I'm Going to Graceland
Not really. :-P Memphis isn't on our current travel schedule. [Actually - no place is on our current travel schedule. :'( We had planned & saved for a super special trip over spring break this year in March, since it's the first time the kids have ever been in the same school & actually had the same break weeks...but JB's car died last week. We were on the edge of deciding if we needed to buy another or pay to fix his; we went with the fix, but that still completely wiped out our vacay fund. There's no extra financial cushion, since I begin my massive-although-expected slate of dental work next week. *sigh* Sayonara, Disney...] So yes, Graceland. No, I'm not a big Elvis fan, either. :-P One of the most influential albums in my life growing up was Paul Simon's Graceland. It was a favorite of my parents; my mom & I would listen to it ad nauseam in the car. I know every word, and I loved the African rhythms. I carried that connection with me when I went to Africa several years later. The harmonies of Ladysmith Black Mambazo (harmony is my thing :-)) are magical.
Luckily last month, I noticed a broadcast of PBS's Great Performances special Paul Simon’s Graceland Journey: Under African Skies. I was so excited to DVR! Being a child, I didn't pay attention to the apartheid controversy around the album at the time - I just knew I loved singing those songs - but now as an adult, I really appreciated hearing the backstory behind the music. It's been ages since I really listened to it; I feel like I've reconnected with an old friend. :-)
What are some of the albums that defined parts of your childhood?
Luckily last month, I noticed a broadcast of PBS's Great Performances special Paul Simon’s Graceland Journey: Under African Skies. I was so excited to DVR! Being a child, I didn't pay attention to the apartheid controversy around the album at the time - I just knew I loved singing those songs - but now as an adult, I really appreciated hearing the backstory behind the music. It's been ages since I really listened to it; I feel like I've reconnected with an old friend. :-)
What are some of the albums that defined parts of your childhood?
I love Graceland too!
ReplyDeleteI do *so* much memory association with music, and I think my having spent most of my life as a musician exacerbates it! Some of the music I remember most from my childhood is from eight tracks / cassettes we'd listen to in the car when we'd go on road trips to visit family (mostly Indiana and Florida)...Billy Joel's Greatest Hits, ABBA, Neil Diamond, Hooked on the Classics (cringe), Beatles, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Ricky Nelson, John Denver, Simon & Garfunkel, the soundtrack from American Graffiti...
Oh, yes!!!! Billy Joel (esp. *An Innocent Man* - "The Longest Time" makes me tear up happily thinking of my dad :')) was another seminal artist of my youth!!!
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