Back in December of 2011, I finally discovered iTunes on my Mac. This service has really helped me to reconnect with my love of music. One of the things that I really like about music is that so often a given song has a strong association with a time or with a moment in my life. So, I thought that I would share my latest five downloads and a bit about my history with each song.
- Misled - Kool and the Gang (1984) - I had never been a fan of this band, but their 1984 release Emergency caught my attention immediately as this was a very good pop record. This song marked the time shortly after I had graduated from high school and was off on my own in college. It definitely takes my mind back to that time listening to my stereo in my dorm room or wandering around campus with my Walkman. Oh that wicked temptress and her siren's song. Even today it still holds up as just a tight piece of work.
- Oh My Heart - R.E.M. (2011) - I am a big fan of this band, from Eponymous where I first started to like them to Around the Sun where their star had clearly faded with time. This song is from their final album and is really nothing more than a rehash of some of their other songs like Driver 8 and Houston, but it still has a vibe that makes me sing along.
- ÜBerlin - R.E.M. (2011) - Another song from their final album Collapse Into Now that has an All the Way to Reno sense to it. It is about being surrounded by countless others but being totally overwhelmed and feeling alone. Only when we reach out for connection is the spell broken.
- Le Bel Age - Pat Benatar (1985) - The album Seven the Hard Way marks the last Benatar album where she was considered musically relevant. After this she was no longer embraced in the mainstream. However, this song was and is a gem that I think stands up with time. I have this album on cassette and hearing this song takes me back to my time in college in upstate New York. I am of the opinion that this lady is extremely talented and boy can she sing. Le Bel Age holds out hope that the old dark ways can be buried and that the future will shine.
- Rock and a Hard Place - Rolling Stones (1989) - I have never been a particularly big fan of the Rolling Stones, but this song from the album Steel Wheels has an edge to it that always lifted me up. A prototypical rock and roll song with electric guitars, background groans and utterances, and Jagger doing what he always does, belting it out with panache and energy.
