I have attempted to write this article twice in the last couple
of years. Embarrassment always stopped me. There are some
topics that, when written, tend to confirm a person's outright
nuttiness instead of merely implying lesser eccentricities and
oddities. Yet, you, the gentle readers of this blog, should
already know me by now. I've never shied away from the
different beat of the drum that I tap, so there is no point in
holding back now.
I have a problem. I suffer from OCMPD: Obssessive
Compulsive Musical Preference Disorder. (FYI--that isn't
a clinical term as much as it is a Matthew term.)
Here is a purely hypothetical example of how the affliction
works: for whatever reason, driving on I-75 through downtown
Atlanta always makes you think of a song. In this case, we'll say
that song is the infamous disco hit, "Don't Leave Me This Way"
by Thelma Houston. So, when approaching the full view of the
city's skyline, you stop listening to whatever is currently playing
and start looking for the CD with that song. It dawns on you that
the CD is in the backseat in a difficult-to-access compartment of
your backpack. So you reach in the backseat, almost rear-ending
a Ford Focus in the process, grab the backpack and start
maneuvering through the compartments just to get the damned CD.
You're also doing this while trying to maneuver around eight lanes
of interstate with cars coming in all directions at 75mph. You finally
find the CD and although you're a little frustrated that you've just
missed a beautiful part of the Atlanta skyline, you can enjoy the rest
of the view with the song--but you can't start it at the beginning.
Nooo, you have to fast-forward to the chorus and ending instrumental
refrain to appreciate the moment, because that's the part that you enjoy
the most and because you have OCMPD. Unfortunately, its the same
OCMPD that once attracted police attention while you were speeding
down a road just outside of Jonesboro, Arkansas, just looking for that
friggin' CD with "China Grove" by the Doobie Brothers!
Again: purely hypothetical.
What can I say? Sometimes I am visiting a city for the first time when I
hear a song for the first time--and the song sticks. Every now and then,
I'll have a really great evening out somewhere, hear a song and the place
is forever associated with it. The lyrics or song meaning often have
something to do with why I relate the song to the place or person, but not
always. There is no science to this--but I should probably be studied (or
committed), anyway.
In honor of an upcoming road trip, here are some musical numbers that are
must-haves for me in certain places. Be careful reading these, though...my
song associations may start out in my head, but nothing keeps them from
going into yours...
--Louisville: "Legs" - ZZTop, "Take The Long Way Home" - Supertramp
--Lexington: "Get What You Give" - New Radicals, "Be Near Me"- ABC,
"Don't You Forget About Me" - Simple Minds
--Cincinnati: "WKRP in Cincinnati" - Theme Song
--Columbus: "Panama" - Van Halen
--Arkansas: "Jealousy" - Natalie Merchant, "China Grove" - Doobie Bros.,
--Southern IN: "Don't Give Up On Us" - David Soul
--Texas: "China Grove" - Doobie Bros.
--Alabama: "I Can Only Imagine" - Mercy Me
--Atlanta: "Don't Leave Me This Way" - Thelma Houston,
"You Make Me Feel Mighty Real" - Sylvester
--Georgia: "Driving Miss Daisy" Theme
--Florida: "Overkill" - Men At Work, "Your Love" - The Outfield,
"All The Love" - The Outfield
--Tampa Bay: "Rio" - Duran Duran, "I'm A Slave 4 U" - Britney Spears
"Never Surrender" - Corey Hart, "Cool Change" - Little River Band
--Portland: "100 Years" - Five For Fighting, "Invincible" - Pat Benatar,
"Life In A Northern Town" - Dream Academy, "Give A Little Bit" -
Supertramp, "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" - Steely Dan,
"Don't Talk To Strangers" - Rick Springfield
--Eastern OR: "Life In A Northern Town" - Dream Academy,
"Breathe" - Michelle Branch
--California: "California Dreams" Theme Song, "California Love" - 2Pac
--San Francisco: "San Francisco" - Scott McKenzie, "Lights" - Journey,
"Dance Disco Heat" - Sylvester, "Full House" Theme Song
--Chicago: "Perfect Strangers" Theme Song,
"Club Can't Handle Me" - Flo Rida
--Western KY/TN: "Tiny Dancer" - Elton John,
"Walking In Memphis" - Marc Cohn
--Memphis: "Blame It On The Boogie" - Michael Jackson,
"Walking In Memphis" - Marc Cohn
--Eastern TN: "Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me?" - Keith Urban, "Big Star" -
Kenny Chesney, "Please Come To Boston" - Dave Loggins
--Eastern KY: "Amie" - Pure Prairie League, "Crazy Love" - Poco
--Washington, DC: "A Thousand Miles" - Vanessa Carlton
--Waddy: "Small Town Saturday Night" - Hal Ketcham,
"Boondocks" - Little Big Town
--West Virginia: quite a few Fleetwood Mac songs
--Virginia Beach: "Sailing" - Christopher Cross
--New York City: "I Know You Want Me" - Pitbull,
"I'm Movin' Out" - Billy Joel
Are these the only songs that I listen to when I drive around these places?
No. But I can guarantee that they'll appear on my playlist at least once.
Although I have done my best to keep this sordid, embarrassing disorder to
myself over the years, I've let the secret slip from time to time. I'll never forget
when I found out that I wasn't alone. This revelation came to me in the form of
a guy I was dating. We were riding in my car one day and The Outfield's hit,
"Your Love" started playing. Without any mention of what the song reminded
me of, my date blurted out, "You know, that song has always reminded me of
driving near the beaches in Florida--especially this instrumental part..."
I thought I was going to wreck the car.
Maybe some of you have this disorder. Or maybe you're placing a call to some
nice, men/women in white clothes who are coming to take me away. Well, don't
bother...
Admitting that you have a problem is the first step to recovery. :)
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