Songs from two keys of life

In 1976, the top song in the "American Top 40" was 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart,' 
a Grammy-Award winning duet by Elton John and Kiki Dee.

In August of 1976, the most popular song in America was 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart,' by Elton John and Kiki Dee. It was an anthem for some of us, who are now 60 years old. That song was playing when a tight-knit group from Tipton High School in Tipton, Iowa, was about to leave for college.

Forty-two years ago, three friends talked about the challenges ahead one August night as we sat on swings by the Tipton school. We visited about new college roommates, and what we wanted after graduation. It was an exciting yet scary time in life.

That memory was triggered recently after hearing 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart' on the radio, during a Casey Kasem "American Top 40" show originally taped in the 1970s. After Kasem announced it the top song for August 1976, I recalled the hot summer night before college and the conversation with two girlfriends.

Music, triggering memories, is an action hard-wired in our brains. This is one way it is used to improve the lives of human beings.

Specific music helps Alzheimer's patients, for example. IPODs, loaded with music personalized for the patient, is the therapy. It is one good way to improve the quality of life for those with memory issues. The organization, Music and Memory, collects used IPODs for this purpose.

Another way music is importantly used is to jog memory. Think about the "A-B-C" song and other tunes used to teach certain concepts. One fun song, "Fifty Nifty United States" was taught to many of us in grade school, and I use it to this day in trivia contests.

I like to think about 1976, some times. It was before we knew much about the wide world, before the Internet, before college, back when our parents were still alive, caring about our welfare and well-being. It was the last time life seemed simple.

But, we muddle onward, as we must: Find the Grammy Award-winning performance of Elton John and Kiki Dee singing 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart' on YouTube today.

Sources:
YouTube (Search: Elton John & Kiki Dee)
Musicandmemory.org
Imdb.com .... Casey Kasem biography






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Goodbye, Blogger.com

Image
Thanks to all Bakersheartbeat.blogger.com and  Gardensirencall.blogger.com readers!  It was a fun ride for years!     It's with a heavy heart that I say goodbye on this site, called either blogspot.com or blogger.com.     Recently, I wrote about a Quad-City Times Bix 7 event and the photo to go with it was blocked by Google. (This one, in this blog, was also blocked but I got around it as I'm not using Blogger anymore.)     Anyway, I'm trying to come up with a Plan B for blogging.      Stay tuned.     I think the problem developed (after six or more years of no such thing!) because I transfer the photos I take for blogs via G-mail. Either that, or Blogspot.com is now in the Google universe.     Anyway, it's not feasible to write blogs without photos, in my opinion.     All this blogging started in 2018, when my journalism career ended. Blogging was something I'd done at the office and I found Blogger.co...
Read more

Why a "community" matters, especially in later life

Image
Friends and family members in 2018 attended an excellent basketball tournament in Des Moines; four colleges participated: Iowa, Iowa State, the University of Northern Iowa and Drake University.        It was the morning of Valentine's Day and my husband Steve, and I, started to walk in Scott County Park, located just two miles from our home in rural Scott County, Iowa.     We had begun a two-mile loop when a woman in a car stopped us: She leaned out the driver's side window and handed us two bags of Valentine candies.     Startled, we stared at her as we did not know her. But she smiled and said, "I like that you are out here, walking!"     We did accept the candies and are eating them to this day!     That pleasant incident points to the importance of have a "community" in life. Communities are generally defined as a group of persons who share a common interest. Growing up, this is evident in school when one has dozens of clas...
Read more

Hair: A love/hate story from one perspective

Image
  That's me, after a recent appointment at the salon in Eldridge, Iowa Oh, give me a head with hair Long, beautiful hair Shining, gleaming, streaming Flaxen, waxen Now won't you gimme it down to there? (hair) Shoulder length or longer (hair) Here, baby, there, mama Everywhere, daddy, daddy Hair (hair, hair, hair, hair, hair) Grow it, show it Long as I can grow it My hair ... Songwriters: Gerome Ragni / James Rado / Galt Mac Dermot                   I scoop up my own hair every single day. I do appreciate this thick, brown and healthy hair, but my goodness, what a mess it makes!     I bought a special broom that grabs hair, and all sorts of devices to clean up said hair. I buy Swiffer sheets on a regular basis and use them.     I don't mean to sound negative. It's a blessing to have a head of hair, but also a responsibility.       No one wants to have hair in their food, for example!   ...
Read more