Music is huge in my house. I could do “5 songs” for many different reasons, lyrics are very important to me, like poetry, the meaning is universal yet very personal, open to some interpretation. It’s also very comman to have songs mark memories. For us as a family this is very poignant.
When each of my children were born, the first song my husband heard as he got into the car became their song 😀
My son was an unexpected but wonderful surprise. I loved being pregnant despite my whale-esque proportions and despite being a new mom to be, I wasn’t terrified of the thought of childbirth as I’d picked the very hospital I trained in. My colleagues were gonna be there for me. Unfortunately birth never goes as planned and we nearly lost our son. An emergency high forceps delivered my very weak lil boy and a year of excessive pain as mommy healed was ahead of me. But right then. Looking into my sons face that very first time. Instant love. He was born on a sunny Friday morning. Shattered, overwhelmed but so very happy my husband climbed into the car. He switched on the radio. My sons song blasted out. The Cure Friday I’m in Love. You couldn’t have picked a better song if you’d tried.
Four years on and I was back up at the hospital. Wiser, more prepared, the birth was very quick “easy” and no complications. Unlike my son, my daughter came rushing into the world crying sore, announcing to the world “I’m here”. I fell in love again that day. I didn’t know her and yet I felt I’d never not known her. An elated daddy, off to announce he’d produced a “gentlemans family” he switched on the radio. Her song. Ocean Colour Scene. The Circle.Â
Fourteen and a half months later I was back up in maternity!! Yup. No time wasted changing the gentlemans family from two to three ;D it was slightly different again. My waters were leaking. Contractions rapid. They wanted me up as no 2 birth was so quick. “No room at the inn” they had to put me on a ward and wait for delivery to clear. Ever the practical man, my husband decided a McDonald’s was a necessity, leaving me alone. Whilst in the queue in McDonalds my sons song came on the radio. Not a rare song but still quite uncanny. When the next song came on the radio my husband stopped mid-order, it was my daughters song. Now hers is more rare but there they were. Back to back. A third song came on as he grabbed his burger and ran. He arrived back to tell me his tale to find me pacing up and down and trying not to push. A bed became free in delivery. 5 mins after getting there I was sitting in a chair breast feeding my daughter. Yes. It was that quick. And no. If it hadn’t been caught on film I think we all would’ve missed it!
Again off went daddy to share the jubilant news. The radio went on. That third song that had played after the other two  in McDonalds, it played in our car. Song 3 Perfect Day by Lou Reed. Even writing this down it sounds to good to be true. But it is. You can ask the source, which brings me to song 4.
This will always remind him of me, and me of him. Joe Satriani Always with me, Always with you. We’ve been together for 27 years. We’ve had just about everything testing our relationship. It’s been very tough at times, we’ve nearly gone our separate ways, but something, something has prevented us from doing that. This song constantly reminds us that in-spite of everything that has passed and no matter how things pan out in the future, we have that song.
My final song is one of my favourites and I have to laugh as it’s a band that my muso husband dislikes BUT, he likes me enough to tolerate me blasting their albums as and when I see fit. My song. REM Nightswimming. It describes a moment. For me moments are very important. I’ve blogged re many special moments in my tumblr blog. I’ve now shared more moments above. These are the five songs that I associate with my family
So my 5 songs are:
The Cure Friday I’m in love
Ocean Colour Scene The Circle
Lou Reed Perfect Day
Joe Satriani Always with me, always with you
R.E.M Â Nightswimming
