Tuesday, November 20, 2012

music past




In the absence of a decent stereo right now I'm listening to music in the kitchen on the computer. If I'm happy music will be on often.  If I'm not then it isn't. That's the thing about music isn't it? It can be a huge indicator into how you're feeling. I have my own favourite happy, uplifting music (artists such as Pink, Fleetwood Mac, Madonna, Jack Johnson, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and dare I say it, Britney - most effective for getting ready to go out or to get that cleaning done), angry music (Tool) and that blur in between of mood evoking music (James Blunt, Neil Young, Pete Murray, The Eagles or old time crooners).

I don't know if I ever could have been musical. I have an average voice, that made the school choir, but seems to irritate my kids when I sing. I played the recorder in school, learnt a few simple songs on the piano at a rental we lived in once and knew a tune or two on the guitar. My parents income didn't stretch enough for music lessons. But they did instill in me the love of music. Supertramp, The Beach Boys, America, John Denver, James Taylor, Dire Straits, Crosby Stills Nash and Young or Tears for Fears will immediately transport me back to my childhood. A time when the record or tape player was almost always on. Happy memories. It is the music I listen to now when I need the reassurance of something familiar.

During the era of Roxette and a little later, my brother and I would set the alarm early on a Saturday morning to watch Rage's Top 40. It was the golden era of Rage, in my opinion, and I don't think you could let your young kids do that these days.

Which makes me wonder. Where does our musical taste come from? Is it nature or nurture that shapes our taste? Funnily enough I can listen to the same music from my teen years that I patiently waited to record off the radio, and still like it. Clothing tastes might change and friendhips fade away, but I still love those particular 90's hits.

When I met Daniel music was always in the background. Usually blaring loudly from the stereo of his shiny ute. Our tastes were fairly similar, as I'm sure many couples are and we shared a love of Nirvana, Marcy Playground, Offspring and the Wedding Singer soundtrack.  I wonder how many other couples have tested their compatibility while comparing music tastes? Could it in an unspoken way represent similar tastes and shared values in life?

I hope one gift I can pass onto my kids is the love of music. We listen to a broad range of music here, mostly older stuff, but some new, depending on the mood. So while their current favourite may be Gangnam Style, Julia's preferred genre is kid's christmas music, and Violet loves to dance to anything with a strong beat, it does makes me smile that their own personal tastes are emerging. In future years they may choose to learn an instrument or dancing, or just enjoy music for it's own sake.

If the music we listen to is the soundtrack of our lives, as they say, then it is us as parents that are hitting the play button on the music that will be our children's. For their generation will have it's own music, but it is likely that the music we listen to now, will in some way influence them for the rest of their lives and in turn shape their own individual love of music in the years to come.


 So tell me, what is your music past?
Do you still listen to the music from your chilhood? Teenage years?
Who are you listening to now?

17 comments:

  1. My past is similar to yours but I would add Michael Jackson, Elton John, and Phil Collins. I used to listen to music all the time, as a young woman. I now live with a family of 4 musicians now, (3 songwriters) and I am the only one who doesn't play instruments. So I listen to them all!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lucky you Theresa to be among such musical talent! I also have cd's of those 3 you mentioned. Quite similar indeed :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. i am someone who adores music, without any natural talent for it (poor family's ears). although i'm pretty sure i can still remember how to play 'Six Ribbons' on the recorder. My mum plays piano beautifully, one day she sold hers. Now I have one from an op shop that my father in law refurbished for me. I am trying to teach myself! I will listen to anything from Frank Sinatra (thanks Nanna) to Jimi Hendrix (ta, mum). At the moment I have Sarah Humphries newie on repeat, it's beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think we must come from similar eras because I would always sit down to enjoy Rage in the mornings and the nights would keep me busy waiting for my favourite song so I could hit the record button. I created a lot of compilation tapes when I was in my teen years. In our house there was always music being played in the house and in the car. When I hear certain songs I will remember times when I heard the same song and then love to share the stories with the girls. I think I love my 80's music most, maybe because it was something my Mum played often along with the Beach Boys. As for music talent I haven't come from a family of instrument players but Miss 13 used to play the flute sadly she gave that up, perhaps Miss 8 will take it up:) x

    ReplyDelete
  5. Both Anthony and I come from musically inclined families though you wouldn't think so to look at us..in my defence, I too played the recorder at school and learnt a bit of the piano and guitar but never pursued it further. Music was a huge part of my childhood and it likewise is a huge part of our children's. Thankfully the musical talent has struck our kids with our two oldest playing the guitar and our daughter having a beautiful voice, not sure whether the younger two will follow suit but Kaizer absolutely loves music of any kind.

    As for genre, I'll listen to anything depending on my mood.

    x

    ReplyDelete
  6. My parents were brought up in a religion that didn't let them listen to the radio or any music other than hymns (on my dad's side it even had to be acapella!) so neither of them knew their generation's songs. Perhaps to make up for it they let all us kids learn instruments. I learned classical violin and piano so the soundtrack to my childhood was church music and classical music. In my teenage years I borrowed CD's from the library and devoured them- Smashing Pumpkings, Jebediah, Radiohead. I'm now a violin and piano teacher and enjoy nearly all music!

