The Classroom Playlist

The students in my third period brought up playing music in the classroom several times, before I finally decided to do something about it.  Shuffling items on my iPod -- even specific genres -- simply was not cutting it with them.

In the past, my classes have been able to agree on at least one artist I could safely play:  Bob Marley, Michael Jackson, John Legend, and in spring 2012, Adele.

Michael only.  No brothers allowed.

But these 8th graders are not that easily pleased.

We began with a brainstorming.  The #1 Rule: everything is listed while we gather ideas -- nothing is tossed.

Immediately someone said, "Can we all agree that Justin Bieber does not go on the list?"

Against the rules. Let's start again.  EVERY SUGGESTION GOES ON THE LIST WITHOUT COMMENT.

The list begins: Miguel, Future, Ciara, Boyz II Men, Jeremih, Michael Jackson, Jay Z, Johnny Cash, Def Leppard, Aerosmith, 3 Doors Down, Pierce the Veil, Korn, Lorde, One Direction, Filter, TLC, Drake....on and on.

I take the list home and go to trusty iTunes.  Some bands simply have no clean versions of any song, so they get eliminated immediately.  I do find a new clean Drake song, and old Chris Brown ("Forever") that I really like, and I discover that I am a fan of Papa Roach and 3 Doors Down.

So, I create a list: Drake, Lorde, TLC, Linkin Park, Ciara, Boys II Men, 3 Doors Down, Papa Roach, Nicki Minaj (just one: "Starships"), Chris Brown, Blue Oyster Cult, Johnny Cash.  I add several of my own that I think they might be able to handle.  Soon I have a playlist of over 80 songs.

So, we test it out. They are working independently on storyboard projects and I put on the playlist.  They are happy to hear some of their favorites.  But they are not without complaints.  I had put Jackson Five's "The Love You Save" on the list.

Miss, we said Michael Jackson, NOT the Jackson Five.

The Funkadelics "Atomic Dog" made it through first period, but third soundly rejected it.

What IS this?  

The only acceptable Johnny Cash

They were mixed on Florida-Georgia State Line's "Cruise," even though I had the version with a rap by Nelly.  I'm leaving it on.

And they didn't know what to do with Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire."

Miss -- we want OLD MAN Johnny Cash, not YOUNG MAN Johnny Cash.

So, "Hurt" has been downloaded to the list.

Songs I added that passed:
"Love Shack" by B-52's  (My mother loves this song!)
"You Make My Dreams" by Daryl Hall and John Oates
"Separate Ways" by Journey
"No One" by Alicia Keys (they were all singing along)
"Friday I'm In Love" by the Cure
"Breaking the Chains of Love" by Fitz and the Tantrums
"Mystery Train" by Elvis Presley
"Who Do You Love" by Bo Diddley
"Radio Nowhere" by Bruce Springsteen

Surprised ol' Bo made the cut!

"Train in Vain" by the Clash
"Radar Love" by Golden Earring
"Refugee" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Still to be determined:
"Bang the Drum All Day" by Todd Rundgren
"Losing My Religion" by R.E.M.  (I predict this will get tossed)

I've just added three Queen songs, one being "Under Pressure" with David Bowie.  We'll see.

The strangest comment of all...I had put "No Air" by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown.  One boy said, "Please turn this off.  They are talking about how they hate white people."

Huh?

Bottom line -- I love having the music playing.  It makes the day much more enjoyable.  The key to the "right" song for them is a strong beat.  I seem to be able to get away with just about any song as long as the beat is catchy enough.  So be it.

I'm learning!

My Diversions: Song Pop

I only played Angry Birds once, and it gave me a headache.

I have played Farmville and Mahjongg Dimensions -- eventually concluding they were just boring.

Ever since Christmas 2010 when I got an iPod Touch, I've been playing Words With Friends, but not with great enthusiasm.  Words interest me, so I've stuck with it.

But a year ago I found the game that is just for me. Song Pop. This is my perfect diversion -- it combines my love of all kinds of music, my knowledge of hits throughout the decades, as well as my skills as an English Major.

