Music!! It is part my me, part of my family heritage.
My mother sang in the choir at St. Barnabas in Beverly Hills, Chicago. Her sister, my aunt Lucia Rausch, was the choir director and to my older brother John (who spent hours listening to Wager operas in our dining room and waving a baton to conduct the music)…this was not new to our family.
Music calms as well as inspires. In my last post I wrote about swinging and singing… would you like to know what I was singing? Well in that early time it was: I’m Just A Girl Who Can’t Say No….I’m in a terrible fix. I always say come on let’s go, just when I ought to say nix. From the musical comedy, OKLAHOMA.
Readers today probably only know MY FAIR LADY, MUSIC MAN, CINDERELLA, SOUND OF MUSIC etc because your children or grandchildren are once again presenting these wonderful shows.
As each one appeared on broadway, my aunts bought the record and very soon I learned all the lyrics and sang them from my swing. (see last week’s post)
I did not get the winks or laughter from the adults when I say some of those lyrics…but I will always be grateful that they were mature and didn’t create some silly rule that would limit sexuality in songs. My mother referred to some of that culture when we did talk about sex.
And she always said…LOVE MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND. I used that with my own children, before realizing it was time to talk about sex. In our society today, they often know a lot, though in a confusing and unclear way. And sex has always been part of song…raunchy, tender, angry, sorrowful, it’s all there.
If you son or daughter is belting out a current pop hit…you might stop and ask them what the song means. They might know the details and again, they might not know. Terminology changes. Ways to describe having SEX cannot be counted.
It is always part of the challenge of parenting, especially when they act like they know EVERYTHING there is to know about SEX. But I guarantee, they do not.
Thanks for reading.
Sweet Baby James, Fire and Rain, Mean Old Man, Sweet Caroline, October Road, God Have Mercy ON Us,
9 Responses
This is an intriguing and important discussion. Yes it’s always helpful to talk things out – no matter what they might be. Silence hurts.
Yes, and I think we both have had that experience and learned to make sure the silence is broken and the bond of communication restored. Love you, Me
Music really is the sound track to most of our lives, bringing back memories of all kinds.
Carol, so so true. I can easily tear up when hearing a favorite song, the musicals that my aunts always
purchased led me to learn to sing early on..though I’m Just a Girl who Can’t Say No….not so appropriate at my early age!!
When I was a kid, I loved listening to the Broadway albums of West Side Story, Camelot, South Pacific, the list goes on and on. You’re right. They teach a lot about not only music, but the human condition. Still love them.
So true. I grew up singing Oklahoma, My Fair Lady, Cinderella, West Side Story…for me they were better then rock and roll. Thanks for writing.
Ah, yes, show tunes…and John in musical dream world.
Thanks for reading, Chuck. John was a great influence on my love of music, which he passed on to John Havey. We were
with him and his wife in Europe this past week and of course attended an opera and a symphony. Now we are all home again and hone is good!
Hi Chuck, we have been traveling and I did not see this. We actually were with him in Germany, saw play and attended a concert…John type stuff!!
He is doing well, healthy and happing this this second marriage. And always so kind and lovable to me, the way a brother should be.