Turn it up...

Looking back at the last couple of posts one could be forgiven for thinking I'm this serious, introspective... even morose kinda guy.  Boy-oh-by would you be wrong with that assessment!  You are simply seeing a lot of the stuff that rattles around my gourd late at night or in the wee hours of the morning. 

Strange stuff wanders, unbidden, off of my fingers and onto the keyboard at that time of day.  But that's not me.  Not really, anyway.

I've been aware of this perception gap for some time and have been trying to jot down ideas for posts during the day when I'm feeling more, er,  bright and chipper.  OK... truth be told, I've studiously ignored most of the things on the 'daytime post list'... but one idea that hit me a couple of weeks ago seemed worth sharing:

I was driving to the airport with my iPod broadcasting to my car stereo when Lynyrd Skynyrd's 'Sweet Home Alabama' came up in the shuffle rotation.  During the first 5 or 6 seconds of the song's signature opening guitar riff the singer commands: "Turn it up!"

And I did.  Way up.

I suddenly realized that since high school, every single time I've heard that command to turn up the volume on this song I have complied.

Every. Single. Time.

And this isn't the only song.  Even though there isn't a specific command to crank the volume knob, there are a few songs in everyone's personal life soundtrack that absolutely, positively, MUST be turned up the moment the opening riff leaves the speakers.

These songs make us happy... bring back a flood of memories... or simply make us do that silly head bob that causes drivers around us to smirk and point.

I haven't spent a lot of time thinking about this but here is my short list of songs that, no matter where I am or what I'm doing, will force me to hang up the phone, stop mid-sentence in any conversation and start playing air-drums, guitar or horn:

1.  Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd

2.  Hotel California - Eagles

3.  Joy to the world - Three Dog Night

4.  Late in the evening - Paul Simon

5.  Stairway to heaven - Led Zeppelin

6.  Dream On - Aerosmith

7.  Let it be - Beatles

8.  California Dreamin' - Mamas and the Papas

9.  Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd

10.  Proud Mary - Creedence Clearwater Revival

These aren't my favorite songs... not by a long shot.  In fact most of them are trite, over-played and even a little embarrassing.  But they all share the ability to grab me by the ears, shut my mouth and get me to crank that volume knob waaaay to the right.

Know what I mean?

[Note:  This is not a meme!  If this had been an actual meme you would have been instructed to compile a similar a list, post it on your own blog, and then 'pass the stick' to a pre-determined number of other people.  Once again, this is not a meme.]