Feeling Nostalgic

Hello to a new week everyone.

I’ve read this lately that the highly successful people do the things everyday that are mundane if it always gives them results. The unsuccessful ones will not. Since the mundane things are really boring, the unsuccessful ones will try to find fun things to do instead. Fun things yielding them nothing.

Music is life

Speaking of fun. Let me go back to a moment in time pre-pandemic.

I was in this store. They were playing “Keep It Coming Love” by KC and The Sunshine Band. I was walking in the isle looking for my items to buy. This lady came out of nowhere singing and dancing to this music. I laughed at her. She laughed and danced and sang even more throughout the song and she did so to the very end of the song. I left the store. Went back to the job and that song was stuck in my head for the remainder of the day. I even looked up the YouTube video and off we go singing with my co-workers. Then I found some other related songs on YouTube of various artists in that time. It brought back memories of growing up in my childhood.

Another artist that popped up was “A Taste of Honey”. These girls rock. There were guys in the band but the ladies with the instruments were the stars. They sang one of my favorite ballads to date: “Sukiyaki”.  A Taste of Honey- Sukiyaki(1980)

**”Sukiyaki” was a ballad first sang by a Japanese artist, Kyu Sakamoto, who sadly died in a passenger airline jet disaster in Japan. “Sukiyaki” wasn’t the original title to this song and this song was mainly sang in Japanese; but “A Taste Of Honey” made this song their own by recording their  own twist to it. This English version is not even the translation to the Japanese version. The music alone was adapted.  This song brought back memories of my younger years. Another hit by this group that I like was “Boogie Oogie Oogie” the base rift was “off the chain” This was in the Disco era as well.

**For the record: The title of the song was changed from “Ue o Muite Arukou” (I will look up as I walk) to “Sukiyaki” since Sukiyaki was more recognizable to English speakers. Sukiyaki is a Japanese dish and nothing to do with the song. One columnist wrote: ” The re-titling was like issuing “Moon River” in Japan under the title “Beef  Stew“.

Other songs to mention: “Blue on Blue” by Bobby Vinton or The Gals & Pals, “A Penny for your Thoughts” by Tavares, *”One and One by Hall & Oates, “Dominique” by The Singing Nun, “Ma Baker” by Boney M, “Always & Forever” by Heat Wave, “Those Oldies But Goodies”(Remind Me Of You) by Little Caesar & The Romans and many more. These songs trigger off some memories of my younger years. Some I can remember doing specific things in that time and place. Some, not at all.

**Thanks to YouTube for great content

**Ironically, two weeks ago, there was a free Japanese concert in the park in New York City Bryant Park. Music was great. The instruments used were Japanese work of art. So glad that I was there to learn a little more of Japan’s art and culture.

*I met John Oates from Hall & Oates a few years ago when he came to my place of employment. He was going to Billboard Magazine which was inside the building. I said, “Hey, you are John Oates”. He replied, “Indeed I am”. “I love your music”. “Thanks” he said. Don’t remember if we bumped fist or shook hands but that was that.

It is common to see the classics in commercials these days. I even heard a very old reggae in a commercial here in the US. It’s not even reggae but the earlier version before that. What’s that, Ska I believe. I’m born in Jamaica when Ska was about fading out and Reggae was on the rise. Ska triggers a memory that is unusually special to me. Ska was the foundation to the rise of great Reggae music.

It is so easy to hear the classics. Thanks to radio and television, retail stores, singing and dancing people in stores, people who’s earphones are too loud and the annoying trend where people are walking the streets playing music on their mini portable wireless speakers. Nevertheless, all these can trigger a memory. Once the music is in my head….it’s over.

Give me a great film. Food from my youth. Places. You name it. Nothing brings back memories than the music I heard in my childhood years.