Soundtrack of my Life

I just bought myself a new mp3 player. It was a little treat, since I landed a new freelance contract and realized that 1GB of space just wasn't big enough to hold all the music I wanted. And I wanted one with a bigger screen. And I wanted it to be pink.

I did some research and wound up with a Sony Walkman. I LOVED my Walkman tape player. It was the height of technology 20 years ago. Big old clunky thing, but you could TRAVEL with your music. That was the best thing evah! We all thought we were hip if we had a Walkman. It never occurred to us that we'd be using things 1/4 of the size that would hold dozens of albums instead of just one tape (or a mix-tape: you know the ones you made yourself on the dual tape deck of your stereo? Yeah, you were clever, weren't you?)

So I bought this 4GB wonder and I've spent HOURS loading it with music. I've barely cracked that 1GB mark and have something like 7.5 hours of music on it. I have nearly 375 songs stored on my computer. I used to just rip CD's I had at home, but I've since ponied up for the monthly subscription to Rhapsody. It pays for itself if I buy 1 album, for the most part. Since I have so much space to fill, I decided it was just easier.

But I've not been searching through the catalog for today's Hot Artists, no. Well, I have a few; I got some Sara Bareilles and for some reason I've been downloading The Pussycat Dolls. Don't ask, I can't explain it. But mostly I have searched and found the music of my Youth. I have a 70's playlist, which has things like ABBA, Donna Summer, and The Who, with a little Janice Joplin mixed in. I was young in the 70's, very young, but I remember the music very well. Disco was awesome. We need more disco.

And then there's another playlist - the 80's. That the soundtracks for John Hughes films defined my formative years is cause for some to nod in acknowlegement and others to scratch their heads in wonder. I was Gen X, part of the mall-rat, parachute pants, big-haired slackers that were never going to make anything of themselves. The Thompson Twins, The Go-Go's, and The Fine Young Cannibals were what I remember. We had great music.

I hadn't even thought about it in years, but when I got that player, suddenly I wanted it all. I've got dozens of songs I haven't heard in years - like 99 Red Balloons. My teenage years, like most people's, were nearly traumatic and perfectly awful in some respects. But when I hear Depeche Mode, I'm transported, and all that other stuff is forgotten, and all I remember is the good times. I laugh about it all now - we all HAVE made something of ourselves, and not too many of us are slackers. At least we've figured out that higher isn't necessarily better when it comes to hair. Oh, and we got rid of shoulderpads.

Maybe it's all the HS friends I've found on Facebook, making me nostalgic, but I can't seem to get enough 80's music. If my life were a movie, my 80's playlist would be a major part of the soundtrack.

What is the soundtrack of YOUR life?

PS - The Ankh of Isis is up for pre-order in paperback on Amazon...