More Than A Feeling

Do you remember this song?

(sheriff, when i'm with you)

I have a very distinct memory surrounding this song. It was New Year's Eve 19...something. (Wikipedia has it becoming a hit in the US in 1989. That sounds about right. In Dec. 1989 I was 15, just about to turn 16.) I was babysitting that New Year's Eve for some neighbors (who paid fabulously, but that was mostly because we had to wait to be taken home until the dad, who was almost ALWAYS drunk after a night out, was sober enough to be moved from car to house...). I was pining for whomever I was pining for that year. Most likely the star football player I was too embarrassed to admit that I loved to ANYONE, the star football player being so cliche and all. Oh, wait. No. I remember who my crush was then. He was an athlete, but he was also Student Council President and super smart and really cute. Huh. I wonder what happened to him...

ANYWAY...I was listening to the radio, where they were doing love song dedications and I suddenly had an out of body experience. I called in and dedicated this song to...let's call him "Bob". I'm relatively sure no one heard this little declaration of love of mine and even if they did, I had the presence of mind not to use my real name (I used the alias I still use to this day, actually!); even though there were 4 Tawnyas in my grade alone, so, you know. Stupid. On many levels. But I do vividly remember, sitting in that house babysitting on a New Year's Eve and singing my heart out to Sheriff, pining for a love that would never be. Sad.

I wish that were the end of my girly girl embarrassment concerning music and men but, sadly, I think it was merely the beginning. I also dedicated a song the next February to the same guy via our schools newspaper Valentine's dedications (helpful because I was in charge of that section, so I could just slip it in. Not so helpful because I'm pretty sure my cover was blown by then...). I can't remember doing anything else while in high school, but once I got to college, the crazy just continued.

The biggest one I can remember was the mix tape I made for my former best friend the night I declared my love. I can't remember everything that I put on it, though I'm sure I could dig through journals and find the playlist, but I DO know that it began and ended with this song. Because, you know. Nothing says dump your girlfriend and marry me quite like Journey...


(journey, open arms)

I know there were a couple of 'our' songs on there and a few more that just seemed appropriate (I'm guessing in the "Only You" / Yaz vein, as well as the the "I Swear" / John Michael Montgomery vein. Which is, indeed, a MUCH larger story...) I sometimes wonder where that tape is now. I really wondered around the time that Friends episode came on where Chandler is trying to pass a mix tape off as a gift to Monica and they are dancing in their apartment when all of a sudden Janice's voice-over comes blaring through. You know, for some reason, I wondered...

The ultimate in cheesy goodness:

(boston, more than a feeling)