Wednesday 13 January 2010

Stories and Songs Meme

I absolutely love hearing the stories behind the songs that people love; the places it reminds them of, that moment in time that that song will forever bring to life for them. Obviously I have more than a mild obsession with Desert Island Discs and the Inheritance Tracks that they do on Saturday mornings on Radio 4 but I also harbour a secret dream that for my 40th birthday (years to go, people, note the plural) my Mum and Dad will do their own Desert Island Discs for me. I long to hear of the songs that they love, why they love them and what they remind them of and to have those moments bought to life for me.

Anyway, here I am in a blogging blah and needing inspiration. So I thought I'd start a meme. If Tara can goes the reasoning... What I'm after is a song that reminds you of something, that has a story for you. Not necessarily your favourite song or a even a song that you love, but a song that instantly takes you back to that time and place.

To start the ball rolling, I'll show you what I mean:

The year: 2004.

Dave and I were moving back to England from Bosnia, driving back across Europe with our worldly belongings stuffed into the back of our little Renault Clio (this being the pre children era we could get away with a small car). It was April, but still cold. We'd been camping all the way along the coast of Croatia, and had been rained on constantly. The previous night in a campsite across the water from Korcula, we'd put the tent up in a howling gale and Dave had insisted upon cooking dinner on the campstove. I'd been up for a local pizza, but camping mush it had been. The next morning everything was wet. Everything. Tent. Sleeping bags. clothes. The duvet was starting to smell damp and distinctly unpleasant and the car had that musty smell mixed with wet garlic and onions. It was cold. It was chucking it down with rain.

We packed up and set off on our drive in the pouring rain again. About 10.30 I ventured that I would quite like a coffee please. Dave, who well knows what happens if I don't get some caffeine early in the day, concurred and immediately turned the car right. I was impressed. The man obviously knew where a coffee place was. It wasn't looking promising, the Croatian inland was looking pretty bombed out and not like there would be a suitably marvellous coffee place, with sofas, fresh coffee, papers. You know the kind of place I was thinking of. But he had confidence so I believed.

Oh, foolish, foolish girl. We pulled over beside a wall on a very exposed hillside and Dave leapt out, lighting his trusty camping gas stove. The rain was sleeting down, the wind was howling, but that was not to deter him, out came the gas stove windbreak to ensure the flame didn't go out. The water duly boiled and a cup of instant coffee (with powdered milk for good measure) appeared just as a single lonely ray of sunshine hit the car. There was really only one song that could be the soundtrack for that moment and Dave started to sing it. Those of you who remember the Maxwell House Advert in the 1980s will not be surprised to know it was Johnny Nash's - I Can See Clearly Now The Rain Has Gone.





We sang it the whole of the rest of the way from Croatia to Calais. I had to laugh, there was no other option even being the coffee and cafe snob that I am. As Dave said, I do remember this rather disgusting coffee for far longer and with much more fondness than any other cappuccino in any other Croatian cafe.

I married the man for a reason. His addiction to the windbreak for his calor gas stove.


I know there are a few memes going around out there at the moment. But I'd love to read the other stories people have behind some of their favourite songs. Hopefully one or two of this lot, my very favourite bloggers, are not too memed out and have the inclination to take it on and then pass on to a couple of others.

Fanciful Alice
Insomoniac Mummy
Diapers and Dragons
A Modern Mother

Sticky Fingers
Nappy Valley Girl
Not Wrong Just Different

Some Mothers Do 'Ave Em
BabyRambles

Not Supermum
Paradise Lost in Translation
You've Got Your Hands Full
Home Mum of 2 (3 if you count their Dad!)
Perfectly Happy Mum
Motherhood - the Final Frontier
Is there a Plan B?
Moaning Mum
Angels & Urchins
The MadHouse

I keep thinking of more people to add but the list is getting out of control. If you fancy taking on the meme then consider yourself tagged! Just leave me a comment so I can come and read your post.

24 comments:

Linda said...

Sounds a fun one! Thanks for the tag.

Unknown said...

Brilliant story! No wonder you married him, impressive stuff. Thanks very much for the tag, can now have some fun thinking of my own x

Alice said...

hmmmmm, I love this :-) and especially as I now have the opportunity to just write a story and share some music... I will think on it and hope to post in the next week or so. Thanks for tagging me! x

Jo said...