The challenge is to compete with someone else guessing five songs as quickly as possible.  The songs are on playlists under various categories. When I first started playing, the categories were somewhat limited. They were by decade or song genre: Country, Rap, Top Hits, Alternative, and the like. At the beginning, I only played people I knew.  Since not that many people were playing Song Pop, that didn't work too well.

But Song Pop is smart.  They have a way of matching a player up with other players who like to challenge in similar song genres.  Because of this, I am able to play dozens of people from all over the country, which keeps it fun and competitive.

When I first started playing, it was about being fast. But as time went on, I started to focus on being accurate.  So even if it took longer...like say,  7 seconds instead of 2, if I guessed it right I might still win the match against an opponent that jumped too soon.

I was a few months into playing, when I realized that this game was raising and reinvigorating my interest in music -- all kinds of music.  I would write down songs unfamiliar to me, but that I liked the way the small snippet sounded, and I'd check them out on iTunes.  One of my "new" favorites is "Friday I'm in Love" by the Cure.  I honestly had never heard that song before! What also started to happen was that I found interest in songs that I never paid much attention to -- but now they sounded good to me.  Some of these were simply because I recognized the song, but never bothered to figure out who the artist was.  I've added songs like  "Second Chance" by REO Speedwagon, "What I Like About You" by the Romantics, and "Street of Dreams" by Rainbow to my iTunes playlist as a direct result of Song Pop. 

I guess some things just sound better with age.

A person can get quite an education playing Song Pop.  In a few seconds, I've learned that Gretchen Wilson is a "redneck woman"; Faith Hill is a "Mississippi girl"; and Patti Smith "don't care."  I discovered that Bono and Pavarotti did a duet called "Miss Sarajevo" and  Loretta Lynn did a duet with Jack White of the White Stripes -- which seemed like an odd combination. (Watch the video -- it's pretty good!)  I've learned there is no end to ridiculous song titles: "Whip My Hair," "Pimp Juice," and "Stupid Hoe" come to mind.  And I don't even want to mention some of the names of bands.  Garbage?  My Bloody Valentine? Butthole Surfers?

Ick.

Don't they look Sublime?

Song Pop makes me feel smart about today's music.  In just a couple of seconds, I can usually distinguish Ke$ha from Katy Perry, Flo Rida from Tyga.  In the 1950's Collection, I can identify the Drifters, the Coasters, the Flamingos, and the Monotones fairly accurately.  In the past, they all sounded alike to me. Bands such as Sublime and Joy Division and Hoobastank -- all of whom I never heard of before Song Pop -- have become regular winners for me.


What makes Song Pop the most fun is when a song pops up that I haven't heard in years -- maybe decades.  Remember these?  "Sexy Eyes" by Dr. Hook.  "Just Dropped In (to See What Condition My Condition Was In)" by Kenny Rogers.  "No More Mr. Nice Guy" by Alice Cooper.  "When You're Hot, You're Hot" by Jerry Reed.  "Cinnamon" by Derek. "Convoy" by somebody McCall. Or this classic by Ian Drury and the Blockheads:"Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick."

I've enjoyed playing people from all over the country.  Shout out to Claradella in LaGrange, Kentucky -- she and I play over 50 matches a week, and she has never come close to winning. But she keeps playing.  I've learned a bit about human nature.  There is only one male who has sustained competition with me -- Sonny in Bradenton.  I've only beat him once, and I suppose that is the only reason we are still playing.  Most males, if they don't win consistently, will eventually drop out of competition.  Most women will stay in and keep playing.

Grammy awards for Skrillex?  I can't even handle 5 seconds...

This game continues to hold my interest because I use my literary analysis skills.  Over the months I've played, I have incorporated techniques to help get the answer correct.  First it was listening for words that might rhyme with one of the song titles.  The title is sometimes mentioned in the beginning of the clip, but that only happens about 35% of the time.  So listening for rhyme works well. The other technique I use is tone.  If a song sounds melancholy, I look for a melancholy sounding title.  This works with names of artists as well.  Good example: there is a singer called Skrillex that sounds exactly like you would think a Skrillex would sound.  No lie.  The sounds of our language direct us to meaning -- always, unless irony is involved.  The second I heard the screechy annoying sound, I picked "Skrillex."

