On a lighter note.

Hi all,

I thought I would post something a little lighter as a bit of a diversion from the 24 hour news of coronovirus.

I was sitting listening to the radio yesterday and a song came on which took me straight back to my time in college which got me to thinking about other songs which prompted memories of times in my life. Not necessarily my favourite songs but memorable to me.

Here are some of mine. How about sharing some of yours?

When I was at primary school we had few records specifically for children, a couple of Disney ones and my favourite at the time, “Jake the peg” by Rolf Harris. You don't hear it much now for obvious reasons but at the lime I loved it and would sing along as I knew all the words and could do the accents as well.

Whenever we went to the seaside at that time I always seemed to hear “El Condor Pasa” by Simon and Garfunkel. It was on transistor radio's and blaring out of the bingo parlours and amusements (UK holidays only in those days). Hearing it always brings back good memories of ice cream, beaches and dish and chips.

We also had two coach trips to the coast each year, one with the Sunday School and one with the WI. I can remember endlessly repeating one verse and the chorus of “Yellow Submarine” as we didn't know the rest. It must have driven the adults absolutely mad. I still don't know all the words!

The classic “Cum on feel the noize” by Slade takes me back to the early years at senior School. Nuff said.

Having left school and started college on day release which included a night class I can remember driving the 30 miles back on a night and hearing Kate Bush sing “Wuthering Heights”. It was before it started getting daytime plays and was on something like John Peel and was like nothing I had ever heard before. The fact that I was driving along very quiet roads in the dark probably created the atmosphere for me.

On to college a few years later and the song that prompted my reminiscing , The Cure and “Stray cats”. There were other songs that we probably heard more and danced to in the night clubs but we would sometimes sing this one back at our student house whilst making the sounds of the snare drum and bass to accompany ourselves. We probably sounded more like Alley cats but it was fun.

A quick change of career later and I was finishing a course at Middlesex Uni. We had all handed our final piece of work in and met in the refectory and proceeded to get roaring drunk. I have a great memory of about forty or fifty students singing along at the tops of our voices to “Don't look back in anger” by Oasis.

Holidays abroad always seem to have their own theme tune so certain songs say Turkey, another Portugal and hearing a bouzouki is always Greece regardless of the tune. Too many to mention.

My wife and I share a hilarious memory of our son aged somewhere about 7 years old singing and dancing in all innocence to “Gimmie, gimmie, gimmie (a man after midnight)” by ABBA. It always makes us smile now when we hear it.

So how about hearing some of yours.

Gragon xx