A fun discussion of sorts between My Texting SB and me got me thinking about the songs that remind me of different people, including my Sunday Boyfriends. You have these same types of flashbacks/memory associations when hearing a song, don’t you? Yeah, I thought you did.
So this week, I thought it would be fun to share what songs remind me of each of my Sunday Boyfriends in an effort to not only entertain, but also inspire others to create their own soundtracks. In the future, I’ll be posting suggested soundtracks for different SB scenarios. But this week it’s all about my SBs. So in a practice of honest disclosure, here goes:
My Texting SB: Prince’s, You Sexy Mother…; Imogen Heap’s, Goodnight and Go; Michael Jackson’s, PYT; and Blonde’s, Heart of Glass. My Texting SB has several songs for several reasons. The most recent addition to his soundtrack, Prince’s, You Sexy Mother…, came about after finding out his middle name. Is his middle name sexy enough to trigger one of Prince’s (pre “found religion”) salacious anthems? Well, in a way it is because of how he shared it with me. Some of his other tracks came about after being stuck in traffic. Really, they did. About a year and a half ago I was stuck in some terrible traffic. Looking for some company, I texted him. We created a game where I would send the title of a song that came on the radio and he would attempt to send a lyric. Among many other things, he is a musician. Now remember, in an earlier post, I told you he was multi-faceted. So, I thought it would be fun to test his lyrical skills. And despite my best efforts to stump him, I couldn’t. But really, in a way, I won because it confirmed just how awesome he is. In that texting session, I found out he likes Blonde (hence, Heart of Glass) and has a sense of humor with Michael Jackson’s, PYT. Now, the Imogen Heap ballad is on the list because when I heard it for the first time I thought of a moment, many years ago, when he walked with me to my car. Before saying goodnight, he looked down at my boots and said, “You know, you can always trust a person who wears square-toed shoes.” Simply, adorable…
My Email SB: Rick Springfield’s, Jessie’s Girl. If you’ve been reading my blog, you know he is my first Sunday Boyfriend. This is going to be a bit revealing for me, but when in high school…okay, okay…even AFTER high school, I used to love to do a, what I’ll call, wacky air-guitar rendition of the Springfield hit. It used to make people laugh. And I found I liked to make people laugh. My Email SB is one of the few folks still in my life that can remember these embarrassing shenanigans. And just the other day, he told me that during the dark times of our relationship, he would think of me every time he heard that song. Awe…that was so sweet! So now, every time I hear Jessie’s Girl, I think of him…and I try to erase the air-guitar.
My Gay SB: Tina Turner’s, What’s Love Got To Do With It and Journey’s, Faithfully. All right, here’s the story with the Turner classic–when Sunday Boyfriend first started, I thought it would be fun to promote it by going to concerts and giving SB t-shirts away. People didn’t have to do anything for it other than being themselves and having a good time. Ever been to a concert and seen someone enjoying themselves? I’m not just talking about smiling and applauding; but someone really getting into the song, singing at the top of their voice, and dancing with reckless abandon? These are the type of folks I was looking for. Because, secretly, I wanted to be just like them but always felt too intimidated to let totally loose. So instead, I would celebrate their ability to have fun on their terms—a core philosophy of Sunday Boyfriend—by giving away SB t-shirts. My Gay SB came with me to a Tina Turner concert to not only help choose a person to receive the t-shirt, but also hand deliver it. It was a great show. I got to see it with one of my best friends and make one person really happy about letting go and having fun. As for Faithully? I recently found out he was put off by someone begrudging the song. And even though it’s one of those cheesy love songs that everyone knows, and I’m sure has no doubt inspired an inebriated/impromptu sing-a-long with strangers, I couldn’t help but get all warm and fuzzy knowing he would stand up for it. Because that’s the kind of guy he is…someone that stands up for what he believes in and loves…Faithfully and all. And how great is it to have people like this in your life? It’s everything! So now it’s on his soundtrack.
My Facebook SB: Sara Bareilles’, Love Song. My Facebook SB helped me with the same sort of Sunday Boyfriend t-shirt promotion. But this time it was at a Sara Bareilles concert. It was at a time when she was on the verge of exploding on the scene. The venue was small and packed; packed with the type of crowd that was too young for Sunday Boyfriend—YIKES! So, after My Facebook SB and I got a good chuckle at the situation, we agreed to give the t-shirt to the underutilized bartender. He walked up to the bar, ordered two drinks for us and hand delivered the shirt to the surprised bartender. She was happy to receive it and got a kick out of the situation as well. It was a fun night and I always think of My Facebook SB when I hear Bareilles.
