Camie Heller's Eternal Mixtape
There is no recognizable order to this list whatsoever.
Thriller – Michael Jackson
The twelve top singers of the school… something I wanted to be a part of since making it to MSHS. The show choir, or Choraliers as it is called was the top of the performing arts in my high school. If you made that group by trying out in your Freshman year, you were considered arts wing royalty. In the end of my Freshman year, there were only four spots available to this group, two spots for boys, and two for girls. There were a lot of hopefuls, so many that instead of the normal singing try out, they were adding a dance portion as well. This did not bode well for me. In drama, dance had never been my strong suit. The dances that I had to perform for drama took me hours to figure out, mostly due to the fact that I had never taken a dance class in my life, and simply couldn’t be told how to dance. I needed to see it so I could copy. Luckily, we were told to do exactly that, copy a music video. I decided that Thriller would be quite fun, but different, since most of my peers were planning on performing as Brittany Spears, or some other popular pop bimbo of the time. I spent all of my spare time working on this dance sequence, making sure that I covered as much detail as possible. I wasn’t disappointed, I was first pick after the list went up.
I Got Lost In His Arms – Annie Get Your Gun
The name of this song could tend to make this story a bit creepy, but it is completely innocent and actually a moment that I would never want to give away.
I was having a really rough year. My aunt and uncle were going to get married, and the original plan was for the kids in the family to be the wedding party. They won a wedding in Hawaii, so that plan went away, but they were going to have a party for us anyways. While this does not seem like a bad moment of anyones life, the situation thickens. Two of my cousins who I used to see all the time were going to be in the wedding party. They had left recently, with their mother who put my uncle through a nasty divorce. They would come over during the weekends and stuff, but that had even stopped because my uncle was dying of cancer, and it was getting bad. Knowing I wanted to take advantage of getting to see my cousins, I had asked my drama director if I could go to this party. It was falling during a dress rehearsal in hell week, but considering I was an extra, that meant nothing in the full long run, I thought maybe she would let me go. Not only was I shot down, I was shot down with a hell of a rant that reverberated into the classroom wing of my school. So, in tears I run to the stage crew director. He knew a lot of what was going on within my family, and the hard time I was having with everything. I cried to him, and we plotted a rebellion. We were on stage during the same time in the show for a scene. We were to be getting into place behind the sheer curtain (sheer if lighted from The thrill of rebellion (if we were ever caught at this, there would be some serious hell to pay) and the thrill of getting caught helped put a smile on my face, and the dress rehearsal went off without a problem. We then became superstitious… we performed that slow dance every performance afterwards, including the actual ones the next week. (and were caught, the last night… where we got the evil eye, but laughed it off.)
MMMBop – Hanson
Every pre-teen has a band that they become obsessed with, and Hanson was my boy-band. I remember the first time hearing the song, and my best friend at the time saying “Listen to this bunch of girls.” I of course, later that night, found out from another friend that they were not girls, but teenage boys. (Teenage boys to my pre-teen eyes were very attractive). Well the obsession grew, and grew, and grew to the point of my entire bedroom walls being covered with their faces. I also had a huge stand up of them from a record store, which thinking back on it now was extremely, extremely creepy. Hanson was the reason I took drum lessons during that summer. My friends and I wanted to form a band. It was pointless though, my friends at the time had no musical talent, and in all reality I had no time for drum lessons, (between sports, and scouts, and everything else) even though they were free from a neighbor. Hanson was my first concert (nose bleed seats!) they were the first band I completely fangirled, and hearing this song now and then still gives me a bit of a smile.
