The songs that matter.

jackhammer · 09-07-2010, 06:23 PM

THE PASSIONS

I have two journals on MB but I have been through a lot over the past year or so that ultimately ended in me seemingly losing my own identity and I really want to get back to what makes me tick.

This is a journal about the songs that still matter to me and make me who I am and isn't that what a journal is about?

My father is someone I came very close to despising for many years when I was a teenager. As far as I was concerned he tore my family apart through his infidelity when I was 14 and consequently my parents split. Through adult and not child eyes, I know he was just another man to end up loving someone else other than his wife for better or worse and once I recognised this I realised that we we were not too dissimilar character wise.

My father did and still does today; love music. We share very few bands together but he adores music and collected 7" singles for over 20 years and labeled them and wrote them down in a notebook he had and I know he was devastated when he had to part with them when the divorce came through and although his priority was his kids (indeed despite my hatred at the time i ended up sharing a home with my dad) I know it broke his heart to let them go and even now over 20 years later when he visits me, he brings his PC hard drive over and asks me if I want any music.

This love of music has absolutely shaped me and it still shapes me today ( he loves films too but that's another story) and whenever I meet my dad his utter enthusiasm and love for music keeps me going.

He used to regularly tape the charts (top 40) onto cassette in the 80's and certain songs stood out even though they had no particular relevance at that time other than being good tunes.

One of those tunes was by a band called The Passions and the only hit they had 'I'm In Love With A German Film Star'. i was 9 when I first heard this song and although I loved music, I couldn't conceptualise what it meant or understand the genre or the lyrics etc

However upon discovering the song a few years later I found that despite the nostalgia attached, I could still enjoy the song on it's own terms.

Obviously I think about my father whenever I hear this as he recorded the track (unwittingly) over a few cassettes and it ended up being played a lot more than the usual fare at that time.

Many many years on (in the mid noughties) I rediscovered the track and to my amazement found that it still sounded damn good. Is it the monotonous beat? The guitar track with that wonderfully simplistic guitar echo that seems to guide a light into the past and stay imprinted on the brain? Or is it the production? I didn't know what production was when I first heard it but even now it sounds vibrant with a hint of melancholia that I look for in music today.

I don't want people to say 'oh what a great track that was' or 'it's boring'. I just want people to understand WHY I like it and on a forum such as this I still hope that many tunes have an emotional connection as strong as a cerebral connection and enjoy the stories behind the music.

Music is not just something I listen to. I live it and breathe it and could NOT survive without it.

09-07-2010, 06:23 PM	#1 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	The songs that matter. THE PASSIONS I have two journals on MB but I have been through a lot over the past year or so that ultimately ended in me seemingly losing my own identity and I really want to get back to what makes me tick. This is a journal about the songs that still matter to me and make me who I am and isn't that what a journal is about? My father is someone I came very close to despising for many years when I was a teenager. As far as I was concerned he tore my family apart through his infidelity when I was 14 and consequently my parents split. Through adult and not child eyes, I know he was just another man to end up loving someone else other than his wife for better or worse and once I recognised this I realised that we we were not too dissimilar character wise. My father did and still does today; love music. We share very few bands together but he adores music and collected 7" singles for over 20 years and labeled them and wrote them down in a notebook he had and I know he was devastated when he had to part with them when the divorce came through and although his priority was his kids (indeed despite my hatred at the time i ended up sharing a home with my dad) I know it broke his heart to let them go and even now over 20 years later when he visits me, he brings his PC hard drive over and asks me if I want any music. This love of music has absolutely shaped me and it still shapes me today ( he loves films too but that's another story) and whenever I meet my dad his utter enthusiasm and love for music keeps me going. He used to regularly tape the charts (top 40) onto cassette in the 80's and certain songs stood out even though they had no particular relevance at that time other than being good tunes. One of those tunes was by a band called The Passions and the only hit they had 'I'm In Love With A German Film Star'. i was 9 when I first heard this song and although I loved music, I couldn't conceptualise what it meant or understand the genre or the lyrics etc However upon discovering the song a few years later I found that despite the nostalgia attached, I could still enjoy the song on it's own terms. Obviously I think about my father whenever I hear this as he recorded the track (unwittingly) over a few cassettes and it ended up being played a lot more than the usual fare at that time. Many many years on (in the mid noughties) I rediscovered the track and to my amazement found that it still sounded damn good. Is it the monotonous beat? The guitar track with that wonderfully simplistic guitar echo that seems to guide a light into the past and stay imprinted on the brain? Or is it the production? I didn't know what production was when I first heard it but even now it sounds vibrant with a hint of melancholia that I look for in music today. I don't want people to say 'oh what a great track that was' or 'it's boring'. I just want people to understand WHY I like it and on a forum such as this I still hope that many tunes have an emotional connection as strong as a cerebral connection and enjoy the stories behind the music. Music is not just something I listen to. I live it and breathe it and could NOT survive without it. __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”