Back in December of 2011 I finally discovered iTunes on my Mac. This service has really helped me reconnect to my love of music. One of the things that I really like about music is that oftentimes 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.
- Scream - Michael and Janet Jackson (1995) - Despite how screwed up Michael became in his later years, the image of him that is carved into my mind is the 1980s Thriller-years man. I don't know what it was, but that album and its music videos just spoke to me in ways that none other ever did. Scream was a song that was O.K., but was definitely made better by its video, kind of like Michael's song Jam. I bought this song because Michael's work still resonates with the late high school version of me where in some circles it was not a good idea to tell folks that you liked Beat It.
- Cruel Summer - Bananarama (1984) - This song was popular during my freshman year in college. It has a vibe that makes me want to sing along even though it has a bit of a melancholy message. The video was in heavy rotation on MTV (back when "M" stood for music) and I loved its style.
- Russians - Sting (1985) - When I was in college, I told my friend George that I like this song. He then proceeded to rail on me for buying into such propaganda and naive thinking. I wasn't trying to make a statement, I just liked the song's movement and keyboard sound. However, after I listened to it for the first time in more than 20 years, my old friend clearly did not really understand Sting's lyrics. This song is a treasure but I have always linked it to my friend raising his voice to me.
- Naughty Girls - Samantha Fox (1987) - Late in my college years when I stayed on campus during the summer, I remember walking around in the evenings listening to this song on my Walkman. It takes me back to those days when I was on my own, but before I was burdened with grown-up responsibilities. The song doesn't really hold up over time, but that is not the point here.
- In My House - Mary Jane Girls (1985) - Another song from my early college years. I think the video for this one spoke to me more than the music, but it transports me back to the student union watching MTV and drinking Mountain Dew after playing some basketball with my friend Frank.
Back in December of 2011 I finally discovered iTunes on my Mac. This service has really helped me reconnect to my love of music. One of the things that I really like about music is that oftentimes 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.
