Thursday 3 March 2011

My summer of musical education

When I was a small child of four or five, my parents took us all to wales for (what felt to my tiny brain) like the entire summer but was no doubt just a fortnight.
In every bar we went into there was a jukebox and I would beg and plead my dad for some pennies so I could go pick a song. I was soon known as the little girl who ran madly to the jukebox and proceeded to read all the titles off so I could pick one. I'd stand at the jukebox demanding in my tiny high-pitched voice, "I want QUEEN."
My Dad would select Queen bohemian rhapsody and I would twirl around the dance floor acting out the parts of the song I understood.
One day an old (to me) man was picking some tunes and asked me what I would like to hear to which I, of course, screeched "QUEEN." *music starts*

ME: "That's not queen"
Mysterious man: "Yes it is"
ME: "nuh-uh where's the gallalio,gallilao,gallilao"

This is when I learnt that QUEEN was not the name of the song but the artist. This is also where the poor MM learned that all his cash would go on trying to appease the small sobbing child with the song she wanted, and when it wasn't on the jukebox, the poor MM attempted to sing it off-key to the small woeful child.

While we travelled my mum must-have been in a Belinda Carlisle phase as the music journey around Wales was filled with her songs. This backfired heavily on my parents, my small impressionable mind quickly picked up the tunes and the lyrics (well some of them) and every time we got in the car I'd start going "Berlinda carstile berlinda carstile" until someone would put that music in. I even tried finding it on the jukeboxes in the pubs we went to but it seemed Wales hadn't heard of Belinda.
Whenever we went to a beach I would draw circles and start singing "circle's in the sand go round and round" while dashing around. My mum even changed the lyrics of "Honey leave the light on for me" to
"Mummy leave the light on for me I'll be scared before you close the door so give me all the light that I need" - this fatal mistake haunted her for the next eight years whenever she would try to turn the hall light off on her scared-of-the-dark daughter.

One night there was a costume/talent show at the park we stayed at, my parents dressed me up as an unruly tooth fairy and coached me on the poem I was going to say. The whole "contest" went well, initially, I was sweet and cute but when the singing round came despite my mum begging me to just sing the song from the little mermaid I looked at my 'twinkle twinkle' singing competitors and I was DETERMINED I was going to sing some Belinda Carlisle. I stood out on that stage and started singing
"Circles in the sand go round and round" (blank stares from the audience, maybe this is because I started at the chorus) "mumble mumble rooms of what we've found" *more blank looks* "I didn'ty beep my heart or two my love is all you neeeeed" (how can they not know this song, my mum does) "Circles in the sand go round and round"
So I didn't know the lyrics but I was determined to show them what an awesome song it was and started prancing around the stage. I think I saw my Mum actually cringing.

Nobody won the competition, we all got "winners" certificates and goody bags, but I swear I made a difference and future welsh sales of Belinda's CD were solely down to me and people wanting to know what on earth I'd been singing.

The whole deal backfired on my parents though as the entire 5 hour journey home was filled with Belinda, even when my mum tried to "break" the cassette my skilled 4yr old mind repaired it.

5 comments:

  1. I would have given you a standing ovation.

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  2. I think I truly deserved one, I began to falter when no one was cheering or joining in but I kept going anyway, louder just in case they couldn't hear me.

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  3. I love me some Berlinda... but I almost killed my cousin on vacation one summer when all he would play was "Highway to the Danger Zone" (yes, from the Top Gun soundtrack) over and over again... and that damn tape REFUSED to break! Dear Sweet Mama still flinches if she hears that song!

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  4. Ahaha my parents tried to break my "professor playtime" tape too I got used to taking a pancil in the car with me so I could fix these tapes.

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  5. Right now, Belinda Carlisle is pumping her fist in the air and yelling "We ROCKED Wales!"
    Yep, she is.

    My favorite part ... "louder just in case they couldn't hear me." You are SO my hero!

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