This is the second installment of The Soundtrack of My Life. If you missed the first, click here.
If you're here to vote on Battle of the Bands, click here. If you haven't voted yet, I encourage you to do so. The song is fun AND short (for you to A to Zers). I'll announce the winner on the 22nd... along with my second installment of this.
If you're actually here to read THIS post, well you're in the right place.
So this will be the largest amount of time I group together for just one song. The first ten years of my life. The wonder years.
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| Family Pic taken at Nanny's house. |
One of the things my therapist does on occasion is ask me to close my eyes and remember a time I felt truly happy. I tend to pick from this time period. Seems like everything was joy back then. Uncluttered happiness. Nothing bad had happened to me yet. I didn't know about death. Or bullies. Or dreams not coming true. None of it. Everything was just possibility. I remember thinking, "I can be anything I want. Anything. The entire world is mine." The fact that I didn't know what I wanted didn't make the possibility less real.
I've already written a blog post about my love of dancing. If you didn't read that (it was a long time ago) and you want to... click here. Dance and gymnastics were one of those pure things that existed in my life at the time. (I could've picked the song You Don't Mess Around with Jim by Jim Croce for this time as well. The dance studio I went to had a tap routine to this song, and I LOVED it. I still remember playing that song and tap dancing in my garage.)
I also remember spending a lot of time on my bicycle. We lived in a mostly unpopulated area with very little traffic. Lots of woods in between houses. My parents called it the boondocks. It was great for a kid. All of the open road I wanted. So, when my therapist asks for me to pull into focus a moment of happiness, that is the one I usually choose. I can feel my legs pedalling. The sun on my face. The breeze in my hair. And lightness in my heart. Often I'd sing at the top of my lungs as I rode. One of my favorites was Top of the World.
And that is the song for today. That was exactly how I felt during those years.
Such a feelings coming over me
There is wonder in most every thing I see
Not a cloud in the sky, got the sun in my eyes
And I won't be surprised if it's a dream
There is wonder in most every thing I see
Not a cloud in the sky, got the sun in my eyes
And I won't be surprised if it's a dream
Everything I want the world to be
Is now coming true especially for me
And the reason is clear, it's because you are here
You're the nearest thing to Heaven that I've seen
Is now coming true especially for me
And the reason is clear, it's because you are here
You're the nearest thing to Heaven that I've seen
I'm on the top of the world looking down on creation
And the only explanation I can find
Is the love that I've found ever since you've been around
Your love's put me at the top of the world
And the only explanation I can find
Is the love that I've found ever since you've been around
Your love's put me at the top of the world
Something in the wind has learned my name
And it's telling me that things are not the same
In the leaves on the trees and the touch of the breeze
There's a pleasing sense of happiness for me
And it's telling me that things are not the same
In the leaves on the trees and the touch of the breeze
There's a pleasing sense of happiness for me
There is only one wish on my mind
When this day is through I hope that I will find
That tomorrow will be just the same for you and me
All I need will be mine if you are here
When this day is through I hope that I will find
That tomorrow will be just the same for you and me
All I need will be mine if you are here
I'm on the top of the world looking down on creation
And the only explanation I can find
Is the love that I've found ever since you've been around
Your love's put me at the top of the world
And the only explanation I can find
Is the love that I've found ever since you've been around
Your love's put me at the top of the world
I'm on the top of the world looking down on creation
And the only explanation I can find
Is the love that I've found ever since you've been around
Your love's put me at the top of the world
What song would you choose to encompass your Wonder Years?
And the only explanation I can find
Is the love that I've found ever since you've been around
Your love's put me at the top of the world
What song would you choose to encompass your Wonder Years?
Hi, Robin! It's cathartic to close your eyes and return to a place and time when you felt most happy and free. Empowering memories can continue to serve us all our lives. Favorite songs that formed the soundtrack of our youth are the catalysts that trigger those memories and get positive feelings flowing through us. For nearly seven years I have been reviewing the soundtrack of my life on my blog, sharing with friends the songs that inspire and empower me and the happy memories linked to them.
ReplyDeleteOne such recording that immediately springs to mind is the cover of "Volare" sung by Philly teen idol Bobby Rydell. Bobby's single was a hit in the summer of 1960. I was age ten at the time, loved to ride my bike and was obsessed with playing basketball. I was healthy and athletic and felt happy and secure. Just like you, I had a sense of the infinite possibilities ahead of me. Life was good. Whenever I sink into the doldrums I play "Volare" on my music system or simply run it through my mind. It always lifts me back up again.
Let's fly way up to the clouds
Away from the madd'ning crowds
We can sing in the glow of a star that I know of
Where lovers enjoy peace of mind
Let us leave the confusion and all disillusion behind
Just like birds of a feather
A rainbow together we'll find
Volare, whoa, oh, oh, oh
Cantare, whoa, oh, oh, oh
No wonder my happy heart sings (yeah, yeah)
Your love has given me wings
Have a great week, dear Robin!
Well Mr. Shady... I'm nearly tempted to include you on my list. I'm pretty sure that mine will have a beginning, middle, and end.
