Sunday, June 28, 2009

Our Soundtrack

Music has always been an outlet that I have thoroughly enjoyed. While I wouldn’t describe myself as a flat-out music junkie, I do enjoy music not only for the rhythm, the beat, or the words, but for the fact that sometimes music can actually take you back to a certain time or place in your life that you vividly remember. I purposely have been avoiding two particular artists in my iTunes catalog for the past 6 months and with good reason. If scent is the strongest sense tied to memory, then music is has taken on a whole new smell for me. The birthplace of the Blues is Memphis, TN and that fact in itself is ironic enough for me. During my time there I was fortunate enough to meet a legendary Beale Street musician by the name of Preston Shannon. It was merely my line of work that coincidentally lead me to cross paths with Preston, and after we handled our business, he gave me a copy of his most popular album along with a magazine in which he graced the cover.

My lady and I instantly became huge fans and almost wore out the disc playing it every night. Soft music is much more soothing after a long day at the office than any of the reality television garbage that dominates the prime-time lineups. Michael Buble’s album “It’s Time” also became a favorite of mine, more so because it was KB’s favorite, though I was happy to oblige my ears and listen. At this point, I was more than happy to branch out from my usual play-list of Yo Gotti, SOJA & Kottonmouth Kings to enjoy musicians I hadn’t previously even heard of.

Fast forward to the present and the recent death of the King of Pop. Countless numbers of fans have all stated that MJ provided the soundtrack to their life. That was when it hit me. Here I have been neglecting the music that not only was introduced to me by KB, but was without a doubt the soundtrack to the happiest period of time in my life. My approach: out of sight, out of mind. If I didn’t ever hear those tracks again I’d be ok, or so I thought. However every scroll through my play-list was a clear reminder of what I was missing. The emotions and memories all came rushing back to me as though I was right back in the thick of things. It made me realize how grateful I am to have this music that is so reminiscent of KB. As is often the case, “the best days in life will be the ones most missed!”

“A year ago today honey, @ Firebirds and then your house is where it all started! I Love You even more now and pray you continue to watch over me! The more time that passes, the more I miss you. I’m preparing myself for the next 6 months, as surely they will be the toughest. I’m struggling to regain the passion and the smile that you brought out in me so easily, but at least now I can enjoy the memories of our soundtrack. "You & I" by Michael Buble! You already know this but I still refuse to see Benjamin Button. You & I will see that together one day up in Heaven.”

All My Love,

Your Baby

No comments: