i draw the line at led zeppelin (and billy joel and ... and ...)

We listen to the radio a lot in the car when we're out and about. I get sick of all the Kelly Clarkson/Taylor Swift/Katy Perry stuff on the pop station that my daughter likes, so we frequently switch to the oldies station — my mom, who has dementia, actually perks up and recognizes all of her favorite artists from times past, like the Bee Gees, Bruce Springsteen, Beach Boys, and the Eagles.

My mom had a mega-crush on Barry Gibb — probably still does

My mom was always a big fan of rock music, so our spins on the dial can land on either a pop or rock station. I don't mind hearing the Eagles and even the Bee Gees (although they rarely play the great, early songs), but I have to admit that lately I have been drawing the line at Led Zeppelin and changing the station when they come up. I'm not sure why their music sounds to me not just nostalgic, like the others, but out of date. Maybe it's Robert Plant's voice? I know for rock 'n roll aficionados, to criticize Zeppelin is probably as unpopular or unbelievable a statement to make as, "I hate chocolate," but there it is. I just don't have the patience while driving to sit through "Stairway to Heaven" for the umpteenth time. Ditto "The Wall" by Pink Floyd.

Yes, they are one of rock's great bands. No, I don't want to listen to them.

My mom never seems to mind if I skip Zeppelin or Pink Floyd. She's always been more of a Beatles/Rolling Stones fan anyway. I have found that I actually enjoy hearing the Stones more these days than when my mom played their music when I was a kid. Other no-gos: I don't want to hear Eric Clapton either. Or Elton John or Billy Joel if I can help it. So sue me.  I'm not always so successful with the latter two artists, as my mom really likes Elton John. "Crocodile Rock." Ouch.

We saw Elton at Madison Square Garden together many years ago. He was great. I just wish our local station would play some different songs by him. They seem caught in a "Crocodile Rock" and "Levon" programming loop.

Of course these days I'm as likely to hear music from my youth on an oldies station as from my mom's era. Time flies. Sigh. Music of the '80s and '90s are in as heavy rotation as "Moving Out" and “How Deep Is Your Love.” To be fair, there are artists from my oldies era that I will also skip if I can. Cyndi Lauper. Her songs are well-written, and I'd like to see Kinky Boots. It's just her voice that grates me. The Eurythmics. I know. Annie Lennox is great, but I don't want to hear "Here Comes the Rain Again." Ever.

Are there any songs or artists from bygone days that I am surprised that I am happy to hear? Michael Jackson comes to mind. Maybe it's because our station plays songs like "Man in the Mirror" and "Off the Wall" versus "Bad." But his music is always upbeat. K.C. and the Sunshine Band is also guilty pleasure fun. I have to admit that sometimes it feels a bit like I'm driving around in a time capsule. Will I ever get to hear contemporary music again — that isn't the kid's bubblegum pop? Suggestions welcome.

rockin' to the oldies

I used to work at a design firm/service bureau where the radio provided background noise all day. After a while the radio soundtrack doesn't just become he day's soundtrack, it begins to infiltrate your consciousness. As people would walk through the central work area they might start humming whatever tune was currently playing. They couldn't help it.

Soon different factions formed, one that wanted pop hits, one rock, one hip hop, and of course, the fabulous hits of yesteryear. I soon became known as "the person most likely to turn off the oldies station." In fact I actually won a little "statuette" at a company party to commemorate the fact. Yet here I am, in the car, listening to The Four Seasons.

Vintage Advertisement 1940s Car Stereo, from Christian Montone, Flickr

Living in southern Florida, there are a ton of radio stations that play some mix of older tunes, as there are a lot of older folks who want to hear the music of their youth. There's the real oldies — '50s and '60s hits, stations that feature a "mix of yesterday and today," and even one that plays tunes from my misspent youth every weekend — "totally '80s."

I find myself flipping back and forth between contemporary and the mix of '70s, '80s, and '90s music most of the time. I still tend to avoid any station that would play "Leader of the Pack" and its ilk. But it is nice to hear my mom, who has dementia, humming along to something, recognizing some of her old favorites, like the Bee Gees, the Eagles, and the Steve Miller Band. It's also funny to hear my daughter singing along to Pat Benatar and Journey as well as Ceel Lo from the back seat. She may be the only 8 year-old around who loves Justin Bieber and K. C. And the Sunshine Band. Music helps time become more fluid.

forever eighties

Between the radio station that plays eighties music on the weekends (and the weekend starts on Friday) and some fun nostalgic photo tagging going on with friends on facebook (as opposed to facebook friends), I have had a variety of songs and images from that era in my head lately ... so why shouldn't you, too?


Situation ...


In the 80s even the cats were cool ...


Sowing the seeds of love ...


... and life was an endless party.

fa la la la la, la la la la

Tis the season for holiday music, or I should say, the local station that plays holiday music nonstop. Before you sigh or cringe, remember I'm the mother of an almost six year old and this station is actually occasionally a bright spot in what has been a dark few months.

I'm no fan of the "sappier" holiday songs—take Josh Groban and Celine Dion (they are interchangeable to me), please. What has been the most fun thing about the station this year is how my daughter is listening to the music. Last year whenever Frosty the Snowman or Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer or the Sleighbell Song would play she would get excited and bop along to the music. This year she is singing along, in key, and she knows almost all the words. She gets excited if I tell her that Elvis is singing (bless her!).

I couldn't have been prouder the other day when she launched independently into my preferred version of Jingle Bells from my childhood:

Jingle Bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg
Batmobile lost a wheel and Joker got away!

(alternate verse: and Commissioner broke his leg!)

Fa la la la la, la la la la

la, la, la, yikes

What is it with the music industry and duets? Why do they keep foisting unlikely pairings on innocent ears? The local radio station that I listen to recently changed its format from a fun eclectic mix to classic rock, so I have been switching over to the pop/rock station when the umpteenth Zeppelin song is played during my morning commute. I know, I know, I could bring CDs or plug in the iPhone, but sometimes it's fun to hear something different, that I would never play. But not this morning.

My ears were assailed by this chestnut from Cher and Peter Cetera. It got me thinking about duets. How can some be so right and some be just so wrong? Cher should know how to sing a duet. I Got You Babe is a classic, I guess (and will probably turn up in rotation in that new station format - yikes.)

What about some other good cop bad/cop situations? Stevie Nicks is a good (and bad) example. Her work with Tom Petty on Stop Draggin' My Heart Around is great and even Whenever I Call You Friend can be a fun radio song. But Leather and Lace with Don Henley - not so much. Stevie seems to be having a bit of a renaissance lately, with rumors of Fleetwood Mac touring next year, and the internet passings around of footage of a recent performance. But when I think of Stevie (apart from her famous collaboration and relationship with Lindsay Buckingham) School of Rock's Joan Cusack being summoned by Jack Black to dance to Edge of Seventeen on the jukebox also comes to mind...

You too, can learn to love country music

When I'm feeling low or lonely, every song on the radio, from the most trite to the most poetic, seems written expressly for me. For the first time in my life, I can not only stand country music, I can understand it.

O.K., so I still flip right past that station looking for rock, but you get my point.