So Happy Together

In an effort to dispel the bluesy feeling I had all weekend I turned to one of my best weapons against sadness...music. My old friend who has seen me through dark days and lonely times. The most recent funk having been born of frustration with the cynicism, inertia and insensitivity I had been encountering of late could only be conquered by it's polar opposite; peace, love and freedom. I needed to reconnect with my inner flower child, the free spirited little girl who was lucky enough to grow up in a decade and an environment where the adults around me spent their days making music and art, wearing flowers in their hair and life was a seemingly endless party. Our house was frequently visited by people who had made pilgrimages to San Francisco and returned with tales of communal living, concerts in the park and some other experiences that, although I didn't quite understand at the time seemed to leave them feeling very complete and at peace with the world.
As with most music genres many of the popular songs are about love, or some close approximation anyway. As I went through the playlist of some of my early favorites and sang along I felt, for a brief moment, a fleeting sense of sadness that I have no one to sing these declarations of love and devotion to. But I realized that one person alone shared all the memories that accompanied these songs. One person knew all the secrets they evoked, which songs were matched with which crush, which break up, which life event. One person knows what song was playing when I lost my virginity (well okay, two but I have no idea where the other is or even if he's still alive). While songs croon of lifelong love, few of us are lucky enough to experience that ideal. There is only one person we spend our entire lives with...ourselves.
This is not the first time I've written about this topic. I had posted a blog about spending my first single Valentine's Day by being my own Valentine. And I probably have a few more out there. It is something that has taken me nearly a lifetime to truly grasp and a few more years to accept, that I am my best friend. Yeah it sounds cheesy but, trust me, I have enough dimensions to my personality to keep it interesting. So today as the music lifted me out of my gloom, pulled me off the couch to dance through my apartment waving my arms around like a damn fool and singing "so happy together..." I was singing to the only person in the room, the only person who knew the exact moves to the accompanying dance that I've been doing the same way for over 40 years. Me.
http://youtu.be/9ZEURntrQOg

© 2010-2013 Nanakoosa’s Place, authored by Jennifer Hazard

Women Who Rock

Tuesdays Tribute goes to Women Who Rock. You may or may not share my taste in
music, but I think most people can recall a song that speaks to one's heart or an artist who seems to have the ability to translate an emotion into pure sound. Whether it's love, lust, heartbreak or joy there are songs that speak to the nature of relationships. There are songs that tell stories of poverty, loss and difficult times. There are stories of courage and triumph. There are some that are just plain fun. There is music for driving, cleaning house, mediating or making love (hey there Marvin Gaye)

For me, probably in part to the era I was born into and in part to my unconventional and rebellious nature I have always loved rock and roll. Music has been my voice when I was muted, or merely unable to find the words to express what I was feeling. From the time I was little jumping on my bed listening to 45's on my record player (the kind that came in a case somewhat like a small suitcase) to the time I celebrated my 50th birthday by going to a Metallica concert, music has been my constant companion.
One of my happiest memories is of being about 17 in a beautiful park in spring, spinning in circles in my long gauze skirt listening to Stevie Nicks singing "Rhiannon". Around the same time, maybe a year or two later, when I was angry and disillusioned, punk rock pretty much took me out of my head and sent me thrashing to the dance floor with raw power and unleashed energy.
For many year and to this day, Rock and Roll has primarily been a male dominated world. In the 60's and 70's as women began to break the gender barriers in all fields there emerged women who defied convention and proved that a woman can be as soulful, as raunchy, as badass as any man. Todays tribute goes to those women who dared to pick up a guitar or drumsticks, beak out the leather jackets and tell the tales of our generation. Joan Jett and the Runaways gave voice to teenage girls, the ones of us who never played with Barbies, who didn't join the cheerleading squad and didn't want to be "nice". Pat Benetar is a little women with a big voice and a commanding presence. Patti Smith dared to be herself and told tales of a generation of seekers and the subculture of their time. Tina Turner broke free from her abusive husband with nothing but her name, a great pair of legs a voice from Heaven. Lene Lovich and Nina Hagen dared to be unique, innovative and creative. There are so many more I could mention but I'd go on for much too long so
I've enclosed a link to a playlist a few of my favorite women rockers and songs, not all the songs qualify as 'rock' but they all embody a sense of empowerment, a
clear signal that women's place is no longer limited to the kitchen.
Rock on Ladies!