I’m gearing up new devotions for Holy Week and beyond, so this week I thought I’d share something from a project I did a decade ago. Hear my Home was a collaboration between professors, students, and teachers that explored way of knowing through the soundtracks of our lives. It was really fun to do. I should have added more, but I figure it’s already long enough! What is the soundtrack of your life?
I have songs in my memory that date back to the late 1960s. I remember playing my 45 rpm It's a Small World over and over on my little portable record player. Sammy Davis Jr's Candyman was also a favorite--mostly because I loved Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I had a 78 rpm of Miss Marcy, a ventriloquist who had a little doll I thought was so pretty in her red coat and hat. I had albums, too: Donny and Marie (cringeworthy now), Captain and Tennille, Evie Tornquist, Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith. I was a disc-jockey in high school at a top-40 am station, so I know most of those songs from 1980-1983. My Dad was a trucker who listened to country music. I was from Bakersfield, so the Bakersfield Sound of Buck Owens was familiar. Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, and the not-so-Bakersfield Elvis were his favorites. My dad cried when Elvis died. I was 12. My mom preferred easy listening and the classics of Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and Tony Bennett. I married my husband (and his musical preferences) in 1987. Our children were born between 1990 and 1996, so the 90s for us were lost to Barney, Sesame Street, and Blue's Clues. And everything Disney, of course. The Little Mermaid was child #1, Beauty and the Beast, #2, and I think The Lion King came along about the same time as #3. We had every VHS. And then DVD.
The songs in this list represent a variety of lives in this one lifetime of mine.
The Great Adventure - song by Steven Curtis Chapman | Spotify
My husband and I played this song with every move and every long trip. Life together is a great adventure for sure.
Saddle up your horses, we've got a trail to blaze
Through the wild blue yonder of God's amazing grace
Let's follow our leader into the glorious unknown
This is a life like no other, whoa whoa this is the great adventure
In the 90s and until about 2003, my husband and I sang with two other couples at the church we attended in Santa Rosa, CA. Fittingly, the six of us represented six vocal parts: Bass, Baritone, Tenor, Alto, Second Soprano, and Soprano. It was an amazing thing to make music with friends. We often sang a cappella, and as we added to our families, our children sang with us. This song is one of my favorites from those times.
In the gift we deliver, in the gift we receive,
is the living spirit Mary did conceive,
the royal gift of love incandescent flame
Is given to all mankind in His name.
Joy, joy, it is our true delight
To give and receive on this wondrous night.
A boy child to Mary is born
And His light will shine on beyond the dawn
Jesus child - song by John Rutter, The Cambridge Singers, City of London Sinfonia | Spotify
As a vocal performance student in my undergrad years (I minored in music at Cal Poly, majored in Journalism), I sang with the choir almost every quarter. This was a fun song to do.
Sing alleluia, brothers, sing alleluia, sisters,
Worship the Jesus child and praise his mother mild.
‘Glory to God on high’, the angel hosts above are singing:
Listen to the story of the Jesus child.
Rutter: Mass of the Children - Album by John Rutter, The Cambridge Singers | Spotify
After we moved to Georgia I was able to sing with the Georgia Symphony Choir for ten years — and I’m making music with them again after a five-year hiatus. In 2013 I auditioned for a national festival chorus for the American Choral Directors Association convention in Dallas. I was excited to sing under my favorite contemporary composer, John Rutter. Mass of the Children is still a favorite piece; the opening to the Kyrie is my ring tone.
Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison
Rhinestone Cowboy - song by Glen Campbell | Spotify Reminds me of my dad.
Well, I really don't mind the rain
And the smile can hide all the pain
But you're down when you're ridin' the train that's takin' the long way
And I dream of the things I'll do
With a subway token and a dollar tucked inside my shoe.
Love Will Keep Us Together - song by Captain & Tennille | Spotify
Elementary school favorite was also ne my mom liked. The lyrics are VERY 70s
Love will keep us together
I said it before and I'll say it again while others pretend
I need you now and I'll need you then, just stop (stop)
'Cause I really love you, stop (stop)
I'll be thinking of you
Look in my heart and let love keep us together
Mr. Roboto - song by Styx | Spotify
This one, from high school, reminds me of open campus lunch eating deep fried burritos at a local restaurant. I liked that the album was a story. Even then I liked a good dystopia.
I am the modern man (secret secret I've got a secret)
Who hides behind a mask (secret secret I've got a secret)
So no one else can see (secret secret I've got a secret)
My true identity.
Eye In The Sky - song by The Alan Parsons Project | Spotify
Another favorite from high school. I don't know why I liked this one so much, but there you go.
Don't say words you're gonna regret
Don't let the fire rush to your head
I've heard the accusation before
And I ain't gonna take any more
I also liked NENA | 99 Luftballons (Live von der "Nichts Versäumt" Tour 2018) (HD) and Puttin' on the Ritz. I brought both albums back from a study abroad in Germany (it was the 80s, what can I say?)
For The One Who Sleeps - song by Billy Sprague | Spotify
Billy Sprague blended philosophy and song in a way that appealed to me through most of the 90s (when I wasn't listening to kid music).
Only "time's brief masquerade"
Stands between the living
And the ones who wait at Heaven's gate
Sing - song by Pentatonix | Spotify
Always and forever, I prefer a cappella music in any genre. I have always loved music that featured only the human instrument. For a long time, only sacred music and universities had any significant contributions to the a cappella world, but in the early 2000s, groups like Boyz 2 Men and Rockapella inspired a television show called The Sing Off. With judges Ben Folds, Sara Bareilles, and Shawn Stockman, the show offered musical credibility to pure vocalists. It only lasted three full seasons, but several groups have launched careers after being on the show. Far and away the most successful (and my favorite--I called them to win after the second show) is Pentatonix. This particular song could be my family theme song. We sing ALL THE TIME. Not always well, but we always have fun. The five of us can cover all the harmonies of almost anything (you should hear us on Seven Bridges Road). It's something we love to do, and no matter what is happening, the Loomis family will sing.
Sing, sing, sing, sing
Sing it out as hard as you can
Make 'em hear ya from LA to Japan
Don't let 'em bring you down
This is how we do it now
Go and roll them windows down and
Sing, sing, sing, sing
Sing it with your hands in the sky
Light it up like it's the 4th of July
Don't let 'em bring you down
You know what I'm talking 'bout
A little bit louder now
You know what I'm talking 'bout
Sing a little bit louder now
Let me hear you sing
And there you go: My life in song. It’s an eclectic mix, but it represents my journey so far. There are a lot not included here: the great hymns of the faith, fun camp songs, Broadway show tunes, and all the musicals our family enjoys. Variations on the music of the Mass, from Bach to Robert Ray and Carol Barnett, never cease to amaze. (Has someone done a hip-hop Mass?) There is a whole world of music to enjoy, and I intend to hear and sing as much as possible.
What songs make up the sound of your world?
I love this! And it's so cool to find out you were a choir singer. I sang choir all 4 years of high school, but you took it much further, and it sounds like it's brought you much joy.
I'm a bit behind you, having graduated high school in '89, but I'm totally with you on the 80s music: 99 Luftballoons, Alan Parsons, Mr. Roboto. It's the soundtrack of our lives.
This is beautiful, Stephanie, your life and that of your family measured in these milestone songs.
I would love to hear all of you sing Seven Bridges Road. It would be great if you would post an audio here!