This song is not my favorite song. The Carpenters are a talented group, but they are not are not even close to being my favorite group. This song is on my list for a very strange reason: every time I go into the basement in my mother's house where the washer, dryer, and laundry tub are positioned, this song starts playing in my head. I have no idea why. I cannot control it. I cannot stop it. By some strange freak of nature, I find myself humming or singing the refrain of this song. It started when I was in seventh-grade, and it continues even to this day. I have not once gone down there and not have that song start playing in my head. I have even intentionally tried to sing a different song in my head before going down the stairs, but it doesn't work. This song starts playing! In recent years, when I had forgotten about this song playing in my head, any time I went down to the basement, this song comes into my head again. This is such a peculiar thing!
#9 "Beautiful Savior"
My dad when he was healthy.
This hymn is significant in my life because it was my father's favorite song. Since my father died when I was two months old, I do not know much about him. I do not know his favorite color, his favorite food, his favorite hobby, or his favorite sports team. I do know these things: I know that he liked to tell jokes; he liked to tease my mother (in a loving way), and I know his favorite song was the hymn "Beautiful Savior". I love this song because it reveals to me a bit of my father's heart. He went through a lot; he made a lot of bad choices, but in the end, he turned his life around and impacted a lot of people in a great way. I wish he had lived long enough so that I could have gotten to know him, but that was not meant to be. When I listen to this song, I feel connection to my father. This video is a contemporary rendition of the old hymn, and I think that, if my dad were alive today, then he would like it!
This is the only picture I have with my dad.
#8 Tie between Play Deep by The Outfield and Tender Lover by Babyface
Play Deep by The Outfield makes me want to blast loud music and sing at the top of my voice. It was a great outlet for stress when I was in college. I would leave class, head back to my dorm room, hit the play button on my tape player, and blast this album. I knew the whole album by heart and sang each word. Even today when I hear one of the songs, I have the impulse to turn up the volume and sing.
My Dorm building. My room was the center room on the top floor on the left.
Tender Lover by Babyface is another album that I would listen to over and over. My memories of this are actually back at my mom's house. I listened to this over and over the summer after my junior year of college. The songs on this album always take me back to the hot summer of my youth. To this day, when I hear one of the songs on that album I sing every word. I have posted a link to the video for the song "Sunshine" from the album. This was one of my favorites, although I loved the whole album!
#7 "Sign Your Name Across My Heart" by Terence Trent D'arby
He had one of these air fresheners.
This song is one of those songs that can instantly transport me back in time. Whenever I hear this song, I am taken back to the summer between my sophomore and junior year in college when I realized that I was in love with a young man, and he felt the same about me. We were in his car, which was spotlessly clean and smelled fresh from the air freshener. We were sitting at a stop light, and this song came on the radio. He reached for my hand and I looked up and into his deep brown eyes and our feelings were so palpable. My stomach muscles tightened and I felt a thrill as though I were falling down a steep roller coaster. Needless to say, I did not marry this young man, but our romance lasted for almost two years. This song never fails to transport me back to that sweet moment in time when the world was innocent and full of possibility, and I thought I had found my soulmate.
#6 Diamond Life by Sade
I can not pick one song from this album; the whole thing is flawless. This is another album that I would play incessantly while I was in college. Sade's voice is so smooth and elegant. She is glamorous and sophisticated, and her voice is incomparable. It was a great album to block out distracting noises and help me relax and study. I still enjoy listening to this album and her other albums as I work.
#5 "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong
Who doesn't like this song? It is one of those songs that seems to right the wrongs of the world and remind us that life is short, so we should enjoy it! I don't have a specific memory associated with this song; I just love it. It always makes me happy and grateful to be alive.
#4 "Rushing Wind" from Keith Green
.Keith Green is one of my all-time favorite musicians. He sings and plays the piano with passion that is almost palpable. I love all of his songs, but this song touches my soul deeply. I cannot listen to it without being moved spiritually. Keith Green died very young; indeed, I did not start listening to his music until after he died. That said, his short life had a huge impact, and his music will continue to impact the lives of people who hear it.
#3 "Isn't She Lovely" by Stevie Wonder
My tiny baby was only 4 pounds when she came home.
No list of music could be complete without Stevie Wonder. "Isn't She Lovely" holds a special place in my heart because one of my colleagues played it for my first daughter's baby shower. My first daughter was born prematurely, and I was not prepared for her arrival. My colleagues at my school threw me a baby shower to help me get some of the things that I needed for her. My daughter was so tiny; her arms and legs were so thin, that I would try to hide them when I took her out. In my eyes, she was beautiful, and when my colleague played this song at the start of the shower, my heart was filled gratitude for my wonderful colleagues who embraced us both with their love. It was the best baby shower!
#2 "(I've Been) Searchin' So Long" by Chicago
When my husband and I first met, and were getting to know each other, we listened to a lot of Chicago. The songs are happy, full of hope and full of love, which completely reflects how we feel about each other. We met each other later in life, and we had both given up on the possibility of love and happiness that comes with it. Meeting someone who complements you and completes you so perfectly was unexpected and wonderful. This particular song reflects how much both of our lives were transformed by our relationship.
#1 Tie between "Come Fly With Me" and "The Best is Yet to Come" by Frank Sinatra
"Come Fly With Me" is the theme song for myself and my husband. It makes me happy and it makes me think of my unexpectedly joyful romance with my husband. Ironically, my husband travels for his job, so he is a frequent flyer. Because we are inseparable, he tries to get me to travel with him whenever my schedule allows it. So, not only has he figuratively invited me to travel through life with him, but he has also literally invited me to fly with him.
My husband and I dancing.
Even though "Come Fly With Me" is our song, my husband and I selected "The Best is Yet to Come" for our official wedding dance. We took dance lessons, and our dance teacher recommended we do a Foxtrot. "Come Fly With Me" had the wrong tempo, but "The Best is Yet to Come" was perfect, so we danced to that song at our wedding. My gown got in the way of some of our fancy moves, but we pulled it off and made a great memory!
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