Your Little Hoodrat Friend – The Hold Steady
This is not only the song that introduced me to my favorite band, it is also a song that started a friendship that I truly cherish now. My friend Alex was in town, and had a show at Bucknell University in PA. Alex had invited along half of Draco and the Malfoys (Brian) to play the show with him. A friend of mine (Rory) brought two of her friends and all six of us were going to share a hotel room for the night. Since I only knew two people, I was a bit shy when we finally all got to the hotel room, but the shyness didn’t last long. We rushed to dinner, where small chat happened and everyone who didn’t know each other broke the ice. We got to the venue for sound check where I helped both boys with cables and instruments (what I usually do at shows of theirs, besides taking lots of pictures). Alex sound checked quickly, and then it was Brian’s turn. He messed around with some Malfoys songs for a bit and for his full song.. he started playing this song. I was enthralled. After he was done playing I went up to him and asked who originally made that song. He explained about the Hold Steady, and said he would send me the song via email. We all had our laptops at the venue (we were there so early, and the campus had free wireless). Instead of sending me the song, he sent me the whole album Separation Sunday. I was content knowing what was in my inbox, so for the rest of the night we talked music. What types he was into, what types I was into. This lead to guitar discussion because I brought my newly acquired acoustic along for the trip (I SUCKED SO BAD, but he helped me learn my first three chords) I didn’t listen to the whole album until the drive home, and I became instantly HOOKED! I went out and bought the first three albums that same weekend (Boys and Girls In America had come out that past summer, this went down in the middle of winter). What was really interesting was that the email where Brian sent me the song became more like a conversation. I would write him questions about music, guitar, or wizard rock. We became friends quickly. The best part about this story is not the fact that he was the one who introduced me to this band… we have since had some funny moments because of the mutual like of The Hold Steady. We had both gone to different Hold Steady shows of the same tour, we texted each other throughout the shows we attended. Later that month, there was a wrock show in NYC. We showed up to that show in the same Hold Steady hoody that we both bought… completely not planned (which was quite a laugh). I also got to cover Hoodrat with him and his brother at a house party show in Rhode Island. We are possibly going to the same Hold Steady show this April in New Haven.. kind of pulls this story completely full circle!
Looking For Trouble – The Remus Lupins
First things first…. every wrock fan remembers the first time they heard their first wizard rock song. I am not a typical wizard rock fan. Most of the fans who got into wrock the time I did heard Harry and the Potters as their first band… I heard The Remus Lupins first. I was in my dorm… and was bored. I decided to put campus radio on. There was some random DJ on (it was super early in the morning) and they were playing random stuff off of MySpace (yeah.. MySpace… before it became a burning ring of hell). I don’t remember the intro to this song, but I vaguely remember the mention of Harry Potter. I listen in and I was intrigued. I turned off the campus radio, and booked it to The Remus Lupins myspace. I listened to the song, and then looked at the friends… and found the amazing world of Wizard Rock (I then became obsessed).
To continue this story, Alex (The Remus Lupins – yeah at the time he was a one man band with a photographer… the plural band name was a joke. He now has a full band behind him) was playing a show in Philadelphia. It was at a place called the Spazz House, near St. Joe’s University. He was set to play at like 7pm. I was thinking this was a type of club/coffee joint, but when I pulled up it was a residential house. I thought I had gotten the address wrong, but right after I pulled up, Alex pulled up with his friend/roadie/photographer Brandon. I had never met Alex before, and was extremely nervous (First wizard rock show… I was guilty of fangirldom GASP!) So I slowly walked up. I was wearing a hp shirt, so he walked up to me like I knew what was going on, which I didn’t. The house was deserted… no one was there. We sat outside of the house on the porch, until two girls showed up. The two girls owned the house. They said that nothing was going to go down until around 9pm and that there were two/three bands before Alex was to play. So we decided to chill out on the porch. I met Alex, we listened to his iPod, Brandon searched for a wireless signal, and we got some apple juice from some store called Bill’s Market. The girls who owned the house started being complete jerks and almost set their own porch on fire. Alex thought they were trying to be funny and just messing around, but I could tell that they were being complete asses. I stood up for Alex (without actually knowing him all that well) and tada, the start of our friendship. Alex finally went on the stage (which was in a dingy basement, empty kegs were the only seating) around 11pm. He played a 5 song set, asking me which songs of his I wanted him to play. Not having his cd yet.. I asked for only one… Looking For Trouble, and sang the bah bahs for him when he played that song last. (he tells this story so much better than I do).
