Before you judge me for owning an Ally McBeal CD or a Christmas CD, or an Ally McBeal Christmas CD, let me as you this: have you ever heard Robert Downey Jr sing? When he was on Ally, my friend Kristen and I became obsessed with him. We'd have weekend film fests where we'd watch as many 80's RDJ films that we possibly could. When RDJ left Ally I was crushed for weeks. "River" and "Chances Are" were on repeat for at least two weeks while I nursed my broken heart.
My first TV heartbreak.
When I was 16, my mom and then step dad separated. It was something I took really hard. He was my best friend, my dad, my rock. When he left, I turned to music to help me get through it. Most mornings at the bus stop I'd play "Wish you Were Here" by Incubus, the entire "Wonder What's Next Album" by Chevelle, and Default.
Listening to these songs now still takes me back to those moments.
My senior year in high school I worked at Hot Topic. It all started out as a joke, my friend Lola and I were walking around the mall on my birthday and we were joking that it would be funny for me, in my pink Gap shirt, to apply for a job there. I ended up getting the job and loving every minute of it. Even if I wasn't the typical "Hot Topic" shopper, I still felt like I belonged.
My first month there I was named employee of the month. Normally, EOTM would choose three albums to play throughout the month, but my manager chose my three albums for me citing my "newness" and not having the time to get my choices from me. Secretly I think he feared I'd ask for Britney Spears or something. Anyway, on of my co-workers named Kurt, who had dreadlocks I was fascinated with, gave me this CD to "borrow" so I could acclimate myself to the music that typically played in our store. I loved this CD and it broadened my horizons to other bands I would have never paid attention to like Finch and Chevelle.
I obviously never gave this CD back to Kurt, which I kinda feel bad about. However, if it's any consolation I think about him whenever I play it.
I heard about The Wreckers through One Tree Hill and I loved this CD when it first came out, no scratch that, I still love this CD. It's a shame that the girls only made this one record because it is so damn good.
There is this one song I used to listen to over and over again, "Cigarettes". The lyrics just resonated with me because the chorus sings " 'cause someday maybe somebody will love me like I need and someday I won't have to prove 'cause someday somebody will see all my worth". I was in a really terrible relationship at the time and I just longed for the day that I would be with somebody who would be good to me. Lucky for me, Dave is all that and more. Now, instead of crying when I hear that song, I smile and think about how far I've come since I first got this CD.
What are some songs or CD's from your past that mean something to you?