Memories and Music

There’s this photograph of my wife, she’s probably nineteen or twenty at the time, early 1980s, well before I met her. She’s sitting on a concrete berm on a beach with her dog, a shepherd mix named Sting (coolest dog ever).

Hey…. Duran Duran called. They want their hair back. Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand….

Rio, by Duran Duran

What memories does this song make you think of?

I first met my wife at the Old Cutler Oyster Company Raw Bar and Grill. The original restaurant blew away in Hurricane Andrew in 1992 (a year after we left for Japan), but they’ve long since opened at a new location.

She was a waitress and I a young Air Force guy stationed at the nearby Homestead Air Force Base (also blown away; it’s an Air National Guard base now, with only the runway open).

The Raw Bar (as we called it) was a popular spot - good food, good prices, plenty of week day specials, and two pool tables. They had live music, a band called the Instamatics that played popular hits as well as some classics. Around 9:00, they’d clear some tables out of the way to make space for a small dance floor and the Instamatics took their place on a little raised stage against the wall. The lead singer’s name was Sarah; she dated a guy named Kenny, whom I played pool with upon occasion. One of the songs Sarah often sang was Love Shack.

When I hear the song, I can see the layout of the Raw Bar clearly and easily recall the friends I hung out with (as well as a jerk named Frank who used to get drunk and try to start fights). I remember always seeing a very attractive blond waitress hurrying about….

Maybe I should ask her out?

Love Shack, by the B52s

What memories does this song make you think of?

The music of the 80’s firmly defines my high school and college experience. The early 90s recalls my newlywed days and the three years my wife and I spent in Japan. We married in January of 1991 and moved, courtesy of the Air Force, to Tokyo, Japan, in August that same year.

Being young and married and without children lends itself to a fairly carefree and spontaneous lifestyle. We had a good group of friends we hung out with. One of our friends was a guy named Roger. A security police officer, Roger was tall, handsome, sought after by the ladies, and somewhat insecure. He could also pack away the booze. When I hear this song, it reminds of Japan and the people we knew there, and specifically of Roger downing eight Mai Tais at the officer’s club one night.

My wife used to mess with him.

“Are those new pants?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmmmm.”

“Why? What’s wrong with them?”

Shrug. “Nothing.”

And for the rest of the night he would sit there, worried about his pants….

Two Princes, by Spin Doctors

What memories does this song make you think of?

While my wife and I were dating, I would occasionally stay over at her house. She listened to music while she slept, and I remember laying in her bed with her sleeping next to me and listening to this song.

Our first date was December 23rd, 1990; we got married a month later on January 23rd. This month we celebrate our 17th anniversary!

Freedom 90, by George Michaels

What memories does this song make you think of?