My name is Michael, I've got a nickel

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Isn't it amazing how something as simple as a song can take you back many, many years? Even if you haven't heard it in forever, it never fails to evoke memories for times gone by. That happened to me twice today.

When I was little, both of my parents worked full-time, so before I was school-aged I attended an in-home daycare run by Betty. Betty was the one who taught me how to make Kool-Aid (back when you had to add the sugar), gave me my first blankie, and fostered my love of drawing. One of my many memories was the transistor radio that was always tuned to AM-1370 WIBC. Today's it's a talk radio station, but back then it was the classic AM music station. And there were many, many songs I used to hear played on there that to this day still remind me of Betty's (and the late 70s/early 80s): "Rocky Top," "She's Always A Woman," "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)," "We Will Rock You," "Rhinestone Cowboy," "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue."

I heard the latter two today, back-to-back, on the Muzak during lunch. Wow. To hear two songs in a row that I used to love so much as a child was thrilling in a nostalgic sort of way. Then and there I updated my Facebook status to comment that if I could just heard "Playground In My Mind," life would be complete.

If you're not familiar with it, "Playground In My Mind" was a #2 hit for Clint Holmes in 1973. It's a simple but catchy song, but was always a favorite because the first chorus features a small boy named Michael. We had the 45 (I don't know if my parents bought it for me or if we just had it) and I loved, loved, loved it. My dad and I used to sing it often. It also inspired the name of my other blog.

In response to my Facebook status, one of my relatives posted the link to the video below. It brought a tear of happiness, so I have to share it.