Like most people, music has always been an important part of my life. I tried out for chorus in third grade and didn’t make it, I couldn’t carry a tune, I still can’t but it doesn’t stop me from singing. I played trombone in middle school and gave it up, like scouting and sports and so many other activities I quit in that awkward middle adolescent period between 13 to 16. Music was an important part of growing up – listening to the radio and learning the popular rock and roll songs of the 70’s. I worked in a music store in high school. In 1979, a music store sold records and tapes, the kind of music that was on vinyl.
At 17, I knew it all. I knew everything. And I knew everything anyone could know about music of the time.
I worked at a small local record store called Tempo Records and Tapes, in Missouri City, Texas. My boss was Chris White, an older friend from the neighborhood who had played in a local band in high school and continued to play into his early twenties. Vivian Byler was the owner and she was there sometimes. She had a larger than life personality and the store was more a diversion than a business opportunity. She had a son my age and grade in school. I knew him, he knew me, but we traveled in different social circles.
I worked after school a couple of days and Saturday the last half of my junior year and all of my senior year. It was a great place to work. I had to stock records, file and organize, help customers, and clean up the store at closing time. I had a key to lock up when I left for the night.
By 17, I had worked a few jobs as a dishwasher at my neighbor’s Italian restaurant, selling shoes at the Athlete’s Foot, and at Sears in the hardware department to name a few. Working at Tempo was an easy job and required little or no training, except how to run the cash register; Mrs. Byler and Chris let me work on my homework when there weren’t customers, which was most of the time between 6:30 and 8:00, closing time.
The store had three basic types of customers.
The easiest to help were the customers who knew what they wanted when they came in. It could be the latest album or 45 or perhaps a cassette tape – the newest mobile technology. They made their purchase, then left.
Then, there were some folks who came in and had no idea what they were looking for and just wanted to browse. I would ask if they needed help or direct and locate as best as I could, but I mostly let them look around and browse. I’d ring them up on the cash register when they were ready or wave good bye when they left.
The last group of customers were the funniest. These folks – were my parent’s ages late 30s or early 40s they’d come into the store and immediately ask for help finding a song they’d heard on the radio. They could hum the tune, or sing a few lines, but they didn’t know the titles or the artist. Most of the time they had the tune wrong or the lyrics, or both making the search more difficult. It would have been nice to have an app like Shazam, but such technology was years away and beyond my wildest imagination. Sometimes I could help them, and other times I was unable to find the song, or we didn’t have the item and I’d offer to order it for them.
I swore I would never become like these adults when I grew up. I’d be hip and know the lastest tunes and be up on music.
But I did. I’ve become like those lost souls who’d wander in humming and singing some lost tune seeking the musical fountain of youth.
Music is a part of blogingg, too. I’ve used parts of at least fifteen songs in over thirty blog posts. The list of soungs and count is below and I’ve hyperlinked all of the blog posts and the You Tube videos for the songs – in case you want to go back in time and give the tunes a spin.
If you’ve followed MtDC for a while or if this is your first time, I have used Bowling for Soup’s “Today is Gonna be a Great Day” the most. The first bar is why:
There’s 104 days of summer vacation
Till school comes along just to end it
So the annual problem for our generation
Is finding a good way to spend it
I suppose I could list every, or almost every, blog post under that song because I close most blog posts with a line or two from the song’s chorus:
This could possibly be the best day ever
And the forecast says that tomorrow will likely be
A million and six times betterSo make every minute count
Jump up, jump in and seize the day
And let’s make sure that in every single possible way
Today is gonna to be a great day
That song is part of the reason behind Making the Days Count dot org.
I did become like those adults who walked into Tempo Records and Tapes searching for a tune to get them through their day, to lift them up, or to help them through a tough time.
Music stores are like dinosaurs, a thing of the past, the music industry has changed and if I need to know a song or tune, I can find it much easier and I can download it to my phone in minutes.
Every Tuesday or every other Tuesday, I’ll be posting a Tuesday’s Tune post with a song and post relating it to how I continue to work on Making the Days Count. I am jamming to Tusk by Fleetwood Mac as I wrap up this post the album was released in 1979 and I enjoy listening the USC Marching Band and they percussion rhythm.
Why don’t you ask him if he’s going to stay?
Why don’t you ask him if he’s going away?
Why don’t you tell me what’s going on?
Why don’t you tell me who’s on the phone?
Why don’t you ask him what’s going on?
