A Sound Track for My Life

At the garage sale I had recently, I put out all our old tapes for free, and was quite surprised when someone took MC Hammer and several other tapes best forgotten about, and never admitted to.

So here is my challenge: Pick 10 songs that I would put on a mix tape for a soundtrack of my life (so far). Here is what I finally chose:

1. A World Of Our Own – the Seekers. One of my earliest memories is listening to mix tapes of my parents in the car when we drove to Newcastle to visit our grandparents. They were big Seekers fans. I was always a little confused by the words – how do you build a world?

2. Girls Just Want To Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper. In 4th class I saw the movie ‘Girls just want to have fun’ starring a young Helen Hunt and Sarah Jessica Parker with some friends at a sleep over. I knew that when I was in High School I wanted to be just like those girls… I was going to have fun too!

3. You’re The Voice – John Farnham. I can still remember lying in bed listening to John Farnham live at Expo88. I taped it off the radio and listened to it constantly for the next few years. My poor sister probably hated it because we shared a bedroom. I have introduced Hannah and Meg to John Farnham recently and they like him too!

4. Surfin’ USA – The Beach Boys. Again this was one off my parents mix tapes. It reminds me of long, hot summers, jumping on the trampoline with the boy who lived next door.

5. Every Step You Take – The Police. The first tape I ever bought was The Best of The Police. I got it the same year I got my “Ghetto Blaster’ with 2 tape decks. At last I could make my own mix tapes. Unfortunately, I didn’t realise that the lyrics were about a stalker.

6. To Her Door – Paul Kelly. I just always loved this song. I can’t explain why but it reminds me of when I was in university. I used to listen to Paul Kelly when I was writing essays, and studying for exams.

7. All I Need Is You – Ella Fitzgerald. Our bridal waltz. Both the Country Boy and I love old Jazz and swing music. The words say it all…. I don’t need anything, all I need is you!

8. Beautiful Day – U2. In 2001 we spent 12 months working in England and backpacking Europe. Where ever we went that summer, U2’s Beautiful Day was playing, and it seemed so pertinent. We were young, we were embarking on a once in a lifetime experience, we didn’t want to let it get away. It became a bit of an anthem for our adventures.

9. The Special Two – Missy Higgins. I was given Missy Higgins’ album for Christmas just after Hannah was born. In the hormonal fug that followed a traumatic birth and stressful couple of weeks of poor feeding and postpartum infections, I listened to The Special Two and it used to make me cry every time. I wasn’t even listening to the words (which really had nothing to do with my situation). Now I still love listening to Missy Higgins and remembering those special, if stressful, weeks when the Country Boy and Hannah were my ‘special two’. Pathetic, I know!

10. Press on Mums – Colin Buchanan. I first heard this song soon after Meg was born. I love that it encourages me to keep on going when times are tough. When the kids are trying my patience, or I have been woken up for the 5th time in the night (which really doesn’t happen that often), I remember the words “when all your earthly energy is gone, look towards your Jesus and press on” and I keep on going. Colin is the one children’s performer I don’t mind listening to!

11. Best Day – Taylor Swift. As I have wrote yesterday, this is a current favourite. It reminds me that the time we have with young kids is fleeting. They are growing up so quickly, and I want to do what ever I can to give them a solid, loving family background like Taylor Swift sings about. I want them to have lots of “best days”. All 5 of us love to daggy dance to Taylor Swift.