Another Life Lesson for Jackson: Music is the Soundtrack of Life

It has been awhile since I last poured out my soul on the Bristow Blog. During the past month, I have endured a bit of a professional identity crisis coupled with some workplace drama certainly blog worthy but best kept to myself. The root of the crisis remained: Do I really want to do this for the rest of my professional life? After plenty of angst compounded by my impending motherhood, I think I finally have my answer, and I look forward to moving on to more meaningful pursuits. I am, after all, preparing for the most important job I will ever have. Even though the salacious details of my workplace drama just seem the write the blog entry effortlessly, I think this cursory comment will be the last word from me on that particular subject. On to less serious subjects…..

Recently, I had a bit of a spiritual experience at a Fleetwood Mac concert. I went crazy and purchased several CDs, and I have to admit that I still lose my breath a little when I hear Stevie Nicks sing “Landslide” or “Silver Springs.” My sister and fellow blogger, Emily, shares my enthusiasm for both classic and popular music. You will recall her fantastic guest blog entry about the significance of the life-changing tune, “Don’t Stop Believing’” by Journey. For the Lester girls, music is the soundtrack of our lives. We hear certain songs on the radio, and we think of a particular person, a particular moment, a particular feeling etched in our consciousness. Now, these fuzzy memories need not always be so serious: Emily and I went through a phase where we left full songs on one another’s voicemail….songs that we hated, songs that were vastly overplayed on popular radio, songs like “Maria” by Carlos Santana and “Hero” by Enrique Iglesias. Recently, we involved our friend, Lindsay, in the voicemail pranks, and the dreadful song of choice was “Fall for You” by Secondhand Serenade. In short, even bad music adds a little comedy and flavor to our relatively boring lives!

I hope that Jackson shares our appreciation for spiritual songs, silly songs and songs that speak to the soul. Most importantly, I hope he shares our broad appreciation for music from different time periods and genres. As a firm “music is the soundtrack of life” believer, I judge people that listen exclusively to music without much depth. It makes me suspicious about the heart of their life experience, the depth of their feeling, their insight, their character. That’s right. I said it. People that listen only to country music...I’m speaking directly to you. I make that statement, however, as a casual fan of country music. It is, after all, sort of the soundtrack of the American Midwestern and Southern life, and I am equally skeptical of people that spurn the entire genre. When you are sitting at the lake, having barbeque with the people you love, it seems only appropriate to have a little Kenny Chesney playing the background. Who doesn’t get a little goofy when they hear “Ring of Fire?” What Oklahoman can honestly listen to “The Change” without getting teary-eyed? For the most part, however, when I am in the middle of a life-changing time, lyrics about Yoo Hoo bottles rolling around on the floorboard of the car, putting a boot up the you-know-what of a terrorist, and leaving your Christmas lights up all year long just do not suffice. I’m confident I will get a comment or two about bashing the music of the Sooner State. Country music, like pop music, even rap music, has its purpose and its place in my life experience. I hope my readers will interpret my colorful comments as a promotion of musical diversity, appreciating the purpose of all genres, rather than an indictment of those that happen to like a little Trace Adkins. Yikes, bad example, Trace Adkins? Maybe I do judge….nevermind.

Emily and I started talking the other day about songs that Jackson should know as I am determined not to listen to a Barney CD during every car trip. Our discussion broadened into a debate about songs that characterized our life experiences, and I wanted to write this blog entry in order to initiate a bit of a discussion about the songs that inspired my readers. For example, every time I hear “Good Riddance” by Green Day (a band I loathe save this one song) and “Run” by Collective Soul, I think about how it felt to be 18 years old, getting ready to graduate from high school, moving on to the University of Tulsa. Mom confided that every time she felt contemplative during her life, she always appreciated the music of Cat Stevens. Joshua mentioned that every time he hears “The Luckiest” by Ben Folds Five, he thinks about us. Conversely, every time I hear Michael Bolton’s horrible rendition of “When a Man Loves a Woman,” I think about us and how the disc jockey at our wedding messed up our selected song for the first dance (“You are the Love of My Life” by Michael W. Smith and Jim Brickman) and played that monstrosity instead. Despite the drama of the moment, this hellacious song choice did make for some terrific wedding pictures during our first dance as we laughed uncontrollably.

So, Emily and I wanted to share with you some of the songs that shaped our experiences, and we hope that you will join in a lively discussion about the songs that shaped yours. Here are the current winners along with a lyric sample to support the selection:

Most Inspirational Song: “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey
Lyric Sample: “Working hard to get my fill. Everybody wants a thrill. Paying anything to roll the dice just one more time.”
Lauren’s Honorable Mention: “Dream On” by Aerosmith
Lyric Sample: “Half my life’s in books’ written pages. Live and learn from fools and from sages. You know it’s true. All the things come back to you.”
Emily’s Honorable Mention: “Dead and Gone” by T.I. (Because Emily roots for the reformed little gangsters….)
Lyric Sample: “Time to think before I make mistakes just for my family’s sake. That part of me left yesterday. The heart of me is strong today. No regrets, I’m blessed to say, the old me, dead and gone away.”

Best Break-Up Song: “You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morissette
Lyric Sample: “And every time I run my nails down someone else’s back, I hope you feel it.”
Lauren’s Honorable Mention: “Untouchable Face” by Ani DiFranco
Lyric Sample: “Think I’m going for a walk now. I feel a little unsteady. Don’t want nobody to follow me...except maybe you. I could make you happy if you weren’t already. I could a lot of things and I do.”
Emily’s Honorable Mention: “Single Ladies” by Beyonce
Lyric Sample: “If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it…” Overplayed, but right on.

