Songs For Your Day

Once, back when I was wearing smiley-faced black rimmed baby tee’s and Greenday’s Nimrod had great emotional relevance to me, my best friend Amy sent me a mix cd.  Amy, who had been my best friend since I lived in Chicago, played a pivotal role in my musical development. She steered me away from the soft-rock radio stations I had been limited to and introduced me to Weezer’s Pinkerton, Green Day’s Dookie, Ash, Ben Kweller, and Ben Folds. By the time our friendship had really blossomed I was in seventh grade, and my bangs were perfectly curled, and soccer season was in full force.

All of her mixes came complete with accompanying playlist and home-made cover art, usually featuring pictures of the bands included, and sometimes some really classic windows fonts. This one that arrived was entitled “The Velvet Goldmine Strikes Back!” and had mirrored images of Jonathan Rhys-Meyers in his glam-rock getup on the cover, with the title bowed over either side of his head. Eagerly I opened the case and put the cd in my boom box, (which was about the same size of me at the time)..

It’s a great mix cd, still holds up, full of greats: songs from Hedwig and the Angry Itch, Ben Folds covers of Beatles songs, Ozma.

When track six came on I heard the tinkle of fingers waltzing upward on the piano and then … TRUMPET! loud and bellowing! and then a rugged an old man’s creaky voice…

“Hold me close and hold me fast… this magic spell you cast… this is la vie en rose!”

“WHOA! Who is this guy?” opening up the cd case as I spoke to myself, “Louis Armstrong?” I put the song on repeat and turned up the volume. Twenty minutes later dinner was ready, and I ignored my mother’s voice from the bottom of the stairs. “LAAAAURAAAAAAA! Dinnnerrrrrrrrr!” after five minutes of yelling she came upstairs and opened the door. “Laura! Dinner is getting cold! What are yo-”

And when you speak aaaangels sing from abooooove… I stood up and began to sing with Louis. She dropped her arm and started to tear up. Where did you find this? she asked,  her eyes wide and glossed. I told her Amy sent it to me and she smiled.

“My mother used to sing this song to me when she was making dinner” she said

We hugged and let the song finish, then went downstairs to join the family.