Why don’t you ask him who’s the latest on his throne?
Don’t say that you love me!
Just tell me that you want me!
Tusk! Tusk! Tusk! Tusk!
Tusk! Tusk! Tusk! Tusk!
Tusk! Tusk! Tusk! Tusk!
Tusk! Tusk! Tusk! Tusk!
Tusk!
“Tusk” written by Lindsey Buckingham, Jim Recor, Christine Mcvie and performed by Fleetwood Mac
I have the album in my vinyl collection in the basement and I have purchased it through iTunes.
There aren’t 104 days of summer vacation, this summer there are 68 days, but every summer is different, but as of now, I have twenty days of summer vacation left before school comes along to end it and if I don’t jump up, jump in, and seize the day, today will pass me by. Today is gonna be a great day, I know it and I can feel it. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, one song, one trip back in time, or one day spent identifying with another person helping me make it count.
What songs do you have on your playlist, or in your head?
Songlist from Making the Days Count dot org (in order of appearance)
- “Today is Gonna be Great Day” by Bowling for Soup
- Day 1 – 5/29/2010: What am I doing? – blog post for May 29, 2010
- Day 25: Patience – blog post for June 23, 2010
- Day 32: Dinner at Camp – blog post for June 30, 2010
- Day 54: Perspectives – blog post for July 22, 2010
- Day 70: Friday at Home – blog post for August 7, 2010
- Reality is overrated – blog post for July 5, 2011
- Sunday morning, fifteen days left – August 5, 2012
- Getting it together – blog post for August 16, 2012
- Weekly Photo Challenge: Split-Second Story – blog post for June 3, 2014
- Weekly Photo Challenge: Zig Zag – blog post for August 2, 2014
- Sparks Fly – blog post for August 6, 2014
- My brain hurts – blog post for June 26, 2015
- “Monday, Monday” by theMamas and the Pappas
- Day 24: Monday, Monday – blog post for June 22, 2010
- “Morning has Broken” aka Yusuf Islam aka Cat Sevens
- Getting it together – blog post for August 16, 2012
- “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles
- Here comes the sun – blog post for January 26, 2013
- “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There is a Season)” – TheByrds
- A season for everything – blog post for August 25, 2013
- Off-Season – blog post for June 14, 2015
- Mother’s Day – blog post for May 11, 2014
- “After Midnight” by Eric Clapton
- After Midnight – blog post for October 20, 2013
- “Things Have Changed” – Bob Dylan
- Things Have Changed – blog post for February 8, 2014
- “Happy” –Pharrell Williams
- The equinox and Spring, bring it on! – blog post for March 23, 2014
- “Take me out to the Ballgame” sung by Sting
- Weekly Photo Challenge: Between – blog post for June 25, 2014
- “Stormy Weather” – Lena Horne
- Weekly Photo Challenge: Contrasts – blog post for June 30, 2014
- “Let’s Go” by Calvin Harris.
- Let’s Go – blog post for August 30, 2014
- “Stille Nacht” – by Joseph Mohr and Franz Gruber
- Stille Nacht – blog post for December 25, 2014
- ”Superstition” by Stevie Wonder
- Superstition – blog post for June 10, 2015
- “Ramble On” by LedZepelin
- My brain hurts – blog post for June 26, 2015
- “Take me to the River” by Talking Heads
- My brain hurts – blog post for June 26, 2015
- “Should I stay or should I go?” by The Clash
- Close Up – blog post for July 25, 2015
- “Tusk” by Fleetwood Mac
- Tuesday’s Tune: MtDC Playlist – blog post for July 28,2015
Very cool! I’ve always stuck with the trends, but when an old favorite is played, always dance!
I am certain. I am not much of a dancer myself, but I remember the first song I danced with my wife over 31 years ago this past summer, “Shout” by Otis Day and the Knights. I still smile when I hear that song. Have a great week!
Group #3 made me laugh. I’ve done that myself and surprisingly the guy at the record store always knew what I was talking about. Or is the singing about? Actually humming about ?
I have become that person – I am one of the people in group #3. I could help most, not all. I am significantly more humble and less arrogant almost 37 years later. It’s gonna be a great day, thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful week.
A lot of good tunes here.
Thank you, I’ve been thinking about \ planning this post for awhile. I am looking forward to this being a weekly feature in the summer and a bi-weekly feature when school resumes and I have less time to blog. Wishing you a great day.