The older we get the less we need and the less we want. The double negative Bono sings on “Beautiful Day” is a mantra to this notion: “what you don’t have you don’t need it now.”
That’s what makes birthdays tricky as you get older. Birthdays are typically an occasion for celebration, surprise, and getting a few things that you want or didn’t even know you wanted, but not necessarily things you need. That’s a grocery list.
One thing you should definitely get on your birthday is your favorite song. That song that brings back a flood of memories. That song that makes you want to get up and dance even when everyone else at the party is still sober and don’t have their dancing shoes on yet. That song that makes you search a crowded room for the person you share the joy of that song with so you can raise an eyebrow in mutual recognition. That song that sounds just as good on a tinny, car stereo cassette player as it does on a club’s enormous sound system. That song that takes you right back to the time and place you first heard it with just a few seconds of the opening drum beat or crashing guitar chord. Sometimes these are popular songs you share with everyone. Other times these are guilty pleasures you share with a few.
That’s what makes birthdays tricky as you get older. Birthdays are typically an occasion for celebration, surprise, and getting a few things that you want or didn’t even know you wanted, but not necessarily things you need. That’s a grocery list.
One thing you should definitely get on your birthday is your favorite song. That song that brings back a flood of memories. That song that makes you want to get up and dance even when everyone else at the party is still sober and don’t have their dancing shoes on yet. That song that makes you search a crowded room for the person you share the joy of that song with so you can raise an eyebrow in mutual recognition. That song that sounds just as good on a tinny, car stereo cassette player as it does on a club’s enormous sound system. That song that takes you right back to the time and place you first heard it with just a few seconds of the opening drum beat or crashing guitar chord. Sometimes these are popular songs you share with everyone. Other times these are guilty pleasures you share with a few.
Modern English is a British new wave band that started off as a dark, synth-driven group with Joy Division influences minus the genuine pain and angst. Fortunately they lightened up a little on their second album, After the Snow, to chase after the more popular sounds of Duran Duran and Simple Minds. That decision yielded them a signature hit single which, although it (unbelievably) only ever made it to #76 in the US charts and #18 in the UK charts, became an iconic new wave song that has achieved #1 hit popularity over the years. One review described “I Melt With You” as “A dreamy, creamy celebration of love and lust, which deserves to be showcased on a 12” single all by itself, with no B-side”, while another, in true British music critic form, described it as “suburban amateurism at its most unrewarding.”
I prefer the first observation and I know Lori does too. It’s one of her all time favorite songs. It makes her dance. It makes her happy. It reminds her of when we first met. It’s a staple on every mix tape we’ve made each other. It’s the perfect (and long overdue) choice for the Happy Medium Song of the Day on Lori’s birthday.
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(Please use the comments box to share your thoughts.)