Follow the Yellow Brick Road – The Wizard of Oz
When I was little, my parents had a bright yellow carpet that covered the living room, dining room, and went all the way up to the upstairs hallway. I believe it was the original carpet of the house from when my grandparents owned it. I was all of 4, and I was obsessed with The Wizard of OZ. At that age, many cheapy stores have crappy cheap shoes that little girls can wear. I found the ruby slipper kind, and insisted that I have them. I would frolic around my house with the shoes on, pretending to be Dorthy singing Follow the Yellow Brick Road over and over and over again until one day one of the shoes broke. At this time of my life, I believed that my dad could fix anything (He was a carpenter… so my 4 year old mind believed he could fix anything) and brought my shoes to him to fix. He took them out to the shop, and used some glue and a clamp.. and got my shoes to work again for a bit (like a day) until I broke the shoe again. Unknown to me at the time, after the first series of shoe breaks.. he asked my mom where the shoes came from, and then went out to the store and bought the rest of them. Every time I broke a ruby slipper, my dad would take me out to the shop.. put on a show of “fixing” the shoe, and he would grab a new shoe from his stash. Oh what parents do to make their children believe.
The Weapon – Harry and the Potters
Every scene has an anthem. The anthem in Wizard Rock is Harry and the Potters – The Weapon. During their longest summer tours (So summer 2006, and summer 2007) Harry and the Potters would finish off their shows with The Weapon. At their live shows, the boys start this song at their instruments (Paul on his red Gibson SG and Joe on the keys and if they have a drummer (whoever that may be, whether Brad from the Malfoys or someone else) on the drums) About halfway through the song they ditch their instruments (the drums go to backing track – Brad usually takes a quick break here) and Paul and Joe (or Harry year 7 and Harry year 4 respectively) jump into the crowd with their mics and rock out with the crowd. At some point or another, the drummer returns, and Paul jumps back up on stage. He grabs another guitar, a yellow Gibson Explorer with an orange lighting bolt painted on it. He finishes the song with an epic jump high into the air. (This song live cannot be explained with text.. it has to be experienced). This song has become an anthem of sorts. The Potters don’t even have to be at a wrock event… large conferences usually end with another wizard rock band covering this song if the Potters cannot supply the song themselves. It usually involves a lot of hugging (usually a large group hug involving everyone in the room – those are the best!), or it is just a massive sing along. This song is what every wrock fan wants to see at a wizard rock show. This song is the experience that everyone wants to have. I hear this song and realize the amount of fun I have had at these shows. I remember when I saw the Potters, Malfoys, and Matt perform three nights in a row in two different states, and this song finished every night. I remember the sleep over where we all (the group listed above) came up with countless Hedwig is Dead jokes, and then the next morning called Melissa (a NY Times best selling author) and told them all to her. It was the summer of 2007, everyone thought it was all going to end and come crashing down… but it hasn’t.
Screening Process – Lauren Fairweather
The full story behind this song is extremely complicated and emotional and I will not go into it because while I was somewhat involved… the song has nothing to do with me. My feelings towards this song are what I am going to write about.
My friend, Lauren, has a way with words. She has the uncanny ability to be able to put words to music and basically say everything that you have ever felt in a situation and completely capture it. Lauren wrote this song during a hard time in her life, and I am not going to go into it because in all reality, the song basically covers it. This song also explains something that I have always done. I have a “Screening Process” so to say. I hide, I put up a front, and it takes a little while to fully get to know the real me. With certain people this doesn’t last long, and with other people it can take years for me to truly show myself. I have trust issues, and I feel this song really kind of explains some situations. Again, without Lauren’s skill of putting words to song, I wouldn’t have a song to explain this part of me, and I am grateful for her talents.
High Hopes – Harry Kalas
It was the song of a season, and a song of remembrance. Harry Kalas, beloved voice of the Philadelphia Phillies sung this song for the fans one day. After his death, after every home win, the fans would wait for the recording of this song to be played so they could sing along. In my household it was sung, as a family after every win. It was the hopes for a repeat, as well as a high remembrance to a beloved person of the franchise. Will High Hopes continue to be played this season after home game wins? Who knows, but I do know if it is, Philadelphia fans will continue to smile in remembrance of a city icon.
