Musical Tastes Part I: What I listened to through jr. high!

Growing up, music was (and still is) always a major part of my life.  I remember being in the first grade doing work by myself humming the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song.  Although I was in the zone, my teacher was apparently unimpressed, bringing me into the hall and reminding me (not so gently) that school is not the place for that kind of noise.  I was also part of the children's choir at our church.  While some of the kids in the group were shy and hesitant about their singing, I always posted up right in front of the microphone belting out the church hymns.  There weren't many moments in my youth that I wasn't singing, humming, or making some sort of noise (hence my father calling me "Noisy Noah").  I have always been fond of singing, loudly and freely in the presence of my close friends and family and on occasion around others.  As much as I enjoy singing and playing, just listening to music, so I am going to take you on a brief journey through middle school of my (sometimes embarrassing) musical tastes.

The Early Years (Pre-school): 

When I was very young (like most youngsters) I had very little control over what I listened to on the radio.  Due to this fact, my Mom and Dad dictated what we would be listening to on car rides or around the house.  When I was a little kid, we didn't have mp3's yet for immediate listening (or even CD's for that matter), so we were stuck with whatever cassette tapes that were kicking around the house. The two tapes that I remember being played most often around the house were Raffi and The Lion King Soundtrack, and we played those tapes all the way down to the bone.  Car rides were reserved for much more refined tastes.  Most often during short car rides, my mom would listen to NPR, rather than music, (probably because radio has too many commercials and juggling cassette tapes and four boys is difficult).  We would sit in the back seat complaining until our faces turned blue, but there was no getting around All Things Considered, Prairie Home Companion, or Car Talk while we drove around town.  However, on the occasions when music was playing in the car, more often then not, we were bumping the Phantom of The Opera soundtrack.  I'm not sure what drew my family to soundtracks, but we loved them.  Obviously, the music is amazing, and I would try so hard to emulate the voices coming through the radio.  At that age, I was much closer to Christine Daaé (to this day, still my favorite song from Phantom).  Clearly, based on what I was listening to, I was a very sophisticated young child, then I began listening to popular radio.

Grades K-3: The Mississippi Years

Look at these studs (Hanson)

This era (in my opinion) was a particularly golden age for music.  I really enjoyed many of the songs that were popular then and still find myself listening to many of the same tunes today.  Down in Mississippi, the radio station that played the most up to date popular music was Y 101 Jackson.  I will always remember running errands with my dad on Saturday mornings listening to Casey Kasem's Top 40 countdown.  The following five songs stick out for various reasons:
1. My Heart Will Go On- Celine Dion  
This song is absolutely incredible.  It was the biggest hit, written for the highest grossing film in history (at that point).  I was in second grade when this song became a smash hit, and EVERYONE needed the soundtrack.  I mean, just look at the video (the link above)!  Not only does it have clips from a fantastic movie, but also a dramatic close-up of beautiful Celine Dion.

2. I Don't Want to Miss A Thing- Aerosmith
I will continue on the soundtrack vain with this gem.  This song is a perfect love ballad, written by an excellent New England rock band.  Armageddon was definitely a blockbuster hit, but this song completed star-studded puzzle.  I can remember very clearly this song being played at a party down the street for some friends that were moving out of state.  This is also the only song that I have ever sang for karaoke (not an easy task).

3. Lovefool- The Cardigans
There were most definitely more popular songs at this time, but the bros and I were oddly obsessed with this one.  I can distinctly remember calling in to the radio station regularly requesting this song.  At that time, I thought the song's name was "Love pool," so the radio dj's probably thought I was crazy.  I love how listening to this song can bring me back to an exact moment in my childhood.

4. Tubthumping- Chumbawamba
I realize that this song has also probably made a few top five most inappropriate lists, but what was more fun than dancing along to the chorus and falling down around the house?  I still cannot believe that this song was played on the radio as much as it was, but it was very easy to be "kissing the night night away" instead.

5. What If God Was One of Us- Joan Osborne
This was my favorite song from a very good 38th Grammys CD (Gangsta's Paradise, Let Her Cry, One Sweet Day, Waterfalls, Kiss From A Rose, and I Can Love You Like That, just to name a few) that my family played very frequently.  The song was very family friendly, and for a church boy like me it was the perfect song to belt out around the house!

Honorable Mentions: mmmBop!- Hanson, Wannabe- Spice Girls, Truly Madly Deeply- Savage Garden, Semi-Charmed Life- Third Eye Blind, Barbie Girl- Aqua, I Believe I Can Fly- R. Kelly (Thanks Space Jam), Breakfast At Tiffany's- Deep Blue Something, One Headlight- Wallflowers

Grades 4-6: Boy Bands and Brotherly Influence

This was definitely hanging up in my room

When I moved back to Maine, the world was being introduced to: Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, The Backstreet Boys, and N'Sync.  My biggest influences in my musical preferences at this time were my older brothers and my classmates.  With Joe being a freshman in high school (when I was in fourth grade) and Josh being in eighth grade, some of my tastes may have been a little bit more mature than my peers.  I am going to do some songs in this section, but I will also be mixing bands and solo artists in as well.