As you may guess, I have never heard a Skrillex song all the way through, nor do I want to. 

The collection of playlists on Song Pop continues to grow -- they now have a couple of hundred to choose from. Besides genre, they sometimes focus on artists:  Billy Joel, Kelly Clarkson, Willie Nelson, and Elton John, to name a few.  The Elton John one has surprised me--I was a huge fan of his in the 1970's, and am constantly surprised how many of his more obscure songs I still remember immediately, even though I probably haven't heard them in thirty years.

Since getting an iPad, Song Pop has become more enjoyable than ever to play, and I don't see myself stopping any time soon.  I relish the challenge, the opportunities to find new music and old music I have forgotten, as well as going down memory lane with many of the songs.  I enjoy the chance to use what I know about tone and language to succeed.  Most of all, it relaxes me. Sitting back in my recliner and clicking through 20 or more games after work is the perfect unwinding activity.

Song Pop may surprise me sometimes -- like finding out that Elton John recorded an album of covers of 1970's songs (not very good, admittedly).  And it might frustrate me occasionally, when I make a stupid mistake or don't concentrate.  But it has reconfirmed to me a couple of things regarding music from my young adulthood:

1.  Disco still sucks.
2.  Foreigner is still the most boring band that ever played music on this planet.

Some things do NOT sound better with age.

Like Herding Cats --The Rise of the Dynamic Learner

This past week my eyes were opened to something I didn't expect -- and a challenge was presented.

Previously, I had been in a meeting about intervention strategies for a student.  The guidance counselor suggested that we find out the girl's learning style.  It brought to mind a survey I learned of in National Writing Project -- the 4Mat Learning Styles -- so decided I would give this survey to all my students.

The last few years I taught high school, I would give this survey the first day.  This year I decided to skip it.  The 4Mat narrows learning styles down to these four: Imaginative, Common Sense, Analytical, and Dynamic, and then suggested activities for each learning style are given.  I am clearly an Imaginative learner and in the past, most of the students in my classes were Imaginative (sometimes called Innovative) learners as well.  Imaginative learners work well collaboratively, are sensitive to others, seek meaning and activating knowledge. This means that when I create lessons that I would work for my style of learning, they were being reached as well.  The collaborative set-up and nature of my classroom supported this well.

The second most popular was the Common Sense learner, so I would include certain organizational and practical applications for them. Since the study of literature and writing has an analytical component, those students were served, and the few Dynamics I had over the years -- well, there was always so few of them, they just fell in with the others, or did their own thing with my constant redirection.

On Monday I gave the survey to my 7th graders and, lo and behold, more than half of them were Dynamic learners.  Second up was Common Sense.  Hardly an Imaginative in the group.

This explained a lot.  Dynamic learners are risk-takers and game-changers.  They are not interested in the way that you're "supposed" to do something -- they want to do it their own way. They are adventurous, competitive, inventive, wanting to experiment and originate. This explained why, when I asked them to sit at their round tables and discuss and complete activities together, there was little of that going on.  They either just worked independently or they got little done, just arguing for their own position.  I had thought it might be the difference between middle and high-schoolers.  Or maybe demographics.  But it flew in the face of what I learned about middle-schoolers and what I had experienced in the past -- that this age group likes to be social and learn together.  I had been baffled and frustrated, until I realized that the rise of the Dynamic Learner is changing the game for all of us. Good to be aware.

My first period of 8th graders has been the worst cats to herd, so I put them on a task. They grouped up with others of their learning style, and had to present a lesson to the class -- just a little thing on our class motto: Effort Creates Excellence.  As may be expected, the Dynamic teams got little done, could not agree on a thing, and their presentations were -- well, not exactly presentations of anything but drawings of "Taco Man" and the "Mountain of Effort."  Yeah.  Made no sense to us, either.

The group that performed best was a group comprised of one Analytic and three who were balanced combinations of more than one. They pulled together and did quite well.  This lends credence to what we have already been taught -- when grouping students, it is imperative to mix up the learning styles. How exactly I am going to do that in three classrooms where more than half are one style -- that is a challenge.  And reformulating the way I do lessons is high on the priority list as well.  I have never had to reach out to Dynamic Learners before.  I am already incorporating more competitive activities, but still have to figure out how to engage them in their experimenting and inventive natures.

