Melodic memories

My great friend and brilliant blogger, Nappy Valley Girl, has tagged me for a meme about songs and the memories they hold. Her own post on this was beautifully elegant and evocative and left me with a tear or two in my eye as she conjured up such vivid memories of her lost youth. Her eloquence inspired me to actually take up this tag, which I must admit I rarely do as I am a very naughty blogger, so here goes.

Songs are like scents where just the hint of a familiar tune can instantly transport your mind back to a specific time and place. The melody sweeping you away from the here and now back to a smoky disco, a doomed love affair, a sun drenched holiday or romantic interlude.

For me the strains of Anastacia's Not that kind has me back shivering on the button lifts of Val d'Isere as I sobbed my way through an early skiing holiday, not a sport that comes naturally to someone with a phobia of heights. Brian Adams Run to you reminds me of a school girl romance, Careless Whisper takes me back into the arms of spotty teenage boys trying to cop a feel to the last slow dance of the evening. Carly Simon's Coming around again is sodden with tear-drenched memories of my very first broken heart.

But the song I decided to choose is one that is associated only with happiness. Dean Martin's You're nobody till somebody loves you was the song that played as I walked down a rose-petal strewn aisle with new my husband. The scene was Vegas, I had just rushed in my crystal-encrusted, silver high heels down the corridors of a giant casino, my veil whipping behind me to the trill of 'Wheel of fortune' from thousands of slot machines. Gamblers glanced up and gave me a fleeting smile, one of the many brides who tie the knot in Sin City every year.

I arrived at the tiny chapel with moments to spare and glanced up at the monitor where I could see my darling man bopping nervously to Rat Pack tunes. I couldn't wait to get to him, but we were both stiff with nerves as we said the vows we had written for each other. Like most couples we hardly had time to take in what was being said before it was all over and I could take his arm, hear Dean singing and walk out of the chapel as husband and wife.

Now whenever the song comes onto the radio or pops up on an iTunes playlist, even if we are in the middle of a vicious row, we can't help but look into each other's eyes, hold hands and remember that day. The song has the power to cut through any disagreement, to have us up and in each other's arms dancing around the living room on a rainy Tuesday night.

I am sure it's far from the most original choice of a wedding song, but it means the world to me because it sums up how it made me feel to marry my husband, the words encapsulate how we complete one another, how our love for each other makes each day that much better than it would have been had we never met.

Amidst the chaos of family life, when we are forever at the beck and call of small boys and romance is in short supply, it's nice to have a song that can take you back to the days when rose petals were laid before you and you danced beneath a painted Venetian sky, in a sparkly dress and shiny high heels. When you were serenaded by valets as they opened the door to a white stretch limo loaded with champagne and your dearest friends.

So my pick is the song that can brighten any day for me by adding a sparkle of romance to the dullest day.

I hate to tag other people as I don't want to impose on anyone's precious blogging time, but I suppose needs must and this is rather a lovely little meme, so I shall send it on to a couple More than just a mother, who I know that if she has the time she will write something wonderful as she is such a brilliant writer and to Iota, who has probably already been tagged by lots of other people because she is so popular.