"Love Is All Around Me"

Yesterday afternoon, after church and Sunday School were over, Mel, Melinda and I went out for dinner. We used to do this almost every Saturday evening after the Ladies Bible Study, Kids English Class and Advanced English Class, but the habit has dropped by the side recently. No one wanted to go home and prepare a meal at the end of a long afternoon. We had wanted to go the night before, but all of us were just too wiped out. (Mel and I came upstairs and ate popcorn with shredded cheese on it instead.)

We went to our old standby, a nice restaurant in the city center. We've been going there for years. The food is really good, not way expensive (although with the current economic crisis the prices are rising), and has a very nice, relaxing area upstairs with no smoking. Late in the afternoon we were the only people there for over an hour. Well, there were people downstairs, but we were the only ones upstairs. And it was really nice. We talked and talked, laughed and were serious.

The manager did something just for us, I think. He/she put on American music from our generation. That kind of music is making a come back here for some reason anyway, but they don't usually play only English words music and they did last night.

I just kind of listened to it in the background, not even really paying any attention to it. I am not a big music lover and although I may kind of remember a song, it is rare that I know all of the words. And that is the way it was last night - until this came on, Love Is All Around Me, by The Troggs. I haven't heard this song in years!

The first chords began playing and wham! I was back in my teens and wildly in love with someone. Can you believe it? I didn't remember exactly who I was wildly in love with when I used to listen to this song. :) :) I had to look it up and when I saw the dates, I knew. and "Love Is All Around" (UK number 5 in October 1967 and US number 7 in May 1968). I was what? thirteen, fourteen years old? Oh, I know now exactly who I was in love with. Ha ha! No wonder I know the song by heart! At fourteen, crushes and 'being in love' are very serious for a girl.

I remember we had an old radio, or maybe it was just part of an old radio. It was on the shelf in my closet. It had knobs for moving the tuner and when I turned it on, I had to wait until the tubes warmed up before it would give forth sound.

Now I didn't just 'listen to the radio.' No, after everyone was in bed and the lights were turned out, I would go into the closet and turn it on with the sound very, very low and stand there and listen to the crackly sounds it made, the weird sounds from outer space it sometimes made as I searched for a good Rock station. I would turn the knob until one of my favorite stations came on - KSSN, Kissin' Radio was one - and listen to music from the '60's.

Why did I go into my closet to listen?
Well, my parents were very young, only in their late 30's and early 40's in the 60's, but they were very conservative in their beliefs and standards and Rock Music was the devil's music and I was only allowed to listen to certain bands. Herman's Hermits were about it for a long time and I even had all of their albums at one point (I wonder what happened to those albums?). Soooooo - I would listen to the radio when every one else was asleep and hear everything that was currently being played!

Never trust your teenagers. They do all sorts of things you know nothing about. I understood that with my own kids before they ever reached the age of birth :) :) :). I could only guide and council and discipline, but they were going to do a lot of stuff that I would never know about. You can't control any one's whole life, no matter that you are their parent and they are your child. I learned that very young. :)

So, I would stand there, crowded in with my dresses and shirts hanging around me, in the dark with the only light from the face of the radio, ear pressed up against the speaker and listen to evil Rock Music. It never lasted for a long time because by the time everyone in the house was in bed, it was late and I was really tired.

But this song is one I loved to listen to and somehow over the course of a few months, I actually memorized the whole thing.

It's amazing how music can actually re-awaken the feelings of angst, loneliness, unrequited love from the teenage years. I wonder what ever happened to the guy I was so crazy about (actually he and I almost got married when I was 18 and I am so glad we did not because last I heard of him 14 years ago, he'd been married 4 times already and who knows how many times since then!).

As I sit here writing this I begin to wonder - is the resurfacing of 'old memories' a sign that I am aging? You know - they always say that as you get older it's harder to remember what happened yesterday and easier to remember what happened in your youth!

Oh my.

there are other versions of this song on YouTube, including some with film footage of The Troggs singing it, but I like this one because I used to have a few 45's like this. Even the record player brings back memories!