-
The Soundtrack of Our Lives
August 17, 2022
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. -
Sounds like a cliché, right? Well, it is. But it’s true, certain songs, just like certain smells we come across in our lives can trigger memories that can either take us back to paradise or send us over the edge from anger or sadness. I was walking on the treadmill the other day, digging desperately through my playlist to try and find something to motivate me to stay on it for at least thirty minutes, when I came across Toto’s Rosanna. Oddly, I don’t have a lot of childhood memories, (but that’s my therapist’s problem), but I do have one I always flashback to every time I hear this song. And the memory is very vivid.
When I was a child, the fifth of five kids, living in Southwest Louisiana, if we were able to afford a family vacation, we always drove to Fort Walton Beach, FL. Even if we didn’t go as a family, I always had a best friend who would go with her family, and I would tag along. Everybody’s friends would go with everybody. It was the thing to do. In fact, it’s still the thing to do there since it’s within driving distance, inexpensive and the beaches are beautiful.
At the time, there was not much to do in Fort Walton Beach except eat, play putt-putt golf, and go to the water park. Destin and Sand Destin weren’t really developed yet. The water park was the favorite because it also had an arcade with Skee Ball where you could win a bunch of tickets and trade them in for a prize after you played. If you were street smart, you knew how to pull the tickets out of the machine so more than one would come out at a time…. but I digress… (and probably just admitted to committing a minor crime).
Anyway, we’d spend all day at the water park, riding the water slide until we were burnt to a crisp from the sun. And all-day long Toto’s “Rosanna” was in power rotation on the speakers outside. I used to always think It must be the owner’s favorite song. “Rosana,” “Africa,” and Boston’s “More Than a Feeling” were always playing, year after year. To this day, anytime I hear one of these songs I stop and smile and remember the days of my childhood vacation at the waterpark. It makes me happy.
So why am I sharing this story with you in a column called “The Bigger Picture” which typically tackles major challenges in the music and broadcast business? Well, I figured with the stress of vacations (yes, they are stressful), vacation coverage, going back to school, and the onset of more layoffs of our colleagues in the industry we love, we could all use a little break from the madness. To be honest, this topic could be a book for me, so many great songs and memories. But I’ll share just a few more with you, and one which happens to be very timely.
When the movie Grease was released, I was almost 7 years old. My BFF Kristy Fisher was a year younger than I was and her mom and dad took us to see the movie. Of course, we loved it. We went to see it at the cinema over and over again. When we played together, we would fight over who would get to be Sandy, but most of the time there ended up being two Sandys, and then we’d fight over who would get Danny as the boyfriend.
Kristy’s Dad had an 8-track tape player stereo (totally dating myself). We would play the soundtrack, and more specifically, “You’re the One That I Want” and “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” over and over again and dance and sing on our stage, which was really just the ledge of their fireplace, and our microphones were brushes. But man, we were stars, and both of us wanted to be Olivia Newton-John when we grew up. I will never understand where Kristy’s parents got the patience to put up with us for so long. These memories come up every time the movie comes on TV, which has been a lot lately for obvious reasons. It always makes me smile when I remember those days, but lately, I have sad memories too because it’s hard to think that Sandy is no longer with us. I am positive a lot of you can relate, as I am sure this movie and soundtrack had the same impact on you as it did on me. That became obvious when “Hopelessly Devoted” and “You’re the One That I Want” became #1 and #3 on the iTunes Chart after news of her death was released last week.
As I mentioned, I could write a book on this topic. I could go on and on with songs that have provided the soundtrack for parts of my life. Don’t get me started on Michael Jackson's “Thriller,” or Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5,” or her duet with Kenny Rogers, “Islands in The Stream.” But I will share one more with you that was definitely a part of the prime of my life.
I was living my dream life and dream job programming a Hot AC station in Los Angeles. I lived in West Hollywood near what at the time was Ironworks Music, which was owned by Kiefer Sutherland. I was a HUGE Lifehouse supporter and fan, and Jude Cole was the band's Producer and Kiefer’s BFF. I was partnering with Ironworks Music and Kieffer on a contest called “Rockstar,” where local bands were competing for 25K, a Record Deal with Ironworks Music, studio time and Jude as a producer. Lifehouse was wrapping up production on their latest album WHO WE ARE and getting ready to release it.
I spent a lot of time working and hanging out with Kiefer and Jude during our partnership and got to spend a little bit of time with them in the studio watching how the process of producing an album worked. They were obviously both very involved with the finishing touches on the album and what I believe was the first single “First Time.” When the finished product was finally done, I will never forget my experience of hearing it for the first time (no pun intended).
According to Kiefer, besides a studio, a car radio was the best and most authentic way to hear music for the first time. Now, keep in mind, this was at a time when Lifehouse was thriving, and no one had heard the new album yet, including the band's record label. So, we set out confidentially in my car, after closing down The Vermont (our regular hangout) on a Saturday night, to drive around Hollywood listening to the new Lifehouse album as loud as we possibly could (Kiefer was not allowed to drive at the time.)
I remember at one point, him stopping me in the middle of the road and giving me a speech about how cool it was going to be to hear the new Lifehouse single before anybody else. Now, keep in mind this is a surreal moment for me. I LOVED Lifehouse, “24” was HUGE at the time, I had a partnership with Kiefer Sutherland, whom to everyone else was Jack Bauer, and he was sharing his passion for music with me at three o’clock in the morning in my car in Hollywood, CA.
I will never forget this night. It was truly one of the highlights of my career and my life. I could tell you so many more great stories about this partnership (but then I’d have to kill you), but as it relates to the “Soundtrack of my life,” “First Time,” is in power rotation on all of my playlists and every time I hear it, I remember how lucky I was to have had such an exciting experience with music and the great “Jack Bauer.”
This makes me want to go back and Binge “24” for the millionth time on Hulu. Which is a whole ‘nuther topic I could write a book on. “Shows you’ve binged so much you feel like you’re a part of the cast.” You actually have conversations with real people about these shows like you are all friends with the characters, and you could seriously be a part of their lives. Wow, have I become a product of the pandemic! Time to get off my ass and go out and find more great new music to create more memories with and soundtracks for my life. It’s good research for the upcoming book I’m never gonna write.
-
-