancing slowly in the living room.

John Denver Rocky Mountain Christmas –Best Christmas album ever recorded. Think snow, hot cocoa, firelight, and magic. I still decorate my tree to it.

Thriller – Michael Jackson –From folk junkie/country girl to pop princess. Cue the era of recording cassette tapes from radio shows and calling in to request lines. Oh yeah…and sleepovers, nail polish, gossip, boys, love and summers of fun. 

Blondie, Madonna, Bryan Adams, Huey Lewis, Bruck Springsteen, Rick Springfield, Tears for Fears, Johnny Coltrane, Motley Crüe, Poison, Dirty Dancing Soundtrack, Footloose Soundtrack, Lionel Richie –High school drama, cruising, working at McDonalds, throwing live bait in a hotel pool, and watching “drive-in” movies which were a TV with a VCR sitting on someone’s pickup truck tailgate at the convenience store.

Recording the Universe – Depeche Mode & Love – The Cult – First year of college, sexual promiscuity, falling in real love, freedom, a baby boy, idealism.

Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana. This. Changed. Everything. Don’t know if we’ll see a musical paradigm shift like this ever again. Devastating divorce and the end of any kind of idealism.

Brand New Man – Brooks & Dunn –A second try at marriage with a country boy, less idealism, less mental investment, more two-stepping, and a baby girl.

Carney – Cross Canadian Ragweed –Addiction, abuse, another divorce. Unexpectedly smacked over the head by real love again, sexy sign language, passion overflowing.

Back to Black – Amy Winehouse – Finding myself in all the noise, single-parenting, dreaming big.

 “Seaside” – The Kooks –One song, a beach, and a British man turned leech.

 “Whole Wide World” – Restless Eric –Another love with a curly headed engineer, no expectations, everything changes so enjoy the ride. This one’s going to last…or not. I’ve searched the whole wide world to find me.  

This is only a hint at the music that has filled my world over the years.  I’ve found recently that I’m living more in silence. I don’t know why this is. Perhaps I feel like the world is just too filled with noise. Perhaps the music is a reflection of me, and right now I’m having trouble seeing who I am. Perhaps my thoughts are the music that fills the void. What are you listening to now? What is your life playlist? Tell me about you in the comments.