    ReplyDelete
  7. mmmm, so I went to see Duran Duran this year, and Spandau Ballet' lovely Tony Hadley last year, and Spandau Ballet the year before?...Tears for Fears and Go West...I even made it finally to see Human League when I was 33.....you see, I am an 80's child...brought up on Madonna and Countdown...and of course Culture Club...so any time I am home alone, out comes Kids in the Kitchen, Simple Minds, and all the favourites from that time..and yes, I do know most of the words still...
    Music takes you back, to a place, a time, a certain song playing can make me remember lots of things...its kind of magic really.

    ReplyDelete
  8. What an interesting post. Stu and I have such different taste in music but that's because he's a good 8 years older than me and also because he grew up in Australia and me in Singapore. I spent my teenage years listening to MJ. Oh how I love his music! I still do now.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I think listening to music from your past is a great way of getting back in touch with the person you once were and reconnecting with the passion and intense feelings of youth. My parents weren't really into music but my older brother was and gave me a lifelong love for Bob Dylan, The Beatles and Talking Heads. I rediscovered music big time in my thirties and started going to see more live music with my husbad. Now my seventeen year old son has the same passion for music as his uncle and funnily likes some of the favourites from my youth: The Smiths, Bob Dylan, Joy Division... So a passion for music is both nature and music - letting your children listen to a variety of music is important. I enjoyed reading your post xo

    ReplyDelete
  10. I was reared on Slim Dusty, cant get more Australian than that! I was a teenager in the 70's and my favourite band was Sherbet with Daryl Braithwaite. My kids have been brought up with a big mix of country, 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's music. Today I listen to mainly the 70's. We have bought ourselves a turntable and stereo and been given a heap of LP's from over the years...brilliant!

    Great post Tania!

    xx

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Tania, Music is a facinating thing isn't it, I'm a bit older than you, in my (very) late 40's but love old and new, the funny thing is my teenagers listen to new and old too. My sons favorties are all 80's music! xxBrenda

    ReplyDelete
  12. I heard once someone say its the music you listened to when you were age 16 that is your favourite for life, something to do with that being the age of discovering your own individual identity. My kids watched in fascination the other day as I cut some moves in the kitchen to Midnight Oil on the radio :) I have memories of taping music off Countdown onto my cassette player, and video tapes of rage too.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I think we are from similar eras with similar tastes too. But I love a whole range of music and listen to different things depending on the mood. I love to sing but have a shocking voice which is sad because my Dad was in the Sydney choir and sang for the Queen as a youngster. I'm married to a Pianist so music is pretty big in the household and he's teaching the kids to play Piano even though they prefer to dance gangnam style at the moment :-)

    Mel x

    ps I've been having a lovely read through your archives and noticed you are from Wollongong - me too originally. We spent weekends on a farm in Braidwood and the scenery around your neck of the woods looks very similar to that part of the world too?

    ReplyDelete
  14. I grew up with my parents listening to Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Cat Stevens, James Taylor and I have to say that even though I personally loved John Farnham {oh yessy I did;} and Aussie Crawl and The Bangles and all of those 80's wonders (??) I still go for the music my parents loved. I still listen to them all today and most of the newer music I like has tones of that era and style like Mumford and Sons and Natalie Merchant and Ben Harper. I love chatting about music from childhood. So nostalgic and brings back really cosy memories for me. Thanks for bringing it up, Tania:) xx

    ReplyDelete
  15. ANYTHING by the BEE GEES! If I'm cleaning house then PRINCE is my partner... nothing motivates me more. If I'm feeling "Blue" then it's Tracey Chapman or Joss Stone. Anything from the 60's, 70's or 80's RULES!

    ReplyDelete
  16. how beautiful Tan! I love "if music is the soundtrack to our lives" quote....I'll have to remember that one! Music is a HUGE influence in our lives. We don't do television at all during the day, so the radio is on most days. Since getting a new radio, I get the new digital channels, and I found a great 80's station that just plays all the classics from the 80's...it's great. But like you I have eclectic tastes and will sway from ADELE to ABBA from Bon Jovi and Jonny Cash... My kids love music too, and would much prefer to listen to music, play music and dance around and sing than other forms of entertainment. There is nothing quite like belting out a good tune to life the spirits! Happy days to you Tania xx

    ReplyDelete
  17. Rage on a weekend morning was a tradition for me too and I noticed in Catherine's comment above she talked about making mix tapes which is something I remember doing too :) I like having a bit of music on here for background noise - I don't have one particular genre I prefer though, I listen to a bit of everything. My Dad was a big music lover - he could name every artist and band and their songs from the 60's and 70's easily and had a HUGE record collection which my sister has now inherited (being the muso in our family) so I have fond memories of music he would play too. Great post Tania :)

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for leaving a comment. If you have any questions please check back later as I will do my best to answer any within the comments section.