The Sign – Ace of Base
This was the song of summer during my childhood. Summer officially started when my friend Ryan’s pool was opened for the year. Every weekday (and some weekends, but those were usually for sports) we would go swimming at his house from 10am till dark (and on some special occasions, after dark). My mom would donate a box of ice pops at the beginning of the season (and whenever the supply ran out), and lunches would be switched between the group’s parents at various times. We would have a mix tape (or as we got older, a mix cd) for every year, but one constant song, “The Sign” was always present. It was necessary, it was tradition. We would sing it at the top of our lungs throughout the summer. I still smile every time I hear the song. Its a reminder of more innocent times.
See You Again – Miley Cyrus
The song of the 2008 softball season. Every softball team in the NJAC (the NJ NCAA div 3 conference) has a mix cd for each season. Usually these mix cd’s are completely random and have no relation whatsoever (due to every team being completely different). There was a common thread in the 2008 season, and it was Miley Cyrus’s See You Again. At the beginning of the spring season (so… like January) this song was one of the most popular songs on the radio, so hearing it now and again on mix cd’s was never an issue. Quickly, as the season progressed, the song became very old. It was overplayed on the radio, and EVERYONE had it on their mix cd. There was no escaping the song. Even when I hear it now, there is a cringe.
Lovegame – Lady Gaga
This is a song that will forever be highly awkward, just because of the story. We were playing an away game at Ramapo College. During the warm up time, Lady GaGa’s Lovegame came on the their warm up cd. We were stretching with our coaches sitting right in front of us. For our warm up cd, our coach required everything to be family friendly and appropriate. We have a lot of young girls come to our games to watch and learn, so our music is not just for us, it is for everyone in attendance that day. When this song came on we were all shocked at the inappropriateness of it and everyone was embarrassed. Awkward doesn’t even come close to the amount of emotions going on at that time. That song is perfectly acceptable at the club, or at a party (and in that atmosphere, I have no problem with the song, I like it. It’s creative.) but it was completely unnecessary on the softball field that day, especially with 8 year olds in front of you watching.
Transparent – The Moaning Myrtles
This is the song that fully explains what wizard rock did for me. Wizard rock is not just a niche music genre (well it is, but hear me out). To a lot of people it was a place to make friends as well as a place to break out of their shell. Before I entered this niche of music, I was never one to make friends easily. I was a floater, I was active in a lot of different places, but I never truly fit in anywhere or with anyone. When I found the wizard rock scene I made great friends quickly, and truly found who I was through the community. I was myself here. This song basically puts my experience into music, as well as the experience of many others (of course including the two girls who wrote the song, Lauren and Nina!)
A Conversation with my Demons – The Whomping Willows
The album that this song comes from was not a wizard rock album in my opinion. While it was under the artist’s wizard rock name, this album was an album about the person behind the music, not the character (or in Matt’s case… the tree) that he portrayed in his music. (You see in wizard rock, the band name usually tells you what to expect, With Harry and the Potters, you have two guys dressed as Harry Potter, singing songs from Harry’s point of view, same with Draco and the Malfoys… the Whomping Willows.. sing songs from the tree’s perspective – quite humorous.) Going into listening to this album I knew he had some really bad times in his past, and heck I had some really bad times in my past as well. When I first heard this album I instantly loved it. It was humorous at parts, but at other times, such as this song, it was straight from Matt’s soul. This was him getting rid of his demons, this was him coming completely clean and fully starting over. The first time I heard this song I cried. I cried for Matt, as well as for myself. Hearing your friends face their past, and for them to put it out there in public is a freeing experience. I sometimes even now listen to this song, not out of sadness, but to help me keep my head up. If Matt can face his demons in front of the world, I should be able to as well. It keeps me in check.
What’s Left of the Flag – Flogging Molly
On my college softball team, every senior gets to have at least one song on the mix cd that does not go to vote by the rest of the team. I tend to like pretty much whatever everyone else chooses for our mix cd (we only play 60 seconds of each song… that way we get to have a lot more songs, and a lot more variety). My senior year came up and I had a few songs I would like on the cd, again, most of them were already picked by other girls, so I knew that they would be put on. The only song that was not chosen for the cd by other girls was What’s Left of the Flag. The girl putting together the cd started to listen to the song in front of me. The song starts out a bit slower, and then changes tempo quickly. She started to argue that this was not a song that could pump anyone up, or a song that anyone would like. I told her to wait a minute. When the song switched tempo, her jaw sort of dropped and she started to like it. Later, she mentioned that a lot of my songs were chosen by other people and that I would have a song on the cd. I looked at her and just said “I want What’s Left of the Flag” on the cd, senior choice.” It was the 7th song on the cd, and it quickly became a team favorite.
