The Rhythms of My Life

Just a few of the songs that have defined me.

For we writers, these tags can get really tough. But I figure, if my friend Rasheed Hooda can churn out a story about the music that has defined him, I suppose I can pull up my Big Girl pants and do the same.

My musical tastes are decidedly eclectic. Although I’m a rocker chick at heart, I also love soul, R&B, funk, blues, classical — the whole gamut, but, what passes for “popular music,” not so much.

I’m constantly inspired by my favorite tunes. Music is a motivator for creativity and often when I’m mentally constipated, I’ll think of some of my favorite songs and Eureka! Blockage removed.

So there’s a tip for you fledgling writers: Let music inspire you. You’ll be surprised at the impact even a simple song title can make.

Alright. Onto the music. And again, this is very difficult as my head is filled with a myriad of songs, stylists, genres — that provided the backdrop to so many of my experiences and major life events.

Except for this first mention, my picks are in no particular order.

I’ll begin with the “soundtrack” to my losing my virginity. Without going into too much detail, all I’ll say is the song had it all over the experience. My “boyfriend” at the time, a guy in his 30s, gave me a joint to smoke first and I later found out that it was zapped-up with Angel Dust!

The whole thing was a stomach-churning, mind-bending let-down, but this tune by Pink Floyd is a classic!

I want to add that the story behind this tune is a fascinating one. PF had written the music for “Gig” and they enlisted the help of a Brit singer by the name of Clare Torry to add her powerful vocals to the track.

They gave her no guidance, whatsoever. They ushered her into the studio and told her to just do her thing. And she nailed it!

Some people think this is a song about “not going into that good night” without a fight, while others think it has sexual connotations, i.e., a woman in the midst of an orgasm. Well, the French do refer to orgasms as “Les Petite Mort,” or “little deaths.”

You be the judge!

Another tune that sticks in my craw, or should I saw “crawfish,” is this one by Led Zeppelin. It got constant airplay when they rocked it out and I remember listening to it, when six friends and I took a Greyhound Bus to Mardi Gras. I was nineteen at the time. And, oh my, did we have a time!

“Laissez le bon temps router,” indeed!

We stayed at the Monteleone Hotel in the French Quarter in a room populated by roaches. Thank Heaven, we spent little time there, preferring to mingle with the crowds in the streets, while guzzling the iconic drink known as the “Hurricane.”

This is sooooooo hard, my friends. As I write this so many tunes come to mind and I am struggling to weed through them so that this story doesn’t take three hours to get through.

But, let’s see: Here’s one that I’ve been listening to for a while. I came across it by accident while listening to another song by “The Soul Queen of New Orleans,” Irma Thomas. She is joined here by the velvet-voiced, Walter “Wolfman” Washington.

Anyone who’s ever been in a “difficult” yet passionate relationship will relate. Give this amazing, soulful song about love and loss a listen.

This next one is coming out of left field, I know. I heard it when I was growing up around the first time I read Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind.

I have no idea why, but I always associated this Andy Williams song with Scarlett O’Hara’s relationship with Rhett Butler. That's the beauty and the mystery of music.

Sidenote: I read that this tune was featured in the popular series, The Sons of Anarchy.

Years later, this song was reprised by the 70s/80s Brit band, The English Beat. A totally different take and very cool with a heavy ska influence.

Next up, two by “The Boss,” who, well into his sixties, is hotter than hell. To me, he’s sexier now than he was decades earlier. And, that ass in those jeans!

So much of Springsteen’s music has a place in my heart. When I hear the following two songs, especially, I reflect on relationships past and present. On my yearnings, so many of them sexual — and sensual — in nature.

Look at it this way: What woman could resist the urgency in “Senorita, come sit by my fire?”

And, “Well you can wait on your blessings but darlin’, I got a deal for you right here.”

Not this woman.

With a voice like honey and a face to swoon over, Marvin Gaye left this world way too soon. But his legacy remains and every single song of his has withstood the test of time.

Anyone who’s read me before knows that I consider Marvin to be a Master of Seduction. And he was.

The following to me, conjures up images of languid lovemaking, perhaps in the back seat of a steamed-up car “After the Dance,” in the heat of summer.

Close your eyes and let your body move to this one.

The following, from a band with a ridiculous moniker, I listen to often. The message is a powerful one and I’d love to be able to play guitar just to get my fingers around this one.

When I met the man who was to become my husband, he tended bar at my favorite neighborhood watering hole. During his shifts, the place was packed because he played the best music. I loved it when he put this one on, definitely a “garage band” precursor. This video is kind of hilarious, by the way. Unintentionally so.

Wow. I’m really going on here but I promise, I’m almost finished!

When Eric Clapton fell for George Harrison’s wife, Pattie Boyd Harrison, the dude fell hard. So hard that he wrote the following anthem to his passion for the Beatle’s wife. It worked as she left Harrison and married Clapton. Talk about an epic love triangle!

If you were alive, then you probably remember this next tune by Allanah Myles. It’s a tribute to Elvis Presley. In fact the title refers to the Miss Clairol hair color that he used to dye his naturally blonde hair, black!

As much promise as Myles showed, unfortunately, she was a one-hit-wonder. This is still a hot number, though, as is Myles herself.

If I could command a stripper pole, I’d do it to this jam.

Last, but certainly not least, is this dreamy composition by the French composer and pianist, Erik Satie.

I’ve listened — and day-dreamed — to it often through the years as I have his other works.

Relax, while listening to this classic…and let your mind go where it will.

Damn. I went overboard, didn’t I? And this is just the tip of the iceberg. But I hope you find at least a couple of my life’s rhythms to your liking.

Finally, I don’t want to be known as the “Tag Queen,” but you know what? To hell with it! I’m going to do it.

No pressure, but when you get a moment or two, I’d love to hear what gets you movin’ and groovin,” P.G. Barnett, Helen Cassidy Page, James Knight, Don Feazelle, Kristi Keller, Gurpreet Dhariwal, Chris Hedges, Joe Luca, Jimmy Doom, Suzanne V. Tanner, Kevin Buddaeus, Robin Klammer, Timothy Key and anyone else who cares to be included here.

If you’re not already added as a writer, shoot me a line.

Sherry McGuinn is a slightly-twisted, longtime Chicago-area writer and award-winning screenwriter. Her work has appeared in The Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, and numerous other publications. Sherry’s manager is currently pitching her newest screenplay, a drama with dark, comedic overtones and inspired by a true story.

If you made it all the way through, I can’t thank you enough. You might like the following stories, as well.

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