Hey music of my life,
Thank you. Thank you for allowing me to keep my cool when I am stressing for exams. I’m lookin’ at you, Ben Howard. And, thank you Zeppelin for blessing me with "Kashmir" every time I need a quick pump up confidence jam before that exam. I can’t forget about my pals, Sly & The Family Stone and Otis Redding for making my morning bright every time I walk to class in this brittle cold weather. You make my soul warm. So do you, Jimi Hendrix, Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Alabama Shakes. Oh, and thanks for never judging me when I jam out in my room on air guitar to your songs when no one’s watching.
Most of all, thank you for transforming every chord into a specific time and place in my life. I hear Sinatra and I can see my Grandma Lou singing “This Love of Mine” in front of me. I can almost see the experiences she has had with that song in the vibratos of her voice as she sings it. And you, Van Morrison, I listen to “Brown Eyed Girl” and I picture my whole family in my living room, sitting in a circle singing it while my Uncle plays it on his acoustic. Billy Joel, thank you for filling my mind with thoughts of me and dad on long car rides playing “The Stranger” album on repeat and never hesitating to sing all the words at the top of our lungs. And last, but never least, thank you Don McLean for your “American Pie” that graced my life with your seven minute song every time I drove in my Grandma’s Buick Century. And thank you for letting me share a moment with my mom and brother, holding each other, crying and singing this song the night my grandma passed away.
Not only do you bring memories to from my past to my thoughts, you also help me remember where I come from--specifically you Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen. Every time I hear Jon Bon I remember dancing and singing “Always” in aisles in the rain at Metlife Stadium with my sister and two, equally Bon Jovi crazed, middle-aged strangers. And you Bruce Springsteen, there’s nothing better than spending a beach day at the Jersey Shore with you playing in the background. You have to admit it, Jersey peeps, you’ve done it before too.
Lastly, to the music that I listen to, thank you for turning every banality of life into a beautiful thing. I could look at an abandoned building with cracks in windows and holes in the foundations and it would be breathtaking with music in the background. I could be in the worst mood since Nam and you could turn my day upside down. So, thank you for being a blessing in my life and for reminding me of the things in my life that I never want to forget.
Love, Bri