If You Were Gay / The Internet is for Porn – Avenue Q
Senior year of high school field hockey. We were going to have a rare night practice under the lights because we were going to have a rare night game under the lights in a few days. While the team was in the parking lot waiting for the coaches to arrive, a fellow senior started playing music out of her car. All of a sudden she proclaims: “You all have to listen to these songs, they are very funny. They are from a musical that my Uncle is in, it’s called Avenue Q. It might go to Broadway soon!” So of course, we all crowd around the car. The first song she plays was If You Were Gay. The girl’s uncle was Johnny Tartaglia (who voiced the puppets of Rod and Princeton (male lead) in the original cast of the show). We were all laughing so hard by the time this song was over. Right after the first song, she put on The Internet is for Porn in which caused even more laughter. The coaches still did not turn up, so she continued playing random songs from the cd. I eventually got to go up to NYC and see this show on Broadway, fully enjoying the show even more because of how my discovery of the show occurred.
Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) – Bruce Springsteen
I missed the epic Hold Steady show in Brooklyn where the venue pumped this over the house system and the party ensued. While I did hear about this amazing occurrence, as well as seen various videos of the event on youtube. Being there would have been an amazing story to have in my mixtape list, but alas it is not to be. Why then, do I have it? This song has been strangely present in one way or another during some interesting times recently. I was teaching my brother how to parallel park (which basically determines pass or fail on the NJ test… if you fail parallel parking, test is over), and his ah ha moment happened when this song came on the classic rock station. I was listening to my ipod and this song came on when I got the news that I had passed my praxis (my teaching certification test). I was visiting a friend at TCNJ in the Rat (a restaurant/bar on campus) and hearing some interesting team news (cannot explain fully to you guys.. team stuff) when this song came on the jukebox. The most recent occurrence of this song playing at a weird time was when I was talking to a friend about how this song was played at the show in Brooklyn. I had just finished that line of conversation when again, the song came blasting out of the bar’s jukebox. I don’t know why this song seems to be following me. Maybe I was supposed to be at that show in Brooklyn, and this is the universes way of making it up, or it’s just a complete coincidence that a lot of good things (or random, however you see it) seem to happen when this song is playing, I don’ t mind though, it is my favorite song, from my favorite Bruce album!
Belle – Beauty and the Beast
Everyone has their favorite movie when they were a kid. One (well in my generation) where you watched the movie so much that you wore out the VHS. My movie was Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. While my favorite song from this show is not even in the movie (it is in the play – Human Again) I am using Belle for my story, because there actually is something there. I did not know the origins of the story when I was little, I just liked Beauty and the Beast because Belle had brown hair (LIKE ME) and when the movie came out, I was the target audience. Now I fully understand the story, I understand the origins of the story, and I know what Disney did to it to make it marketable (like most of their adaptations of fairy tales.) While taking French in high school we had the option of watching this movie, but not in English, we had to watch it in French (since the DVD gave us the option). In high school, I fell in love with this movie again, and the love was instant. Belle is chosen as the song for this story because when I first watched the movie in French (around 3rd/4th year…) for the first time, it was the first song that I completely understood the French language in. It may have been because I knew the songs so well in English, or it may have just been the timing of watching that movie, and my AHA moment in the class, but I will always remember finally being able to know what was going on during a French language movie that did not have subtitles.
