Spin a Tale!
This spinning of a tale is a little different than some of you might be thinking! Today is National Vinyl Record Day, and songs hold some of the most inspiring, meaningful, and entertaining tales that have been heard by the most willing listener! They have listened, over and over, to amazing stories as told through the lyrics, penned by recording artists, who poured their feelings into a song they would then share with the world. Those vinyl records that took a spin on the turntable spun the stories the artist told through their lyrics and evoked emotions through the melodies that accompanied them.
Working with children today, it can be a bit too humbling when they see pictures of things like phonographs and records and shout, "What is that?"! I remember one year giving a standardized test, that included a page with a picture of a rotary phone, and a cassette tape and and the look on the kiddos' faces like, huh?; and that moment of being a teacher, where you have to stick to the script, while you have stories to share about what those items are as you're think "ugh, how old am I that I know what these are and they don't?"!
Well let's just say I'm old enough to remember saving money to go to one of the neighborhood appliance stores, that had added a record section, to buy the songs of Donny Osmond and Tony DeFranco. Now with record buying you had several choices, you had the 45rpm and the 33rpm (LPs); there were 78rpm too, but that was what my dad had owned from his younger years and were as fragile as your mother's good china; and if it accidentally fell out of the slip cover and hit the table or floor, well it shattered like your mother's good china, and you headed for China as to not experience the wrath of its owner!
45's were the most frugal choice when you were in elementary school; they contained one song on each side. You had the side with the song you wanted to own more than anything in the world that week; because next week there'd be a new top 40 and you'd want to own one of those, and the side with a song the record people hoped you'd like...it was a 50/50 chance, and yes there was that very rare occasion where the flip side actually became favored over the top 40 side. The LP's of course were the coveted long play albums, with the cardboard slip covers, that if you had a crush on the artist, you drooled to see them on the cover and knew if you could swing the higher price of an LP, you could own that picture forever! You grew to like the other songs on the LP, but the picture and that one beloved song was all you really thought about on the way home with it in the bag!
Now once your purchase was made your feet couldn't carry you quick enough or your dad couldn't drive fast enough to get you home to take it out of its slipcover and put it lovingly on the turntable. And if no one was pounding on your door to turn that racket down or a sibling wasn't yelling, "what are you doing in there?"; you'd put the needle in place on the first groove of the vinyl and you'd either practice your best dance moves or you'd pick up the hairbrush from the dresser and you'd sing your heart out with that record. I'm convinced hairbrush singing, in front of the mirror, is what gave birth to today's reality singing shows and where many singers got their start!
Songs continue to be a valued part of our lives, you have the ones that remind you of a special event in your life, the ones that you remember sharing with your friends, the ones that pulled on your heartstrings and you cried to; memories and music make a great pair! Do you remember the first record you purchased? Or for those who missed the record craze, the first 8-track or cassette or CD you purchased? I won't leave out those who missed all of those periods of owning music, who began their "record collection" by downloading their first selection of their digital music library...what was the song? Why did you make that first record, tape, CD, or download purchase? What did/does that song mean to you? Share your musical memories and if you're still building your vinyl library, hop over to Barnes and Noble at bn.com, in celebration of today they are offering 10% off your vinyl purchase! I didn't go into the technical chat about what 45rpm stands for; or that 33 is really 33 1/3; if this has piqued your curiosity, there are many sites that are bursting with info on the subject. You might be surprised, with the information our young children seem to gather, they might actually be the ones to ask!
Oh and it seems these National Days can pair up just right, because today is also National Garage Sale Day; and the garage sale can be one of your best sources to find an old vinyl favorite. Garage sales...now there are some stories! Yes, I also grew up with those; so somewhere down the road, we will share those stories too!