I grew up with a Dad and Mom who got along best while playing Beethoven’s Symphonies for 4 Hands. They were masterful. For my Dad’s 50th birthday I learned a portion of one of the symphonies to play with him. Sadly, I did not inherit any of his innate abilities, but I did manifest a love of music that gripped my soul and shifted my moods on demand. Music has always been the best medicine.

My parents marriage didn’t make it past 22 years, but no matter how much they bickered, the music would drown out the lingering tension when my Dad blasted Schumann throughout the house. It may have been then that I knew that music was powerful medicine that could transport me into a different realm.

My Harman Kardon stereo was my bed mate in high school. America’s Horse with No Name, The Doors Rider’s On The Storm, and Steve Miller’s Joker and Toker and Midnight Smoker tucked me into my dreams each night.

I can’t remember it all but Bruce Springsteen carried me through my first romance and although I gave up the boyfriend, I never gave up Bruce.

My husband and I courted to phone calls with Marvin Gaye playing over the long distance phone lines between our visits.

No matter how tense it got in our home raising 2 energetic boys 2 years apart, the music would center our family and dancing to Yellow Submarine would fill us with laughs and hugs and bring us together like the the perfect meal filling hungry tummies.

It was no surprise our kids got the music genes. My boys were into piano and guitar and singing and endless free-styling. Dancing in the kitchen to the Beatle’s Maxwell’s Silver Hammer, and Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club was ritualistic.  Music filled our family van on our weekend road trips to Vermont which vibrated with the kids belting out every word they’d memorized from the Who’s Rock Opera, Tommy.  Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love was our rev-up theme song for big days on the slopes.

Reflecting about music in our family, the other day as I was skiing and loving the snow and loving my day, I had that pang, wishing I could share it all with my boys who are busy in their own lives now. As I reflected on how our family has been drawn apart this year, I had a sinking moment but then I put on Led Zeppelin and my heart lifted.  Memories past and present drew me right back into the sweet zone.

And so it goes, time marches on but, those special songs are bookmarks of the moments of a point in time when they were encrypted in my brain and, when replayed, they  magically stir up that place and time.  

Spotify is a breeze to organize for creating a conservatory of our life’s library of music and I love putting together playlists that I can effortlessly swipe into. Here’s a few of my favorites that I put together and call Felice’s Playlist. You are welcome to listen in……Here’s a playlist for you… Felice’s Playlist  by feliceba50
https://open.spotify.com/user/feliceba50/playlist/1DVpS5g1n7kGniI3Pml96w?si=DVGFiQPjSy-X0a–HGNfdQ