My Dad is Rich – Draco and the Malfoys
I have seen Draco and the Malfoys perform a large number of times. At first, before the first song was sung, I found it quite funny that everything they did was a complete parody to Harry and the Potters. I also found it funny that you couldn’t find two guys that looked less like the character of Draco Malfoy (Harry and the Potters look like Harry Potter). The first song of Draco and the Malfoys I ever remember hearing live is My Dad is Rich. It is a delightful song about how the Malfoys have money, and Harry’s parents are dead. While the two performing look nothing like Draco Malfoy, they get his character to a T through their lyrics. They pack that punch of ‘evil’ just enough to make it believable. It also helps that the boys are also in character the entire show, taking jabs at the Potter’s, and whatever other character they decide on mocking at the time (usually Harry, or Weasleys). This song is probably the second most popular DatM song… with the first being their cover/filk of 99 Red Balloons – 99 Death Eaters. This was the first song of theirs to make me laugh out loud… In fact I believe that I sprayed a room with water the first time I heard this song. They got it just right, the right amount of maliciousness mixed with the right amount of humor.
Defying Gravity – Wicked
This song is one huge fuck you, and that is why I completely relate to it. In high school I was never one to fit in anywhere. I floated around yes, and was accepted places, but I never found where I FIT. I saw this play in the middle of high school, and yet the message never fully clicked until after I had graduated. Elphaba (or the wicked witch of the west) gives up everything that she ever wanted, to do what was right. When I finally realized the implications of this song, I knew it was a plea for everyone to do what they believe in. I finally got this message in college. I stopped caring what people thought of me, I started being myself, and I have ended up happier than I would have if I did the exact opposite.
Don’t Stop Believing – Journey
This is a song that was also overplayed on many softball mix cd’s throughout the years I played in the NJAC, but the overplaying is not the story here, the story is how much Coack K hated the song. Coach K was an assistant coach on the team, and she would normally be the one who warmed us up in the batting cages before the game. We of course had this song on our mix cd (luckily it was only 60 seconds of the song) and the first time it was played, Coach K started to complain. We thought it was funny. We then started to notice that whoever was in the cage when this song came on the mix cd, was going to be challenged a lot. For the rest of that season, I tried to be in the batting cage during this 60 second period. The song angered her so much, she hated it so much, that she would pitch to beat us. It was some of the best practice ever! One practice that season when we were playing the cd (because we desperately needed music) she screamed for us to turn it off. So, of course, what do we do the next three years, put this song on the mix cd – I wasn’t the only one who figured out that there was more of a challenge when this song was playing. (the next three years she just sort of rolled her eyes at us over this song. She knew it was there just for us to be annoying.)
Free Bird – Lynyrd Skynyrd
It was my freshman year in college, middle of the spring semester actually. It was starting to get warm outside, and the campus was becoming lively again. One night, my roommate’s best friend comes to our dorm, and she is really upset. There was a kid missing on her floor, no one had seen him since the night before, and campus police were searching the entire floor for information. We talked and we all decided that it really was just an overreaction, but little did we know the chaos that was about to ensue. The missing kid was John Fiocco Jr, and if you were paying attention to the national news at this time in spring 2006, you know the story of how he was missing, there was a huge search. Blood was then found in the trash chute of his dorm, and then near the trash bins. John was later found in a landfill in Pennsylvania, and to this day the who, what, and why of this tragedy has never been discovered. That next morning, all three of us (My roommate’s friend never go the call that she could return to her dorm, so she slept over) were awoken by a campus police officer banging on our door. The police were asking everyone who lived in the towers (Travers and Wolfe. I lived in Travers with my roommate, and her friend (as well as John) lived in the connected tower of Wolfe (my roommate’s friend and John actually lived on the same floor)) where they were the night that John disappeared, if we knew John, and a whole bunch of other questions. If this wasn’t enough, security throughout campus was increased, which meant that it was nearly impossible to get around campus without feeling like you were in a different world. Later that week, the news vans showed up, and you were being attacked walking into your dorm, going to eat, walking to class. The media was horrible. Soon the campus made the media stay in a parking lot away from any academic buildings and residence halls. It was close to some huge tests and students were starting to get annoyed. We needed to blow off some steam. I was writing some huge freshman paper for a class we have to take freshman year, and my roommate was busy with a project for her Russian class. We were fried from being harassed by the media for living in the adjacent dorm of the kid who was missing, and the rumors flying around campus didn’t help either. We needed a release. My roommate had her iPod on and Free Bird came on. We both looked at each other, she cranked the music up, and we went out into the hallway and danced. We danced for the entire song. A few of our floor mates heard the music, and saw what we were doing and joined us. It wasn’t about the song, it was about needing a release.