I asked my students who had to present to this wily class to write a reflection on how it was to plan a lesson, and then deliver it.  Here are responses by categories:

Imaginative Learners
 It was easy working with my group.  They were very easy-going.

 I found it easy putting together a lesson.  Delivering the lesson was nerve-wracking, because everyone wouldn't engage in the activity.  So like, you can't make them...so I don't know.

Analytic Learner
 I thought that the exercise was fun.  I might not have been able to do it alone, but doing it in a group was fun.

Common Sense Learners
I thought planning the lesson was easy in your head, but once you get up there and try to explain something, it is actually harder than I thought it would be.

It's honestly hard to get everyone's attention! Because a lot of people don't understand how to be quiet when people are presenting.  But it was kinda fun overall.

Dynamic Learner
It was really difficult to plan it because we all felt like drawing.  It was easy to present because it was all in good fun.

It was very hard to prepare it and pretty easy to deliver it.

I think that it is a bit easier planning the lesson.  When you go to teach it, not many pay attention and you don't ever say exactly what you practiced.


I cannot help but notice that these responses have subtle differences, representing the learning styles.  The Imaginative students took it personally -- how they got along, how they reached others, and how they felt.  The Analytic Learner analyzed how she was able to complete the task.  The Common Sense Learners wanted to be useful to the group, and felt they failed in that regard.  And the Dynamic Learners thought they were all that and a field of catnip, even though their presentations were perfectly pitiful, and didn't even fulfill the requirements.

See what I'm up against!  I am sure many teachers are nodding their heads in agreement.

But, honestly, I see this as my Call to Adventure.  I became more energized to pursue my passion for creative approaches to teaching than I have in a long time.  This week has been a turning point -- and I am well aware that I have a lot of work to do!

EPILOGUE
In putting together this blog, I was looking for images for herding cats.  This metaphor has always been presented like it is the teachers trying to herd the kids.  What I learned in my research today is that it is actually used for how hard it is to get TEACHERS to do what they are supposed to in this world of top-down reform.  At first I was a little offended...but then, I had to admit there is some truth to that.  ~~meow~~

What I Learned About Teaching from My College Professors

At age 42 I realized that I wanted to be a teacher.

Spent a lot of time by this lake on Edison campus after classes

At age 43, in January 1999, I began taking classes at Cuyahoga Community College: Psychology and Comp I.  I took 27 credit hours at Tri-C before moving to Florida and finishing an Associates Degree at Edison Community College in 2002.

Knowing that I wanted to be a teacher, I was highly aware of what my college professors were doing right, and I documented that in September 2001.  Some of the items made the list because a prof was doing the opposite! I like to revisit this list often because there are great reminders here of what works in education, and there are always things I find I can be doing better.

(Side note: this list is just from my first couple of years in college.  Suffice to say, many of my later college professors used the same techniques that helped me learn.) 

Here is the list:

Honor diverse styles of learning

Always choose encouraging words

Don't pander to the lowest common denominator

Collect ideas from every direction

Visuals are vital

Let students discuss openly -- encourage differing opinions

Make review and learning fun

Expect class to be disciplined in study habits

Break learning down incrementally

Be a great storyteller

Tribute: My Brother John -- Following His Lead

We were the firstborn son and daughter of Richard and Marge.  Named for our grandparents – John James and Helen Marie – we both began life in Kittaning, Pennsylvania.  For my brother that was 60 years ago today.

Spring 1964: John and me in the back, Margie in the middle, Matt and Martin front

Growing up we lived in a tight-knit world in our west side Cleveland neighborhood.  We walked two blocks to church and school at St. Mark’s parish, coming home for lunch every day.  We shared many of the same teachers – Sister Flaviana, Miss O’ Connell, Mrs. Deming.  It was good for me to follow my brother into their classrooms, because he was a model student and could do no wrong. His reputation enhanced mine, paving the way for positive experiences.  Later the same would be true with an 8^th grade teacher at St. Richard’s, before we went our separate ways in high school.