Lovely story! Most of my favourite songs are connected to failed love affairs, so listening to them just makes me sad - not ideal...

Thanks to my mum though I will always have a soft spot for the songs from Neil Diamond's Jazz Singer :-)

Jen Walshaw said...

Oh how wonderful, songs evoke such memories

Perfectly Happy Mum said...

Great story and great meme! thank you so much for the tag, you know me and music, I pretty much have a song for every event of my life :) I have one that popped instantly to my mind so it will have to be this one. See you at my place to discover what it is ;)
Happy New Year by the way, hope that all is well with you Pxx

nappy valley girl said...

Excellent meme, thanks for the tag. Liked your story; I think I would have married him too.

Jean said...

Thanks for the tag, I'll have to give that some thought.

Dorset Dispatches said...

Linda - looking forward to hearing your song..

Emily - how could I fail but to be impressed? Looking forward to reading yours!

Alice - Yay! let me know when you've posted, I'll be straight over to have a read.

Jo - glad you like it. Consider yourself tagged too.... a story from of your Mum please!

MH - consider yourself tagged too. I might just pop over to yours right now to leave you a comment telling you so.

PHM - Looking forward to that. Fridays cheesey song?

NVG - i LOVED your story and song.

Claudia - so I have to pay to get advertising?

notSuperMum - hope you take it on.

Insomniac Mummy said...

What a great story. I love how music can take you back to a time and place instantly!

Thanks for the tga. Now which song/event to choose....

x

If I Could Escape . . . said...

Lovely story!

Music has always been such a big part of my life too so I love this meme. You never tagged me (waaaah), but I'm going to plan and give it a go next week if that's okay.

angelsandurchinsblog said...

Thanks for playing tag - I've got on the case. http://bit.ly/6Os9wi Have a great weekend.

angelsandurchinsblog said...

Thanks for playing tag - I've got on the case. http://bit.ly/6Os9wi Have a great weekend.

Tara@Sticky Fingers said...

Tis done x
http://stickyfingers1.blogspot.com/2010/01/child-of-80s.html

Harriet said...

Done! Thanks for the tag. Mine is more like songs and witterings than songs and a story, but still....

http://isthereaplanb.blogspot.com/2010/01/songs-and-stories-and-haiti.html

Teacher Mommy said...

I do intend to do this eventually. I really like it. I just haven't figured out which song to put on. I have SO MANY, but there are so many that I can't really post about because of...well, you know. All the drama.

So I will. I promise. Eventually.

Dorset Dispatches said...

THanks for taking on the meme people, I'm looking forward to reading all the posts!

TM - whenever you feel like it!

Karin @ Cafe Bebe said...

Hiya...
Long time knower-of you...first time commenter!

I swear I did not copy you but I started a Monday Music Memories on my site yesterday which failed miserably! Maybe you might like to MckLinky this post on my site if you get a chance. I don't have your traffic & yesterday was Bloggers for Haiti day so I think I've been lost in the shuffle. At any rate, brilliant idea this...feel free to MckLinky if you like.
:) Karin at Cafe Bebe

MissSearles said...

Such a brilliant Meme, has made me really happy :-D Thanks!

Brighton Mum-Teenage Angst said...

Lovely post! Very impressed by the 'coffee windbreak'! I love how music really is the background to all our lives, the highs & the lows. I got tagged by Babyrambles, and have just posted my meme.

Dorset Dispatches said...

Karin - Is it going to be a weekly thing? I've now got loads of songs that I want to write about. Plus everyone else is writing such lovely posts about such beautiful emotional times in their lives and all I can write about is the time I didn't get a nice cup of coffee.

MissSearles - glad you enjoyed it. Your post was lovely.

Brighton Mum - Loved your post too. I'm finding all sorts of new blogs through this meme and it is wonderful!

Kelly said...

I know that I am very late to the party but I have done mine, great meme I enjoyed picking my song.

http://youfoundkelshidingplace.blogspot.com/2010/01/double-trouble.html

Linda said...

Sorry I have been a while, here you go: Memes are made of this: We sang Shang-A-Lang and we ran with the gang... http://bit.ly/9a3ota xx

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