1. I Want It That Way- Backstreet Boys
Question: Whats cooler than five guys singing in harmony? Answer: Five guys singing in harmony in an airport hanger!  I was definitely a Backstreet Boys kind of kid.  For whatever reason, I was all in on their wagon, and the first person in line in the N'Sync haters club.  It wasn't until college that I was finally convinced that Justin Timberlake is a stellar artist (I have come around on N'Sync as well).

2. Creed
I have to give full credit to my oldest brother Joe for my Creed fandom.  For a while in the Spofford household, whether we liked it or not, Creed was going to be played loudly.  Although they have since fallen out of popular opinion due to some questionable actions by Scott Stapp, their lead singer, they definitely wrote some catchy tunes.

3. Meet Virginia- Train (and subsequently many more of their songs)
I will admit it, I am a big fan of Train.  Isaiah and I joke that I hear a Train song one time, and I am able to remember the words immediately.  This was the first of their hit singles, and it does not disappoint.  In the interest of not putting Train in this blog, I will list their other songs that I really enjoy: Hey, Soul Sister, Drive By, Drops of Jupiter, Calling All Angels, and Marry Me.  Their staying power in the music industry has been a little bit surprising, but not disappointing.

4. Perfect Gentleman- Wyclef Jean
This era also corresponded with the advent of mix cd's, and when I got a hold of my older brother's cds, I was exposed to a whole world of music.  I had no idea what Wyclef was singing about, but I loved the beat and the enthusiasm with which my brothers (particularly Josh) had about this song.

5. Avril Lavigne
Ugh, I can't believe that this is true, but this was the first CD that I ever purchased with my own money.  I had just gotten a CD walkman from my parents for my birthday and needed to get some music to fill it up, so this is what I bought.  I will say that she had some super catchy song, and I love that she spelled skater boy "sk8er boi," that is super early-2000's.  There were few things cooler than punk rocker chicks at this time, so I guess my purchase is semi-defensible, but just barely.

Honorable Mention: Say My Name- Destiny's Child, Summer Girls- LFO (Please watch this link and listen to their rhymes), Shania Twain, The Way- Fastball, Because I Got High- Afroman

Grades 7-8: Musical Explosion
Seventh and Eighth grade were massive for the maturation of my musical tastes.  It was at this time, that I started to develop my own opinion on music and what I wanted to listen to.  I was obviously still influenced by the radio and what people around me were listening to, but my independence was developing.  There were so many artists and songs during these two years that I could probably write an entire blog solely dedicated to it, but I will try to filter it out to the best of the best.

1. Outkast
I believe that I was in 8th grade when Outkast released Speakerboxx/The Love Below, and my mind was blown.  Rap music was obviously very popular at this time with the rise of Eminem and the comeback of Dr. Dre, but Outkast had the knack of creating super catchy beats with amazing lyrics.  They definitely opened the door for rap singers and groups from Atlanta to make it big, and this double release was (at the time) the final chapter in their amazing rap career.  My two favorite songs were Roses and the best music video of all time, Hey Ya:
 
ANDRE 3000 PLAYS HIMSELF AS THE ENTIRE BAND!!!  Although, going back and watches the Roses video, it is clear, this was a golden age for music videos.

2. Hero- Enrique Iglesias
Enrique was always making hot and heavy music videos, but I loved this song because it was the best slow dance song in all of junior high.  If this song came on and you didn't have a dance partner, you better have been hightailing it over to the crying/drama section, because this was the jr high relationship sealer.  Thank you Enrique for all you did for us!

3. Sum 41
In the age of young skater punks, Sum 41 were the heroes of the day.  Their bad behavior and crazy punk rock music, got even the best behaved kids to take some chances.  I listened to their cds so much that eventually they wouldn't work for me. Their biggest hit was Fat Lip and it was a real doozy.  I also truly enjoyed Blink-182, but they were a little bit early for my rebellious streak, so Sum 41 fell in at the perfect time.

4. Gorillaz
I mean, what was cooler than a band that was represented by cartoons?  Their biggest song was definitely Clint Eastwood, but my favorite song was 19-2000, because it was much more upbeat and on the intro video to FIFA 2002.  I always wanted to experience a Gorillaz concert, but never had the opportunity to do so.

5. Pearl Jam   
Any musical list that I make would be incomplete without the mention of Pearl Jam.  Our family became Pearl Jam fans much later than many PJ fans, as Joe discovered them in high school.  We thought that Creed was played a lot, but Pearl Jam was non-stop.  Joe would wake up and immediately begin blasting Elderly Woman.  It is difficult to find any Pearl Jam songs that I don't like, with Eddie Vedder's signature brooding voice driving the music.  Pearl Jam has since become a band that can be heard on rock stations at nearly every time of the day, and I don't hate it.  My favorite song is Betterman, as it has amazing lyrics and also spurred the chill inducing live performance, where the crowd sings the whole song (see link).

Honorable Mention: Mambo No. 5- Lou Bega, Who Let The Dogs Out- Baha Men, Simple Plan, Jasmin- Youth Asylum (that's for you Isaiah), She Will Be Loved- Maroon 5, Eminem, Nelly, Shake Ya Tailfeather- Nelly ft. P. Diddy and Murphy Lee, and many more.

I know that I missed some throughout, but these were clearly the songs and artists who stuck out most clearly.  This undertaking really stretched my memory and brought back some really beautiful memories.  It is truly amazing what music does for the mind! Hope you enjoy.

Until next time!