We Be Jammin'

I enjoy a fairly wide variety of music. I cut my teeth on classical music - symphonies, chamber music, and the like. I listened to Big-Band with my grandfather and loved it. I wore out Mum's Carpenters, Fleetwood Mac, The Who, Queen, and Beatles records, among others. We had the entire score of Star Wars on vinyl, and I loved to play that and Holst's The Planets back to back and compare them. I would sing my way through a day, other people's songs and songs I made up on the spot.

My entire day is set to music...the score runs through my head and sometimes erupts from me in fits and starts, snatches of song rolling through the house and bouncing from the walls and windows.

It would seem the Evil Genius has inherited my predilection for song. He loves to sing along with the radio, with my band when we perform, and in his room when he's plying he'll sing a mish-mosh of songs we've heard on the radio, movie music (he knows Darth Vader's music, for cryin' out loud), and tunes from the video games he's played (I know, I know). I love listening to him, especially when he doesn't know I'm listening.

Last night, we were driving to a friend's house, listening to a playlist I threw together on the iPod. Several songs came up that the boy knows, some better than others, and we sang along with gusto. I love looking into the rear-view mirror and seeing his head tilted back, hearing him belt out the big notes (sometimes a little off-key)(OK, most of the time a little off-key), grinning and bopping his little head to the beat.

We started with:

(From the movie Toys, and for some reason this is one of Bird's favorite songs from the CD. It's a little scary, how well he knows it)

Followed by:

(lately, this song has been on my mind - sometimes I am tempted to throw the kid, some clothes, and a case of water into the van and hit the road. I could make it to where I want to be in 14 hours if we don't stop...if we drove all night...)(yeah, SO not going to happen, though...this house won't clean itself, and in the battle of head versus heart...head is holding sway...for now...)(Oh, and Cyndi? When I grow up, I want to hit the big notes like you...woof, what an amazing, powerful talent! I could be Cyndi Lauper's and Annie Lennox's love child...)(I could also be tired to the point of ridiculous, right now)(But who wouldn't want to have talent like those two??)

And then this:

(Yes, I know it's a travesty...but it's also my favorite rendition of the song. I first heard it on Red, Hot, and Blue)

There were more, but I figure it'd be nice if it took less than an hour to load this page...so I'll spare you. What have you been listening to, lately?