Colors of the Wind – Disney’s Pocahontas
Being Greek and Italian means I tan easily. When I was younger, saying that I tanned easily was a complete understatement, I tanned in 30 seconds in the sun, and for the entire summer I was always, always very dark skinned (I actually have to try now.) It was the summer that Disney released Pocahontas, and of course I was out playing the entire summer. That summer I had gained the lovely privileged of being allowed anywhere in the area that we live, not just around the block, but anywhere in the area. This freedom was great, a lot more kids to play with, and with new kids to play with, new parents to interact with as well. One of the parents immediately identified me as looking like Pocahontas, and the name stuck. That entire summer I was either called that or the reference came up some way or another.
End of an Era – Oliver Boyd and the Rememberalls
In the winter of 2006, most Harry Potter fans thought that it wasn’t going to be until 2008 when we would receive the final installment of the Harry Potter series. We were all theorizing this and that. Christmas came, and the huge announcement was made. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows would be released on July 21st 2008. We were shocked, it had taken longer than that for the 6th installment to come out, and waiting for the 5th book was a nightmare. Flash forward to the end of spring beginning of summer. There was a song, End of an Era by Oliver Boyd and the Rememberalls (one man band). It became the song of the summer. It was a semi-sad song, one about how the series was coming to an end, but how we would not forget our friends we had made because of the series. This song made me think, what is going to happen to the fandom as the series comes to an end. Yes we would have the movies (but they usually just caused aggravation to the book fans), and yes we would still have the internet (where most of fandom occurred) but we would not have the anticipation of the next book to keep the interest. The wizard rock portion of the fandom insisted that they would continue to pay shows as long as their was a fan demand for the shows to be played. This statement has proven to be true, it is 3 years after the final installment has come out, and the wizard rock portion of fandom has pretty much remained constant. Bands are still writing new music (they are taking a lot more liberties, but still, new music is new music) bands are still playing shows, and fans are still attending those shows. This song just hit a chord that year. It is now a song that makes me smile, where that summer, it made me contemplate what may/could have been.
Tick Tock – Stevie Ray Vaughan
This was a constant song of my childhood and will always be remind me of my father. One summer my father decided to put a sound system in the back porch so there could be music for gardening, swimming, and general entertainment. My dad listens to a lot of blues and one album he had was Stevie Ray Vaughn. Tick Tock People came on and my little brothers fell in love with it. Soon every time we were outside with dad, the song had to be played. Until the song was played, my brothers would chant TICK TOCK, TICK TOCK until our father relented and finally put the song over the speakers. I remember one time well, where we were all gathered in the porch doing something (what it was is insignificant.) We all danced around and sang along to the song. I got to dance with my dad, and even dance with my brothers (we were all little). While it is something small, it is something significant that I will always cherish.
Most People are DJs – The Hold Steady
It was your favorite song of theirs ( I say was, because I really don’t know if it currently is your favorite song of theirs anymore.) I remember the dinner we went to at the crepe place before the show. How it was kinda awkward. I associated that place with friends (I still do, most of my meals there have been large parties of friends), but that night it was just the two of us and the lights were low, and I think it was more ‘date’ like than we both wanted. When we got to TLA you confessed the one song you wanted to hear was DJs. I wanted to hear “Your Little Hoodrat Friend” (which, seriously… I should have known that it was going to be played.) We were up front and there was a lot of violent pushing and shoving going on. You stood behind me, taking the brunt of the violence, whether or not you meant to do this or not, I remember how protective of me you were that night. I don’t remember if it was the end of the set, or during the encore but when the first chords of this song came on, you were so happy. I remember the look on your face, and your whoop of appreciation. (I remember now.. it was during the encore, because the next song was Killer Parties, and there was a stage invasion. You helped me up to the stage when I was too scared to go on the stage myself, you boosted me up, while Franz pulled me by the arm.) I think of you every time I hear this song now… “a thousand kids will fall in love in all these clubs tonight.” Well it wasn’t that night when it happened, but somehow, someway, I fell for you. While I know you probably don’t feel the same, it’s out in the open now, and I have to say that it’s a bit freeing to finally say it.