Current soundtrack

I went down to New York a few weekends back. I grabbed three "new" cassette tapes to take along in the car; the Bodyguard soundtrack, The Jackson 5's Greatest Hits, and EnVogue's Funky Divas. I quickly got bored with the first one. I bought it for one song and one song only, and don't remember ever getting into any of the rest of the album. Let's reminisce on that one first- both to get it out of the way and because you know you love it:

Moving on....


I don't remember exactly when I started listening to The Jackson 5, but they were certainly one of my favorite groups when I was in middle school- a scant 20 years after their first album. If I remember right, I heard an EnVogue cover of "Who's Loving You". Once I heard the original though, I was hooked.

I always used to bop around to "ABC" and "I'll Be There". But as I was driving, playing this cassette back after at least a solid decade of it being tucked away, I could still sing along with songs like, "Mama's Peal", "Never Can Say Goodbye" and, one of my all time favorites, "I'm Going Back to Indiana". In the grand scheme of things, these songs are obviously not that obscure since they are on the Greatest Hits album. However, I would guess that for people in my age bracket or younger, they are generally not that well known.


And finally....

Again, I could still sing along to every song. I got this album when it came out in 1992. I would have been about 10. Listening to it as an adult, I anticipated humming along and laughing at an overly cheesy pop group. There were the voice over interludes, almost skits, between tracks; a hallmark of R&B at the time. However, I was as impressed now as I probably was then with the overall vocal quality and complex harmonies (though I probably wouldn't have put it in those words then).

The only thing I found mildly disturbing was that this was my favorite album when I was in 4th grade. 4th. Did you just watch the video above? Would you like another classic hit to see where I am going with this?

The thing I distinctly remember about watching this video as a kid was that there was no ambiguity for me as to what this song was about. This kind of stuff is peppered throughout the whole album. And there I was, thinking myself to be so hip and savvy because I could sing along.  When I was a kid, MTV and VH1 were the main venues for "PG 13" material like this. Now, it is far more prevalent and ratcheted up a notch. I shutter to think about the level of understanding the kids I work with have about the media they consume.

As I mutter to myself about, "kids these days..." I'll just slip into my waist high mom jeans and make sure my walker is ready for when I need it.


I had a conversation with my Dad the other day about my student loans. I explained that when I first applied for them, the grown up version of myself who would have to pay them off was just some random adult that I hadn't met yet, so screw that lady.  The same detachment sometimes applies when going through my old stuff. The person who procured these items sometimes reminds me more of the kids I have worked with and less like the individual I am. I sometimes worry about this kid.