the blue blog archives: meme-a-ling

I don't usually do these memes but since one of my favorite knitbuds, Jackie, tagged me I guess I gotta do it.

Zero. Nada. Zilch. And no I don't own an iPod or MP3 player. I just don't listen to music much. I used to have a huge cassette collection when I was in college (it was full of Depeche Mode and the like), but I sold most of it when I moved to Germany. This is a sampling of what's left. And now the boys use my cassette deck as a pretend oven, stuffing toys in the cassette slots to "cook". See!

Now if you asked me the total number of catchy kids show songs in my head, I'd say about 50, including "I love my boots", "Ski patrol to the rescue", "Welcome to Lazy Town", "Ladybugs Picnic", "Give us back our treasure!", and "What's the name of that song?". (Bonus points to anyone who can identify all those references!)

I used to buy music without even hearing it. I would buy new things from the labels that I liked. I'd just pick up anything that looked cool from Sire records, for example. I found out about bands like The The and the Wild Swans that way and introduced their stuff to all my friends. But that was back in like 1990. When I was much cooler.

The last CD I bought was probably Tracy Chapman's first album, which I ordered online around 2001. Yes, that was the last time I bought a CD! I did ask hubby for a CD this Christmas, though. Remember? Oh yeah, I'm definitely not cool anymore.

Whatever was on the pop radio station the last time I was driving in the car. That's really when I do my music listening. I have no idea what it was but here's a few clues to my radio listening behavior.

Check other stations to see if any favorite songs are on, if not come back = any song by a hip new band with some wacky name like Matchbox 20 or Third Eye Blind, Foo Fighters or Goo Goo Dolls. I can't tell any of them apart.

Stop here and sing along = oh, you know, stuff by Avril Levigne, Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway", Jessica Simpson's "With You", one of those Five for Fighting dirges, something John Mayer-ish. (I can't sing, by the way.)

These are songs that at one time I really loved and that, if they ever came on the radio, I'd sit in the car in the parking lot to listen to the end of them.

"I'm a Believer" by the Monkees (I used to LOVE watching the Monkees in reruns on tv. I remember being soooo excited one day when I discovered that my grandparents actually owned a Monkees album and I could listen to the songs whenever I wanted. I still have that album. Somewhere. No turntable though.)

Note, I'm leaving out whole phases of my muscial history, like my Howard Jones phase (the keyboards! the hair! the lyrics: "whoa, whoa, whohohoh, whoa, whoa, whohohoh"!), my Billy Joel phase (I lived on Long Island - it's like a law there), and my Harry Connick Jr. phase (up until he got married and started starrring in crappy movies opposite Sandra Bullock).

Oh man, do I really have to pass it on? I'm so not a meme person. Okay, first three commenters consider yourself tagged.

posted by alison at 8:02 am | in just blogging 05

Comments

it's so sad that i know these songs
I love my boots - dora the explorer
ski patrol to the rescue - backyardigans
welcome to lazytown -lazytown (worst show ever)
ladybugs picnic - ms spider?
doh, i don't know the last 2.

Posted by: Peggy at January 26, 2005 8:24 AM

As a busy mom of 3 and in my 40's, my music is mostly limited to the discounted bin containing "Oldies from the 70's". Give me Earth, Wind & Fire, Steely Dan and the Doobies any day!

Posted by: leslie at January 26, 2005 8:24 AM

I thought for sure you meant Tom Jones- the woh woh woh wohohoh made me think "What's New Pussy Cat?" And honestly, how can you not like Tom Jones? He has a lovely welsh accent and is campy good fun.

But howardjones.com proved me wrong. And I thought I knew a lot about music!

Posted by: erin at January 26, 2005 8:34 AM

I don't know the last 2 kidsongs either, but isn't "the ladybugs picnic" an old Sesame Street song?

"Zing, zang, ziggaziggy zong" is stuck in my head now. And I don't hate it. Eep.

Posted by: Iris at January 26, 2005 8:49 AM

Sounds like our music is the same - all kids all the time! :)

Posted by: jackie at January 26, 2005 9:05 AM

Even if you're not listening to music that much anymore, you've got good taste in my book. This is coming from a comparatively hipsterish music nerd. Elvis Costello, Erasure, Squeeze (very visible in your cassette shelf), and yes, Howard Jones (who I think is really underappreciated) all would be approved of by some pretty big music snobs I know. Not that it matters what snobs think--I just think you might be surprised how snob-worthy your list is.

Posted by: susan at January 26, 2005 9:29 AM

What's the Name of That Song and Ladybug's Picnic are two of my favorite Sesame Street songs.

When my sister was little, she had a tape with What's The Name of that Song on it. We used to sing it incessantly.

