Pop Music Was My Beard

Like most, music has always been a part of my life.

It started out with the typical little kids songs. “I’m a Little Teapot”, “You Are My Sunshine”, various vacation bible school sings, etc….

Then, I graduated to records. I had this brown and orange Fisher Price record player that I ADORED! Especially because I had my own Donny and Marie records box to store them in as well as carry them from place to place.


(yes, this is my real record case...I still have it)

Where I carted these records off to, I can’t remember. In fact, I don’t think I ever took them anywhere, but boy, did I have the option to do so if I chose. My mom bought all these religious records (not because we were religious but because…well, I’m not sure why other than maybe because they were kid friendly) and out of all of them, there was really only one that I liked and listened to over and over and over again. It was called “Animals and Other Things’. My favorite songs from this album were “I’m a Galapagos”, “Itty-Bitty Flea”, “Gorilla Walk” and “Livin’ That Givin’ Way”.


(Sigh....I can not believe I'm admitting to having a Chipmunks album...what' s sadder, I actually have two)

I also had several Disney albums. The Main Street Electrical Parade on a 33 as well as Lady and the Tramp and others.


(the most awesome records EVER!!!)

I finally reached the cool status when I got Madonna’s “Like A Virgin” and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”. I practically wore out the albums, I played them so much.


(scratch that...these are the most awesome records EVER!!!)

Then, when I hit the “tween” age, I discovered….oldies.

Yes, I was a closet oldies listener.

It’s my mom’s fault. She had this one album that had like 100 oldies songs on it. It consisted of 4 individual records all with like 25 songs on them. She ordered it off the TV, y’all!!!!! I treated this album with the greatest of care while listening to “Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag” and the “Monster Mash”.

We had this little tiny room in our house that I grew up in that was located right off the living room. It was a combination office/music room. It was where the sound system was located along with all of the albums my mom and dad had. I spent HOURS in there listening to all their albums.

This love for oldies stuck with me all through my…gasp…teen years and beyond!

I used to listen to oldies in my mom’s car whenever we would go somewhere. When I got old enough to drive and got my own car, one of my pre-set buttons was set to an oldies station. During my teen years, if someone would accidentally push this button, I would laugh it off and say I had it set on that station for my mom.

If I was in the car by myself, I would almost always listen to this station. And sing along to EVERY song at the top of my lungs.

I used to listen to my mom’s old tape that had Steppenwolf on it. It was a recording of a recording, but it didn’t matter to me. “Magic Carpet Ride” was the bomb. Even if it was all scratchy.

I used to spend my hard earned cash on Billboard cassette tapes from the years 1955 through 1975. Seriously. That’s where I discovered Tommy Roe singing “Sweet Pea” and “Dizzy”. I adored “Apple, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie” by Jay and the Techniques. Simon and Garfunkel were GODS in my house. “Cecilia”, “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (although Elvis does a better rendition), “Scarborough Fair”, etc…..were my crack.

I only started listening to Elvis when I got older. When I was younger, I couldn’t really appreciate Elvis the way he’s meant to be appreciated. You know, with reverence.

I would listen to pop music when I was with my friends. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVED pop music, but the oldies were what made me sing out loud with a kind of freedom and un-self-awareness that only little kids seem to possess.

As I got older, I started branching out. I opened my mind and accepted Country Music as my savior…for about 3 years. Then I discovered swing music. Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, Royal Crown Revue, The Brian Setzer Orchestra as well as the old stuff…Glenn Miller, The Andrews Sisters (to this day, I still dance my tooshie off to “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”).

My ex-husband tried to get me into Limp Bizkit and Korn, but like the marriage, it didn’t take.

I then drifted back to pop music but tended to soundtracks.

These days, I incorporate all of the above (except for the ex-husband ones) and feel I have finally reached my musical mecca with my eclectic taste.

And, I finally cop to my love of oldies.

How’s that for growth?

So many of you are probably cringing at my taste, but you know what? I don't care. I am who I am.


(yeah, you needed to see this)

Later,