Back in those days the standard reward for students with good grades would be a free pass to Euclid Beach Park or to a Cleveland Indians game.  John got to attend both places before I did, bragging about the incredible experiences he had.  I was so happy when I went to school and earned those bragging rights as well.  The competition was always there between us, even though most of the time I felt woefully inadequate next to him. 

Euclid Beach Archway

John taught me how to play baseball, organizing the few neighborhood kids we could find into morning ball games.  When we couldn’t keep up with his athleticism, we would resort to games of tag or our own made-up game “Monster Around the Garage.”  One of my best memories is when we were fortunate enough to have the top of our silver maple tree come crashing down in the front yard during a storm. We played “Monster in the Tree” making pathways through the leafy branches for a few days before my parents found someone to chop it up and cart it away.

There were experiences we shared that were ours alone as the oldest siblings.  We have authentic memory of our Great Grandma and Grandpa Maslyk, immigrants from Poland.  We spent many a Sunday at their double-story farmhouse on five acres of land, walking distance to other relatives.  We occasionally visited another Great Grandmother in Danville, her tiny white house flanked by a huge vegetable garden and a skinny little path to a shed in the back. 

I still have the cooler!

I have early memories of a summer tradition, when there was still just a few of us -- our family would take a trip to Cedar Point, which at that time meant packing up the Coca-Cola cooler, swimming in Lake Erie in the morning, changing clothes and eating lunch from the cooler, then an afternoon of rides in the park.  This was well before Cedar Point became “Cedar Point” and was a day shared with our cousins from Lorain.

John taught me about politics.  In 1960, he held up two pictures and asked me to pick the man I liked.  One had dark hair, like my dad, so naturally (being only 5-years-old) I picked him.  John quickly informed me that I had picked the “bad” man – Nixon – and that I should have picked the “good” man – Kennedy.  A few years later we would share the sudden loss of that president together; and in an early morning in June, 1968, it would be John who would wake me up to tell me that Robert Kennedy had been shot.

In that summer of 1968, with contentiousness already in the air, John formed the Eagle Club so that he and his friends could debate political positions.  It took place in our front yard one afternoon a week, and we always knew the meeting was over when Mark – a red-haired Republican and staunch supporter of Nixon – would stomp away in anger.  There is no arguing with John.  He is flawless in his logical appeal, quick-witted, and clear-minded.  My friend Becky and I would watch from her front porch.  It was great entertainment, even when we couldn’t hear everything that was being said. 

Margie, John, and me -- John & Gail's wedding day 1980

John taught me about rock and roll music that was being played on certain radio stations in the early 1960’s, much to the chagrin of our mother who vowed we would never listen to such trash.  He taught me about the Beach Boys and the disc jockey Alan Freed who got in trouble for a thing called payola.  (I honestly don’t know where he got his information, but it was mine for the taking!) In early 1964, the Beatles would play on The Ed Sullivan Show, and we all stayed up to watch.  I think back to the excitement of those times, and it is really hard to fully embrace how different the music was and how excited we were by the long hair and unusual style of the Beatles.  We would never get to see the Beatles the times they came to Cleveland, but it was my brother who, in 1976, scored me tickets at the last minute to see Paul McCartney and Wings when they came to the Richfield Colesium for the “Rockshow” tour.  It was another shared experience – definitely like Beatlemania -- even though we didn’t sit together at the concert. 

Television, of course, was a big part of our lives: Captain Penney, Barnaby, Mr. Ed, Leave it to Beaver, Zorro, Addams Family, The Munsters, Lost in Space, and Batman.  Hours and hours were spent watching Looney Tunes, The Little Rascals, and our favorite, The Three Stooges (links to pie fight, my favorite!)  My mom tells a story of a Christmas morning we all arrived at church late – standing room only.  We must have gotten bored, standing there in our heavy coats, and started mimicking the gestures of the Three Stooges.  According to my mother, she and my father sidled away so that no one would know these naughty children were theirs.

