The Soundtrack Of My Life

Inspired by Meg at More To Me, I have compiled a Soundtrack Of My Life. I could only come up with six cuts. I feel like Tommy Mottola.

Call Me by Blondie: I grew up with limited phone access. Our house was a quarter mile from the "good phone number" cut-off ("good phone number" meaning "town" phone numbers, which every single one of my friends had); consequently, everyone we called was long distance. As a grown-up, I am obsessed with the telephone. I talk to my mother, best friend, and auxiliary girlfriend at least five times a day apiece. Thank God for AT&T Friends and Family.

Money For Nothing by Dire Straits: Imagine boxy school bus chugging through the early morning fog and darkness of the countryside. Imagine the middle and high school students inside, quietly staring out the icy windows. Imagine someone bringing a "boom box" one day and playing Dire Straits "Money For Nothing" over and over again at top volume. Imagine everyone on the bus feeling all puffed up and energized over the opening bass sequence, almost like we were in a John Hughes movie. I still enjoy this song. As an adult, I continue to see the value of money for nothing, although I don't need no chick for free.

Magic Man by Heart: I have spent a lifetime trying to convince my friends and family of the value of my romantic choices. This time, we all agree--my man is pretty damn close to magic. He's one good guy.

Gimme Shelter by The Rolling Stones: I've seen the Rolling Stones in concert four times. The first time was with my wacky, violent boyfriend who was angry at me for some silly transgression (eating? stating an opinion?). On the drive home from Cleveland, through an industrial area, a local radio station played a medley of Stones' music. During Gimme Shelter, I remember feeling desperate and hopeless. As a grown-up, I still appreciate this song, though purely for the "shelter" aspect. I love a good house, and one of my favorite shows is "House Hunters" on HGTV.

Get Down, Make Love by Nine Inch Nails: I would like to be a more sexually liberated person. Maybe I should add Erica Jong books to the queue. I first heard this song in college, at Big Ed's house, where my girlfriend, Deena, and I congregated with Big Ed and his hot fraternity brothers. As Deena and I sat quietly in a corner, just enjoying our access, the sharp, preppy boys smoked weed, drank, and acted like fools. It was around this time that I actually purchased my first Erica Jong book at a yard sale. It was a compilation of her poetry. I thought that the words were pretty but I really didn't "get" what she was talking about. Still, just owning the book made me feel worldly and sophisticated.

Baby, It's Cold Outside by Leon Redbone and Zooey Deschanel: I grew up in the Siberia of the snow belt, so believe me when I say it: I know cold.

Rhythm Is A Dancer by SNAP: Love me a song that incorporates a synthesizer. When I hear this song, I think of a hard, aggressive little dancer in a gray, nameless city, just sashaying her way to the top. The song might actually be about drugs. Or prostitution. I am an awful dancer but I will dance anytime, anywhere. If you take me to a club, within minutes, you will find me in some sort of cage or on a stage. I've been known to dismount when the time is right (or fall, depending upon how you look at it).