DeleteNow there was a time when I was doing a weekly post that featured an 80s artist and I picked one song (not by that artist) that was inspirational for me right now. That could've gone on forever. But I stopped doing it.
Hopefully music lovers will read your comment and make their way to your blog:)
Riding your bike sounds so freeing. Feeling the warmth of the sun on your face and just experiencing such simple joy is a great memory to reflect upon. I'm glad you have that to reach back to you in your life.
ReplyDeleteYes. So am I. Plenty of good things have happened since, but you just don't get that back... that feeling of Everything Is Fantastic 24/7 once you move out of childhood. Mostly because it isn't. It's good sometimes. Bad sometimes. Really good. Really bad. And so it goes...
DeleteWonder years are filled with such grand expectations. Riding your bike and singing is the best description. Free, free, freedom. No strings to this marionette. (Not yet, anyway)
ReplyDeleteCarol Carpenter had a voice that I could listen to for hours. And how sexy that dress and she always thought she was fat. What a pity.
Your family picture tells it all. That picture that is absolutely worth the thousand words. You have your father's legs. I laugh because I too have a picture of my family ....... at the beach..... and I notice that I have my father's legs. Haha
You have very handsome parents.
You got it exactly right. I felt so free. Even though I had a specific perimeter I was allowed to ride in), but the ride was freedom. And I spent a lot of time on that bike. Of course, dancing felt exactly the same way to me.
DeleteYou mean Karen Carpenter... but you were close. hahahahaha. I, too, love her voice... and hate the fact that she never could see herself the way others saw her. (Boy that is pandemic!)
I never noticed that I have my father's legs... TY Manzi for pointing that out. His legs were rather boney, you know. So my legs only look like his when I'm on the super skinny side. Back in 2010... yep... super skinny. Now, I'm about 30 pounds heavier and my legs aren't so boney any longer. I'd like to lose about 15 pounds, be somewhere in the middle of super skinny and what I am right now... and call it good.
The definition of irony: me blathering about my weight after just saying how sad it was that KC couldn't see herself as lovely and be done with it. As I said... Pandemic!
ROBIN
DeleteI thought you looked JUST perfect on your singing videos. But it's the age old story of thinking we are fat. I think that dress is the sexiest dress in the store.
Straight out of the 20's. And the figure has to be pretty perfect as that satin material shows every flaw of the body.
I laughted when you pointed out that I said Carol. I too, love that song and i was humming it later in the day and the realization hit me that I called her Carol.
Carol....Karen.... they sound alike. It's like the name situation with my neighbor. Her name is Tara and that can be pronounced
Tair-ah or Tar-ah. Just recently she told be that people often call her Carol because that is what they think they hear when she says her name. Now, when I say her name, I first think of Carol and rhyme the Tara with that. A silly game but it's one way to remember a name. Hahaha
Not to worry. Being on film makes us look larger and you look like you should be wearing the dress that Karen is wearing. Believe me.
I grew up on a farm and we worked hard during those years. I was happy but really busy. When we had time to play, we rode bikes and climbed trees in the words. My younger brother was my very best friend and still is. My father played a lot of Johnny Cash but I don't want to pick one of those songs for that period of my life. LOL
ReplyDeleteMost of the songs I pick aren't necessarily ones I listened to AT THAT TIME, but describe that time. This is one of those rare exceptions:)
Delete"Top of the World" is such a bright happy song and so fitting of what you described. I too used to love riding my bicycle though I didn't get one until I was about 9 I guess. There were times in the summer when I'd spend most of my day exploring the vast San Diego neighborhoods on my bicycle. I don't think a lot of kids can safely do that these days.
ReplyDeleteI feel bad for anyone who can't say they had wonderfully happy childhoods. That family photo epitomizes to me the happy American family. Childhood should be a relatively carefree time when we can dream and play. Learning responsibility is important, but to be burdened down by worries and family strife is a horrible thing for a child.
Now I need to think what one song I'd consider for those years.
Arlee Bird
A to Z Challenge Co-host
Wrote By Rote
Arlee,
DeleteI can feel you wanting to participate in this new "I can do it the way I want to" version of The Soundtrack of My Life.
I know people who've had terrible childhoods. It makes life really hard. It becomes all about overcoming, which is necessary. But there is so much overcoming in adulthood... it is nice to have a few years to just Be.
This is great!
ReplyDeleteMy dear friend had me sing this song at her wedding (I used to do a lot of weddings, particularly those outdoors...have guitar, will travel).
I think people like to hear others' "Soundtracks". I noticed that one of my top ten posts had to do with a blog hop called The Songs of Summer. When I go back and read it, it really is a soundtrack of your life kinda post. I've always tied songs to life events.
Link: http://www.cherdoontheflipside.com/2014/07/songs-of-summer.html
Cherdo,
DeleteAs much as you love music, I STILL think you'd enjoy participating in this. Think about it.
Now, I'm off to check out your Summer Songs.
Well you will have made McCarthy's day with this song choice, Robin, although this song triggers memories of similar years for me.
ReplyDeleteThere are a few things that transport me back to my parent's living room-early70's am radio hits being one.
