The Beat Goes On

And here we go with our first Magical Monday…

Today I want to talk about music.  Whether we realize it or not, it has a real impact on our lives.  Even movie makers know this.  And they work hard to make sure they have the appropriate music for their films.  Who can listen to Windsong and not remember the touching scene between the mother and daughter in Mighty Joe Young?  And you can’t tell me the theme song from Jaws doesn’t make your blood pressure shoot up a little bit.

Even video game makers jumped in on this bandwagon.  Technically the only video game I can play at all is Tetris.  But I found out fairly quickly that the music stressed me out…and I could play longer if I turned the sound off.  I think it’s designed to make you feel a sense of urgency and, frankly, it’s very effective.  I just don’t enjoy that feeling.

Moving on…

From a woman’s perspective, you know we associate certain songs with each boyfriend we’ve ever had.  Or that slumber party where all the girls whispered and giggled about their current crushes.  And the tunes that comforted us after those crushes broke our hearts.

Why?  Because it’s an important part of our lives.  Listen to an oldies station and we remember the things that were going on in our lives when those songs were hits.  Not only that, if we liked it, we’ll be able to sing along with them for the rest of our lives, because we never forget the words.  What you learned in science or social studies, you couldn’t remember to save your life.  But the words to music that touched you in any way, they always stay with you.

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I’m a huge fan of music.  My taste runs from Dean Martin and Engelbert Humperdinck, to Merle Haggard and Alan Jackson, to Aerosmith and The Sweet, to The Backstreet Boys and The Fray.  In other words, all kinds.  Mostly.  I won’t say what I don’t care for because I don’t want to offend anyone, but it’s a pretty small list.

I find music creates moods, and Playlist.com is a huge help there.   If I want to feel sorry for myself and have a good cry, I have a playlist that will put me in the perfect mood to do just that.  If I want to clean, baby it’s REO Speedwagon and Boston all the way.  I just pull up the list.  Need to relax, classical and instrumentals are right at my fingertips.

And, if I’m bored out of my mind, YouTube music videos are almost always my solution to that problem.

When I was nineteen (yes, back when I had the car with the super bald tires and no brakes), I found that music could also put me in a foul mood.  Well, one song in particular.  I won’t name it because music is a pretty personal thing, and I know some people love it.  Namely a little twelve year old boy who happened to have a crush on me at the time.  A boy who really shouldn’t have known what the song even meant.

I was working in my father’s arcade on an incredibly boring Saturday afternoon when the kid came in (again).  His custom was to come up to the counter, rest his elbow on the counter, chin in hand, and stare at me.  Sometimes he would attempt conversation, other times he’d just stare.  That day he stared for a few minutes, walked over to the jukebox, stuck a quarter in and punched the number to the song I hate with a passion.  Then he came back over to stare some more.

When the song ended, he walked back to the jukebox and chose his second selection.  The same song.  Guess he was trying to impress me.  Didn’t work…

Anyway, I find that these two websites are a big help to me when it comes to writing, too.   Sometimes I really need to listen to the appropriate music to set the right tone for a particular scene.  It’s not always easy to pull up the emotion I need to tap and certain songs can help.

For instance, part of a book I’m working on is set in the late 1920s and, amazingly enough, I found a lot of music from that era on Playlist.  I’m trying to learn to like it, but so far I’ve only gotten to the place where I tolerate it.  Maybe by the time I’m finished with my research, outlining, and character development, I’ll get there.  If not, at least I’ll have the satisfaction of knowing I broadened my horizons a little.

They’re not quite so broad today.  I wanted to see if I could narrow my favorite romantic songs down to just three.  What a difficult task!  There are so many songs that I could mention.  Songs that I’d love to dance the night away to.

Can I have a drum roll please….

In third place, I decided to go with If You’re Gone, by Matchbox Twenty.  If I was going for just flat out sex appeal, this would have been first because Rob Thomas is really hot in this video.

Another first place contender, because I’m a hardcore REO Speedwagon fan, is I Can’t Fight This Feeling Anymore.  But alas, there is one that’s even more romantic than this.

And finally, my first choice pick is a song that often gets credit on Playlist as being sung by Air Supply.  Maybe they did do it at some point, but the version I like the best (and I believe it’s the original) is sung by George Benson.  Nothings Gonna Change My Love For You.

Why did I choose this rather than Unchained Melody, which seems to rate number one on a number of other charts?  Because it’s my list and I think this one is more romantic.  The words Mr. Benson sings are the words every woman would like to hear from the man she loves.  At least I know they’re the ones I’d like to hear.

This is also a fun video to watch.  George Benson is pretty hot himself, and I just love his facial expressions.  What a great smile!  He’s actually who I visualized for the character, Tyrone (Ty) Lanning, in For Baby’s Sake.  Well, a combination of him and Roger E. Mosely (Magnum P.I.).  Specifically, his face and Mosely’s muscles.

So without further ado…


Do you agree with my list?  If not, what are your top three choices?

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7 Responses to The Beat Goes On

  1. Pingback: The Five Best Romantic Songs of All Time? | Kristy K. James

  2. Debra Kristi says:

    Rob Thomas is a little hottie!

    Music is a huge part of everything. For example, your second song instantly took me back to a slow dance with my high school boyfriend. Dang! It was a song on the radio that finally got me off my butt and writing my stories. My husband and I were married to “After All” by Cher and Peter Cetera because it described our relationship in a nutshell.

    • What a great song for your wedding! I had a heck of a crush on Peter Cetera in the early 90’s (and he can sing, too!). It’s amazing what music can do for your creativity, isn’t it? I get ideas for scenes from songs, and even certain characters because lyrics can just make you see them in your mind. I have one who came into being because of the country song He Didn’t Have To Be (Brad Paisley). That video makes me cry every time I watch it, lol, but I loved the concept of a step-father like that.

  3. Oh yeah – I do love me some Rob Thomas first thing in the morning (or any time for that matter!!) My #1 romantic song (& my wedding song) is from Ben Folds called “The Luckiest” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1qL2ynRpXU … he doesn’t usually perform with the symphony, but this arrangement is awesome…

    • I agree 100%, Karen! When I first saw this video I swear I must have watched it fifty times in a week, lol. Not only is the song one of my very favorites…wow, Rob Thomas is just too cute for my own good. I’m listening to The Luckiest right now and it is a beautiful song. How is it I’ve never heard of it, or Ben Folds? Good choice for your wedding! 🙂

  4. Hello Kristy!
    I came across your blog through twitter. Nice post . Thanks for sharing the music videos.
    I loved Nothing’s gonna change as a teen. My music list now is mostly Carnatic music- a form of Indian Classical Music.

    • Hi, Suma…
      Nice to meet you! I’ve never heard of Carnatic music (or at least not by a categorical name) so I’m going to have to check into that. I love all sorts of music and find that classical is very relaxing. Thanks for telling me about it…and for visiting my blog. 🙂

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