My Music History

I couldn’t name my favorite song. My all-time favorite song? No way. Does anyone have one? Can anyone have an all-time favorite song?

I know that in my younger years I loved Michael Jackson, Brandy was my favorite singer, and… my secret confession was that MC Hammer was my favorite performer (I used to say that I wanted to be a dancer with him when I grew up). 

I now couldn’t imagine music without Prince, Stevie Wonder, and Amy Winehouse.

The first pop song that I heard was I Want It That Way by the Backstreet Boys in the front seat of my dad’s car, which struck me as odd because I had never heard my dad listen to boy bands or Caucasian groups for that matter.  After that moment, Britany Spears, Christina Aguilera, The Spice Girls, and NSYNC entered my music repertoire.

Hall and Oates are the most underrated duo in musical history. Dolly Parton’s Jolene is my favorite country song. And the Eagles remain my personal blue-eyed version of Earth, Wind, and Fire.

Motown and their artists were the only records played in my grandma’s house when we visited. I knew all the steps to the Temptations My Girl routine.

Amy Winehouse, Joss Stone, Corrine Bailey Rae, Snoh Aalegra, Duffy, Lianne La Havas, and Adele have broadened the culture of music as I know it. These ladies have enough soul to have been on Motown’s roster in its heyday.

Whenever my nanny played Kenny G’s Songbird around the house when she cleaned, I always pretended that it was I who could create such a beautiful sound. Oh, how I would have loved to know how to play an instrument!

I’ve fallen in love with the compositions of Carter Burwell and Alexandre Desplat. Miri Ben-Ari ignited my love for the whimper of the violin. I still don’t know how to play an instrument, though I’m now more inclined to learn.

Digital Underground introduced me to Tupac Shakur, the one rapper who most credit their success (unless they’re apart of that whole East-West coast rivalry thing). He, unknowingly, created what I call the “Tupac-reform” – prison stint, self-evaluation, rehabilitated criminal with heightened celebrity status and popular influence.

Lil Boosie, T.I., Lil Wayne, and Gucci Mane have all followed suit – coming out of their unfortunate legal situations, staying under the criminal radar, and producing hits.

My mother HATED when I got mad at her. I knew to play Evanescence, Fall Out Boy, and PANIC! At the Disco LOUDLY to irritate her. She never knew where I learned about the rock genre, and I never knew why she didn’t give it a chance – I understood the raw emotions of the songs.

The first time I heard Sail by AWOLNATION, I knew that my relationship at that time was never going to survive – how can a song move you like that? Use Somebody by Kings of Leon stopped me dead in my track in the middle of a grocery store – you ever heard one of those songs that halt time and space to command your attention? And don’t get me started on when I FINALLY learned all about Jimi Hendrix!

One song, just one song? It may be possible, and I figure the more knowledge I have on the music that I love, the easier it might be to choose one song. I plan to explore topics of music’s history and the future that it has to offer. And in the end, I might just find that one song.