Oddly enough, pipe tobacco is another (my dad used to smoke one).
I don't know if life was really simpler or if it was just that I was a kid so it was simpler for me, but those were some carefree times for me.
Larry
I don't think "life" was simpler. I think that when you're a child (if you've got good parents who do their best to shield you from the world) life is simpler. Your decisions are not big ones. Your days are mostly carefree. Instead of everything feeling hard (or a choice between bad and worse), it's all possibility. Optimism abounds.
DeleteIsn't it funny how certain songs can transport you to another place immediately???? You hear this one and you're back in your living room. I hear it and I'm on my bike. Songs are powerful stuffs.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this song. Karen Carpenter's voice is truly amazing.
ReplyDeleteRiding my bike, sun in my face, summer wind whipping all around me. I remember my Wonder Years fondly too. I also remember me and my friends riding our bikes through the cloud of insect pesticide behind the city truck that came down the street once a week.
I'm sure it will kill me eventually. But it was fun.
Oh boy. The cloud of insect pesticide... the things we do as kids. We really have NO IDEA.
DeleteWow, I'd have to really think about that. I do remember my brother and I biking all over town. Not very safe for a kid to do that not, so we were fortunate to be young when we were.
ReplyDeleteI was almost a teen at the time, but I'm going to go with Gerry Rafferty's Baker Street.
You don't see kids out on bikes (or even playing outside) like you did when I was a kid (and you were a kid).
DeleteTop Of The World... and the girl it made me think of... I see a similar wavelength here.
ReplyDeleteYou're too funny, CW.
DeleteGIRL WONDER ~
ReplyDeleteThanks for the mention and the link! Mucho appreciated-o!
Nice song choice. I've never really cared for the Carpenters, and there's something about Carol Carpenter's voice that has always grated on my nerves, but this is still a pretty good, peppy song.
(I'm not sure if I've ever written the word "peppy" before in my entire life. Seriously. I know I've said it, but I don't feel like I've ever written it.)
I like that picture of you with your family. It has that sort of faded look that so many of my own old family photos have. It gives it a sort of "dream-like" quality.
~ D-FensDogG
'Loyal American Underground'
You're so full of it. Ha! This might be one of the FEW songs you really really really like, so I think you should play it again.
DeleteI laughed when Manzi called her Carol Carpenter, BUT you gotta remember two things. 1) Manzi is in her 80s and does incredibly well (much better than I anticipate my 80s IF I live that long), and 2) She loves music, but mostly to dance to... so the details kind of go by her. She did get the most important thing right. Free Free Freedom.
So many of my old pictures look that way. You won't see most of them because I'm terrible at scanning things. Don't ask why. Maybe I don't do it often enough, so every time is like learning it all over again. Anyway, I always dread scanning pictures.
I loved riding my bike, too, but I have no idea what song I'd choose.
ReplyDeleteAnd riding your bike might not be the "happy place" you go back to... If you figure that out, you'll find the song.
DeleteThis is a wonderful song and seems to encapsulate all what you were/are feeling. I think remembering these times may help see that despite life's negatives, dreams can still come true:) I remember, as a child, sitting at the table, colouring, my mom making dinner and she always played classical music which I love to this day. The Elizabethan Serenade makes me feel at home and content which is what I need now to remember and give me strength. My mom's health has taken a turn since I was sick and couldn't see her. She is very short in breath and can no longer walk to the diningroom and must go in a wheelchair. It's sad so those memories give me strength
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your story Birgit. I am of the mind that the things we LOVE when we're a child, we'll always love (probably). They are the fond memories of our old age. ha! I mean, older age. Anyway, I totally get your story, and I'm sorry your mom is having such a hard time of it. Never easy to watch our parents age and not be able to Do.
DeleteI always loved this song too. It's such a fantastic way to feel.
ReplyDeleteThat's a sweet photo. I'm glad you still have it.
Now try to imagine it at as loud as possible coming out of the mouth a 9 year old. That's what I'm talking about Willis!
DeleteHello greetings and good wishes.
ReplyDeleteThis is a fabulous song by Karen Carpenter. One of my favorite songs.
There is another song by George Baker witch keeps ringing in my ears often. Here are the lyrics
When the sun shines on the mountains and the night is on the run, itґs a new day, itґs a new way, and I fly up to the sun. I can feel the morning sunlight. I can smell the new-morn hay. I can hear Godґs voices callingof my golden skylight way.
O la paloma blanca, Iґm just a bird in the sky. O la paloma blanca, over the mountains I fly. Yes, no one can take my freedom away.
Once I had my share of losing, once they locked me on a chain. Yes, they tried to break my power. Oh I still can feel the pain.
O la paloma blanca, Iґm just a bird in the sky. O la paloma blanca, over the mountains I fly. Yes, no one can take my freedom away.
Best wishes
I still remember my purple Schwinn Stingray with the flowered basket and banana seat. I don't remember if they still made those in the early eighties. Sorry your "Top of the World" feeling didn't last as long as it should have, Robin.
ReplyDeleteJulie