My other sister and I sing the Ladybug's Picnic song frequently, mostly to her kids.

Posted by: Christy at January 26, 2005 9:33 AM

I can't imagine not having music on *all the time,* but you've got great taste. I love The Monkees, Elvis Costello, and (some) Erasure. ;)

Posted by: Jenn at January 26, 2005 9:36 AM

I think this is my first comment although I've been reading for a while now. I just had to say that "Give Us Back Our Treasure" is from Dora's Pirate Adventure. I am so lucky to be a very cool mom!

Posted by: Chris at January 26, 2005 9:51 AM

The The! I never get tired of them.

Posted by: Leigh at January 26, 2005 10:03 AM

Heee! Thanks for indulging us, Alison. I think we have VERY similar tastes, actually. Well, except for the kid's songs. (Howard Jones! I once sat on Jones Beach (no relation) for hours listening to him rehearse a concert out in the theatre there.)

Posted by: Jackie at January 26, 2005 11:33 AM

Whoo, Monkees! *dances around the room until the 45 starts to skip*

(I have two copies of that album... and the 45... and several Monkees greatest hits LPs... and half a dozen other of their albums... and the turntable to play them. Guess the turntable is the important part.)

Posted by: monkeemaven at January 26, 2005 12:45 PM

Alison, we must have been living parallel lives. All your cassettes are of bands I used to listen to, ah, a few years ago. No ipod or mp3s for me either. As far as the Monkees are concerned...I used to rush home from school just to see the show. I had ALL their albums on vinyl. I even had a picture disc album. Should I really admit this next part? I attended their reunion concert (sans Mike) in the early 80s. I guess you could call me a fan. ;)

Posted by: General Ginger at January 26, 2005 12:59 PM

For great children songs of the past check out Batty Bat song from the Count in Seasame Street. Very few people seem to rember it, but as a kid that was my favorite.

Yeha another Depeche Mode gal. :)Luckly though since I have kept up with the techno european and japanese music trends. Really alot of the Japanese artist sound like the old 80-early 90's European Alternative Music.

Posted by: Kitty Kitty at January 26, 2005 1:15 PM

I'm so glad there are 13 commenters above me! I've gone between feeling extremely uncool that nobody has "tagged" me yet with this questionnaire, to RELIEF that no one has. Not only do we have similar musical tastes (I recognized that Squeeze tape in your collection right away), I am completely clueless when it comes to downloading music or even getting my CD drive on my computer to WORK (some CDs just... won't. Annoying).

Posted by: Denise at January 26, 2005 1:16 PM

Reunion, together this time
Reunion, forever be mine

Posted by: varant at January 26, 2005 5:29 PM

You're making me all nostalgic. Sigh. We'd have been exchanging tapes way back when.

Posted by: valentina at January 26, 2005 8:23 PM

not to be the *one* 23 year old with banned music tasts, but i love third eye blind. Lyrics on Blinded and Semi-Charmed life are poignant to say the least. Not to rage against the crowd, but just had to speak up on this crew: pop, but good.

and goo goo dolls was the soundtrack to my senior year of high school so they win a special place in my heart... wish they were still on the radio.

Posted by: susan at January 27, 2005 5:03 AM

Oh, yes. I find the Monkees songs make excellent "sing to the dogs" songs. They're fun to sing and easy to change the words to make them even sillier!

Considering that I don't even have kids, it may be kind of scary that I have the song "Singing in the Bathtub!" (http://tinyurl.com/4jy58) often going around and around my brain. I think maybe it's because I like the song. Silliness, again.

Posted by: Mary at January 27, 2005 4:31 PM

Thanks everyone for not laughing too hard about my non-mp3 owning, pop music listening ways!

For those of you who wanted to know the kids songs were from: Dora the Explorer, the Backyardigans, Lazy Town, Seasame Street, Dora again, and Seasame Street again. I'm sorry to say that the catchiest of all that I have the most trouble getting out of my head is that dang Lazy Town song!

Bonus points to Christy for knowing the Seasame Street songs, which were the hardest to place, I think. And also to Varant for including some "Reunion" lyrics. :)

Remember, the first three of you with blogs are up next!

Posted by: alison at January 28, 2005 8:45 AM

I want to second Peggy's comment about Lzy Town being the worst show ever. It is also the creepiest. I stopped letting my kids watch it when I cought one of them saying "Oh, that Robby Rotten!" Yuck!
I manage to listen to some *good* (meaning new and obscure) music, thanks only to my husband, but I still sing You Gotta Put Down the Duckie and Jellyman when I am left to my own devices.

Posted by: Else at January 28, 2005 10:17 AM