Songs in the Key of Our Lives

Music has always been a part of my life. I listen to almost every genre of music, and my playlists have a mix of everything on them because my moods vary and I need my music to as well. 

The music I listen to is sourced in many ways: through the radio, through playlist suggestions, through friend recommendations. All of this exposure to music is important because music, particularly certain songs, bring back memories both joyful and poignant.

There are songs I listen to that make me smile and happy because of the vacations I heard them on. 

Sausalito Summer Nights by Diesel has a line that talks about driving the Grapevine from Los Angeles' north. My Favourite Husband (MFH) and I drove the Grapevine almost every October as we made our way from L.A. to Bakersfield for the California Hot Rod Reunion drag race. 

No Myth by Michael Penn brings back memories of a small coffee shop near the terminal in San Francisco where we caught the ferry to Alcatraz. We were on vacation with MFH's parents and had just returned from our tour. It had been a cool, windy day and we stopped for coffee in the cafe and the song way playing. The song has absolutely nothing to do with San Francisco or Alcatraz but, when I heard it in that cafe, it made me feel warm, happy, to be there with MFH and his folks. 

Alberta Bound by Paul Brandt was a song we played any time we got close to the Sweetgrass crossing back into Alberta. It talks about the beauty of our province and, every time we heard it, MFH would have tears in his eyes. No matter where we travelled, he was a proud Canadian and a proud Albertan. 

One of the memories that will forever make me smile was when we were standing in line to see The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Ferguson was one of his favourite comedians and we went to the taping of his show a few times. One of his shows featured the musical artist Corrine Bailey Rae and she sang her song Put Your Records On during the taping. As we were leaving, I said to MFH: “That’s the song for this trip." When he asked what I meant, I told him about my association between a song that was played on our holiday and the place where we were when I heard it. Every holiday after he’d ask about the “song of the trip” — what it was and why. Often that music found its way on to both of our playlists. 

When it came down to songs MFH liked “just because,” I’ve added several of them to my own playlist. He liked happy, quirky music — stuff that would make me roll my eyes and grin at the same time. We Like to Party by the Vengaboys, Barbie Girl by Aqua and Stacy’s Mom by Fountains of Wayne were some the quirky songs he liked. 

He liked cover versions of songs that were different as well. Dwight Yoakam singing Purple Rain was one of his favourites. He wasn’t afraid to listen to something different as well, and often in his truck Mariachi El Bronx — heavy metal mariachi music — could be heard. His musical tastes were different than mine but a good, old-school ABBA song could get us both belting out the tune.

When MFH passed away, I wanted to include music that mattered in his Celebration of Life. Having said that, I was going to be selective in what I chose. The music I chose would be incorporated into a slide show that our niece was preparing. 

The one absolute was Garth Brooks's The Dance. He had said many years ago — the first Garth concert we ever attended — that he wanted that played at his funeral someday. The next song was by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds's Breathless. This was actually a song that I like but one that I felt described the way my world shifted when he passed. Bryan Adams's Open Road was a choice by his sister. MFH was a car guy — both classic cars and race cars (he drag raced most of his life) — and the song captured what it meant to be free behind the wheel of a vehicle. The slideshow closed with Green Day's Good Riddance. Song lyrics can be interpreted in many different ways, and MFH did have the time of his life and that line in particular was why that song closed the presentation that captured his life in photos.

Although these songs are all tied in to his funeral, they don’t make me sad all the time. Depending on what else is going on, I can hear any one of these songs and smile or, I can let tears slide down my face. I saw Garth Brooks in concert this past summer and I knew he would play The Dance at some point. When he did, I sat back in me seat in Commonwealth Stadium and looked up at the sky, hoping that MFH was looking down from his cloud and remembering the first time we heard Garth play it live.

Both happiness and sadness held me for those minutes but what washed over me the most was gratitude. Gratitude for our adventures together and for the music that will always be a part of them.

❤️