My College SB: Marvin Gaye’s Box Set; LL Cool J’s, Mama Said Knock You Out; and Amy Grant’s, Baby Baby. All right, this list isn’t exactly one song, but I’ve known My College SB for a long time, on a number of levels, so it makes sense that there would be more than one song. I’ll work my way backwards and start with Amy Grant’s, Baby Baby. Back in the days when we were dating, My College SB and I took a drive. I don’t remember where we were going, but I remember Amy Grant’s Baby Baby coming on the radio. I started to sing along. After the first chorus, he asked me who was singing the song. I told him Grant. He then told me to “let her” and laughed. Arrrgggg! Remember, I told you he was a button pusher. I ignored the jab and kept singing. He told me again to let Grant do all the signing. See, more button pushing. Now I admit I’m no Susan Tedeschi, but I’m not Roseanne Barr either. So while he was trying to be funny, my feelings were hurt. So, I lashed out and we got into an argument. After that, I really didn’t sing in front of people anymore; not sure if he knows that. Years later, after realizing it would have been better to stand up for myself by tell him to“pound sand” and just keep singing, I now belt out Baby Baby as loud as I can every time I hear it in an effort to take back my voice. It was a lesson…a lesson wrapped in a crummy package, but a lesson nonetheless. As for LL Cool J’s angry anthem, I remember (again when we were dating) My College SB doing a wacky dance and sing-a-long to its video. I remember laughing so hard it hurt. So whenever I hear that song, I think of that moment. And finally, Marvin Gaye’s Box Set. Years after dating, there was a time My College SB was also my landlord. I know, it sounds wacky. But, it was during a time in my life that I really needed the help and support of friends. And he was there for me. I’m forever grateful. Seeing as we were upstairs/downstairs neighbors, we could hear each other’s musical choices. One day he knocked on my door and asked to borrow the Marvin Gaye set. I was shocked that he would have liked Gaye’s style, but he said he was a musical connoisseur. It made me happy to find out something new about an old friend. So that’s why the box set is on the list.
My High School SB: Def Leppard’s, Pour Some Sugar On Me.This one wasn’t difficult at all. The ever-consummate rocker, My High School SB was notorious for belting out Def Leppard lyrics at high school events, the lunchroom and even classrooms. He was fun, bold and garnered attention. He loved, and still loves Def Leppard. As I mentioned in an earlier post, he’s loyal. And at a high school reunion, when a Def Leppard song was played, true to form, he sang along. Listening and watching him created a warm and comfortable feeling that made me want to hug him. So, no matter what happens in this life, I will always think of My High School SB with this, and all, Def Leppard songs.
My East Coast SB: Chaka Khan’s, Tell Me Something Good and I Feel For You. He is going to HATE that I associate him with these songs. But I LOVE it! A couple of years ago I was traveling to the East Coast and had a chance to hang out with My East Coast SB. We had a great time catching up over dinner and a later visit to a nearby music store. I was feeling a little old school and wanted some Chaka Khan and Stevie Wonder. He was, and continues to be into the techno scene. When we met at the checkout line, he saw my selections and started laughing. I said,“Hey, who do you think inspired some of today’s artists?” And we continued to debate the better music the rest of the night. So I put on my, “I’m Every Woman” hat and told him to listen to some Chaka to get some perspective. He told me to get out of the 1980s. Remember, he’s my tell-it-like-he-sees-it SB, so I wasn’t at all surprised at his comeback. But I kept thinking he should have included the 1970s as well. Regardless, because of this debate, I will always associate him with Chaka Kahn. Sorry, East Coast SB. It is what it is.
My West Coast SB: Beastie Boys’, So What’cha Want. My West Coast SB LOVES the Beastie Boys. He is notorious for singing along to all of their songs. And he’s really good at it. It doesn’t have to be at a party or get together for him to burst into song. It can be anywhere: the car, at work, on the phone and at restaurants at 2 am. Yep, ANYWHERE. And that’s part of the fun that is My West Coast SB. I don’t have a ton of the “Boys” in my collection, but I do have this song. It is great to listen to while working out, so I hear it from time to time and think of My West Coast SB.
So there you have it…My Sunday Boyfriend Soundtracks. I’m looking forward to adding more songs. As always you can find more information on my Sunday Boyfriends, Sunday Boyfriend relationships, as well as opportunities to share your own ideas at my blog http://sundayboyfriend.blogspot.com/, Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sunday-Boyfriend/20305680958, and Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/SundayBoyfriend
As always…stay comfy.
