Year: 2011

I had a lot of trouble thinking of a song that makes me think of a certain event. The more I thought about it, the more my mind kept going back to concerts. Concerts are probably not events in the meaning of what this particular category is referring to, but all the big events in my life that I could think of don’t really have songs linked to them other than concerts. Still, this song is locked into my memory as linked to this particular concert.

I saw Martha & the Muffins (who I think were calling themselves Martha & the Muffins a/k/a M+M at the time) at the Channel in the mid-80’s. I was excited to see this Canadian band that I loved so much, and I couldn’t really imagine what they would sound like live. When they took the stage and performed their opening song, it just blew me away. They sounded incredible. They looked incredible. I can vividly remember how excited I was and thinking they were just the epitome of all things Canadian (which to me was a great thing.) They’re opening number remains one of my favorite all-time songs. So hear it is, the video of the Martha & the Muffins song, Danseparc (Every Day It’s Tomorrow), which is one of the coollest songs and videos ever.

What? Did I miss yesterday? Sheesh? I was completely prepared too. The day just kind of slipped by. Oh well, back on track now.

Most of the songs that remind me of a particular place have to do with concerts. I hear Over My Head by Fleetwood Mac and I’m immediately back in the Boston Garden seeing them live for the first time on the Tusk Tour. ‘Til Tuesday’s Maybe Monday puts me at the UNH show nursing my not-so-secret crush on keyboard player Joey Pesce.

When I think of the band Spider, and this song in particular, I think of a time, a place, and specific people. Spider’s 1980 debut album, featuring the minor Top 40 hit, New Romance (It’s a Mystery) was a defining collection of songs for me. I loved Spider, featuring Amanda Blue on lead vocals, future hit-making songwriter Holly Knight on keyboard, Keith Lentin on guitar, Jimmy Lowell on bass, and future David Letterman session player Anton Fig on drums. I turned my friends on to Spider. Sue, Becki, Anne… they all loved Spider nearly as much as I did. We each had our favorites on that first album.

When, a little over a year later, their second album, Between the Lines, was released, we were momentarily taken aback. There were some real dance grooves there… almost disco! It took us a couple of listens to accept songs like Going By, although Change, later covered by John Waite, was an instant hit with us. I have such a distinct memory of having my three friends pile into my 1974 Pontiac Ventura and driving down to Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield, parking by the banks, and instead of making out (what, I was gay, and there were three of them!) we listened to the new Spider album over and over again. One song in particular resonated. It’s a song you all know as performed by a different artist, but Spider performed it first, and Amanda Blue’s commanding vocals were certainly the template for the much more popular artist who eventually turned it into a hit. I still ahve a very vivid image of Sue sarcastically spitting out the lines, “But did you think I’d just accept you, in blind faith? Oh, sure baby! anything to please you, but you better be good to me!”

This is not the complete kickass song. Much of the amazing instrumental break is edited out unfortunately. Even the CD version doesn’t include the full-length song, which is why I still own the vinyl.

Once again, there are dozens of songs I could list here, because many different songs remind me of many different people. I decided not to go with the obvious, like Chatnal Kreviazuk’s Before You reminding me of my wonderful husband, Scot, or the difficult, like Face to Face’s Wreckless Heart, which I couldn’t find on YouTube, that reminded me of Diane, and old roommate of mine. Instead I picked a song that reminds me of someone who was a very good friend through high school, college and years after, and always makes me laugh because of it.

You Sold the Cottage by Martha & the Muffins is a funny enough song without it making me immediately thinking of my friend Anne. I was always playing new music for my friends, especially Anne. I’d transfer my new vinyl albums to cassette, then we’d go out in my car, drive around and I’d play the new music for them. Sometimes we would go down to the lake and just listen to songs. It was a lot of fun, and kept us busy in a suburb where there wasn’t all that much to do. Anne liked Martha & the Muffins well enough but she always listened to new music critically. What Anne loved to do is smile and laugh. She has a great sense of humor and loved to make other laugh. What sticks to strongly in my mind is during the opening instrumental riff after Martha says, “We’re entering getaway country!” Anne would do this crazy little dance. Every. Time. I. Played. The. Song. It was hilarious. It still makes me laugh today, nearly 30 years later. She probably doesn’t even remember this, but sometime I should play this song for her again and see what she does.