Growing up, I spent most of my time holed up in my bedroom if I wasn't out at
school or with my friends. Crucial to that hole up was Joni. Her albums
received the maximum play between my James Taylor, Carly Simon, Jackson
Browne, CSN, David Bromberg and Vince Scalsa and the rest of the DJ's on
WNEW-FM.
I was thinking about that period lately, partly because I've been sharing
some reminisces with another list member from those days/daze and party
because it's Jeff's daughter's 16th birthday so I'm in a waltzing down memory
lane sort of mood.
And there's a Joni thread in here:
Of all the Joni that I listened to, probably the two biggest songs for me
were: "Lesson in Survival" and "Dawntreader."
With "Lesson," I would sometimes bring the needle back to the groove in the
album to repeat: "spinning out on turns, that get you tough, guru books, the
Bible, only a reminder that you're just not good enough."
As a young teenager who was often lost in a fog of "what's next and where am
I going" and often heard only a foghorn in my mother's voice saying: "You're
not doing that!" or "You can't do that" Wassamatta with you???"
Those lines reached deep inside of me. And I thought, "if this really, really
cool person could feel this way and be so cool, there's hope for me, too!"
"Dawntreader" was a companion song. In high school, I was so moved by it that
I had "Dawntreader" engraved on the inside of my high school graduation ring
and signed all my poems, "Dawntreader." For me, that song represented deep
passion and deep contentedness' far reaching aspirations for a young girl who
had so far only lusted after the Met's pitcher Tom Seaver from afar. And
again, I found the same hope from Joni. The hope that I, too, would have my
own Dawntreader and my own lessons that I would survive.
In so many ways, Joni was, (and remains), my ideal in beauty and intellect.
That's one thing that makes me feel sad about today's young market music. I
don't see anything that's out there that inspires kids to keep on the
headphones, study the lyrics and find a beacon in the darkness. But then
again, I don't know the words to ALL of the Brittany Spears songs. (:-D
Anyone else have crucial "Joni got me through it songs?" Let us know!
MG - up from restless sleeping after reading a really scary book.
np: silent house