Best Change of Life Song: “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac
Lyric Sample: “Well, I’ve been afraid of changing cause I’ve built my life around you. But time makes you bolder, even children get older, and I’m getting older too.”
Lauren’s Honorable Mention: “Good Riddance” by Green Day (So cliché but I couldn’t help myself).
Lyric Sample: “Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road. Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go. So make the best of this test, and don’t ask why. It’s not a question but a lesson learned in time.”
Emily’s Honorable Mention: “Tapestry” by Carol King
Lyric Sample: “My life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hues, an everlasting vision of the ever-changing view.”

Best “I Still Love You” Song: “Silver Springs” by Fleetwood Mac
Lyric Sample: “I’ll follow you down till the sound of my voice will haunt you. You’ll never get away from the sound of the woman that loves you.”
Lauren’s Honorable Mention: “Stay” by Lisa Loeb & the Nine Stories
Lyric Sample: “You said that I was naïve. I thought that I was strong. I thought, ‘Hey, I can leave, I can leave,” but now I know that I was wrong cause I missed you.”
Emily’s Honorable Mention: “Split Screen Sadness” by John Mayer
Lyric Sample: “I know it was me who called it over, but I still wish you’d fought me ‘til your dying day. Don’t let me get away.”

Best Moody Broody Song: “Come Pick Me Up” by Ryan Adams
Lyric Sample: “I wish you’d make up my bed so I could make up my mind. Try it for sleeping instead. Maybe you’ll rest sometime. I wish I could.”
Lauren’s Honorable Mention: “Harder Now That It’s Over” by Ryan Adams
Lyric Sample: “It’s harder now that it’s over now that the cuffs are off. And you’re free. You’re free with a history.”
Emily’s Honorable Mention: “Fix You” by Coldplay
Lyric Sample: “When you try your best but you don’t succeed, when you get what you want but not what you need.”

Best Female Empowerment Song: “Like a Prayer” by Madonna (Only the Kappa ladies will understand….)
Lyric Sample: “Life is a mystery. Everyone must stand alone. I hear you call my name and it feels like home.”
Lauren’s Honorable Mention: “Strong Enough” by Sheryl Crow
Lyric Sample: “I have a face I cannot show. I make the rules up as I go. So try and love me, if you can. Are you strong enough to be my man?”
Emily’s Honorable Mention: “Overprotected” by Britney Spears (Emily’s 10th grade anthem)
Lyric Sample: “Say hello to the girl that I am! You’re gonna have to see through my perspective. I need to make mistakes just to learn who I am, and I don’t wanna be so damn protected.”

Best Song with Family Significance: “Brown-Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison (Our Mom’s Song)
Lyric Sample: “Our hearts a thumpin’ and you, my brown-eyed girl. You, my brown-eyed girl.” Lauren’s Honorable Mention: “Knocks Me Off by Feet” by Stevie Wonder (Dad’s song to Mom)
Lyric Sample: “I don’t want to bore you with my trouble, but there’s something about your love that makes me weak and knocks me off my feet.”
Emily’s Honorable Mention: “Carolina on my Mind” by James Taylor (The song Dad played when he taught Emily to drive)
Lyric Sample: “In my mind I’m going to Carolina, can’t you feel the sunshine? Can’t you just feel the moonshine?”

Best Romantic Song: The Lester girls are not romantic. We tend to expect the boys to come up with something spectacular here. Yes, we have high expectations, and we are quite spoiled. We refuse to apologize for this, but nonetheless, we have nothing really to contribute for this category. We just weren’t wired to be sappy, overly girly females. See Female Empowerment Category.
Lauren’s Honorable Mention: “The Luckiest” by Ben Folds (This is Joshua’s favorite and he is the more romantic of the Allison pair!)
Lyric Sample: “And where was I before the day that I first saw your lovely face? Now I see it everyday, and I know that I am, I am, I am the luckliest.”
Emily’s Honorable Mention: “At Last” by Billie Holiday
Lyric Sample: “At last my love has come along, my lonely days are over and life is like a song.”

Best Romancin’ Song: “Sun Comes Up” by John Legend
Lyric Sample: “Wait a minute, baby, I’m not through. I intend to spend more than one night with you. A love affair that never ends, like the old song says, ‘let’s do it again.’ ”
Lauren’s Honorable Mention: “I’m on Fire” by Bruce Springsteen
Lyric Sample: “At night, I wake up with the sheets soaking wet and a freight train running through the middle of my head. Only you can cool my desire. Oh, oh, oh, I’m on fire.”
Emily’s Honorable Mention: “Like a Virgin” by Madonna (because everything I picked for this category, Lauren laughed at)
Lauren’s Commentary Re: Emily's Honorable Mention: Pick something that isn’t the sexual equivalent of Elton John music, and I won’t laugh at you. Your lack of smoothness makes this song your perfect choice! I love my sweet little sister!
Lyric Sample: “I made it through the wilderness, somehow I made it through, didn’t know how lost I was until I found you.”

Best Summertime Song: “Free Fallin’” by Tom Petty
Lyric Sample: “I want to glide down over Mulholland. I want to write her name in the sky. I’m going to free fall out into nothing. Going to leave this world for a while.”
Lauren’s Honorable Mention: “Jack & Diane” by John Mellencamp
Lyric Sample: “Let it rock. Let it roll. Let the Bible Belt come and save my soul. Hold on to sixteen as long as you can. Changes come around real soon make us women and men.”
Emily’s Honorable Mention: “Summer of ‘69” by Bryan Adams
Lyric Sample: “Oh when I look back now, that summer seemed to last forever. And if I had the choice, yeah, I’d always want to be there. Those were the best days of my life.”

We welcome comments and suggestions! We would, however, like to point out the following: Is there a category that couldn’t be settled by simply nominating “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey? We didn’t think so…..