The Music of Our lives

One musician, more than all the others, has sung the music of our lives. Carole King's voice, words, and piano have drifted through so many years of our memories and even before we knew her voice, we knew her songs because she was writing and publishing music long before her own voice painted the airwaves.

I remember listening to "Up on the Roof" with my dad when I was a youngster spending the weekend at his house. He had a paper route for the Los Angeles Times and I would go with him in the wee hours of morning. I'd sit in the back seat of that ugly Nash Rambler rolling papers and putting a rubber-band around each one. Then I'd drop it onto the front seat. He would drive through neighborhoods with both front windows rolled down, pitching papers from our position at the curb to the front porch with the wheels of the car slowing slightly, but never stopping. Then later sitting in a coffee shop eating a donut while sipping hot chocolate and Dad drinking coffee, he'd play the jukebox. "Up on the Roof" (written by Carole King) was one that he commented on. He liked it a lot. I still do because it takes me right back to Daddy, LA Times, and donuts, and I know that "When this old world starts getting me down . . . " that music, lots of music, will take me away.

Another Carole King song I remember listening to "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" when Mr. Fun broke-up with me because his former girlfriend had come back into the scene and wanted to strike-up the relationship again. That moment was a mess. For hours I played "Will You Still Love Me . . . " letting those words wash over me to soothe and comfort the teenage hurt I was experiencing. Then ultimately (long story) Mr. Fun came back to me and well, the rest is history.

This morning I went looking for Carole King's music because here at "Fun-ville" we have an annual tradition. The last night of July we ALWAYS play Carole King's song "The First Day of August" from her Rhymes & Reasons LP because it just says what we know we need to hear:

On the first day in August
I want to wake up by your side
After sleeping with you
On the last night in July
In the morning
We'll catch the sun rising
And we'll chase it from the mountains
To the bottom of the sea

When the day is over
And the night air comes to chill us
You'll build a fire
And we'll watch the flames dancing

You'll fall asleep
With your arm around my shoulder
And nothing will come between us
On the first night in August
The first day in August

On August 1st several years ago we did what the song says, we drove from Yosemite to the coast at Monterey . . . now a fabulous memory.

So today we're ready for that special moment a little more than a week from now when July will pour itself into August . . . if only I could get as organized and prepared in so many other aspects of our life . . . later . . . I'll do that later. Today, we're still on vacation, but what we're really doing is "Staycation" (explained in yesterday's blip).

And please rest assured that we've loved the tunes of many many other musicians. I've mentioned some of them here and here. But today was a Carole King day for Rosie & Mr. Fun and we'll revisit her music again the end of this month.

Okay, that's it for this Wednesday afternoon in Southern California. We're headed to the coast to have dinner and watch the sunset over the Pacific from the shores of Laguna Beach. Tomorrow is Blip #200! Woohoo!

Rosie & Mr. Fun, aka Carol