But the best television was on Saturday afternoon – Ghoulardi came on with his crazy sayings (Stay sick! Turn blue! Purple Knif!) and horror movies like the Cyclops, the mysterious disembodied gloved hand, and the walking tree (those last two seriously gave me nightmares!)  For his birthday my brother received a gift of a Ghoulardi sweatshirt – I was so jealous!  Ghoulardi was a big deal and, in fact, in Cleveland this year they are having Ghoulardifest to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of this classic show. 

I recall a few gifts my brother gave me.  Christmas 1968 it was the single record and number one hit “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye.  For my 17^th birthday he gave me full record albums: Judy Collins and Janis Joplin.  But it was the around my 21^st birthday that he gave me the best gift of all.

I was setting up my first checking account, and agonizing over what little emblem I could have printed on my checks that would represent me.  I was lamenting the fact that I had no sport or hobby or skill, nothing that was represented in the page of logos provided by Cleveland Trust.  My brother corrected my appraisal of myself.  He said,  “Of course you have a skill – you’re a writer.”  I had never heard those words from anyone’s mouth before.  I can still feel the joy from that moment, so long ago. I embraced it immediately, for it was something I must have always known was true.  I picked out a feather pen logo and from then on I knew: I am a writer.

I have to say, no other gift has ever compared.

Years later (2002) I would win a short story contest at Edison Community College, being rewarded with a $500 scholarship.  Professor Spivak, my creative writing teacher, told me “You are a writer.  I know you need to hear that.”  And secretly I remembered I already had.

So, Happy Birthday, dear brother.  I hope you will not forget to remember to Stay Sick and Turn Blue, you Purple Knif.  And please, when you get a break from traveling to Alaska and Africa and Hawaii, come down to sunny Florida.  The Skunk Ape Museum awaits your arrival.

Sunset on Ft Myers Beach, 2004

My Hero: Malala Yousafzai

I vowed a long time ago that I wouldn't put someone on a pedestal as a hero because I have seen too many of my heroes fall.  However, this young lady has changed my mind.  She is full of passion, clarity, and purpose.  She is everything I aspire to be but fall woefully short. Today I will be creating a lesson plan for Monday related to this video and our current unit on what defines a hero.  It will be a great way to kick off second quarter.

If you have not witnessed this conversation between Malala Yousafzai and John Stewart, take 16 minutes of your life and do so. 

My Movies: Gravity (in 3D)

The film Gravity changed my mind about 3D.

I typically don't see the kinds of movies that are in 3D, but I did see Avatar (which I didn't care for much) and Hugo, which I didn't even understand why it was in 3D.  But Gravity is different.  With this film, 3D creates a deeper experience.  And some of the effects directly add to the meaning of the film.

Since I don't want this to be one big spoiler, I am only going to mention the one thing that I thought was most remarkable about the use of 3D.

I teach my students that in story -- whether written or filmed -- the presence of water is a motif which always means the same thing.  The presence of rain or tears or a character falling into a lake or swimming in a river indicate a change is coming -- the character will make a decision or transform in some way.  It is used so often it feels cliche -- but that is what makes it a motif.

In Gravity, there is a scene where Sandra Bullock's character, Ryan Stone, begins to cry.  Being in a gravity-less atmosphere (and being in 3D) her tears do not stay on her cheek.  Instead, they float out toward the audience.  Not a lot of tears...just one or two.  I was mesmerized by this and couldn't take my eyes off the teardrop floating its way toward me -- so close I felt I could touch it.  Then the drop began to act as a mirror of the character.  I was fascinated.  What a way to use this motif and 3D!  What a way to symbolize that a change is about to occur -- so subtle and effective.  The English Major in me could spend quite a bit of time uncovering the layers of this poignant and visually inventive scene--but I'll save the lengthy analysis.

Instead, I'll just say this: Gravity is a film that can be seen as an allegory for the impermanence of life, the way we suffer, the times we give up, and the mysterious ways we continue to push on and survive, despite all odds being against us.  We don't have to go up in space to experience the lack of groundedness we feel at times.

Well...all the time, if we're honest.

I had watched this anatomy of a scene from Gravity a week before seeing the film.  I already knew I wanted to see the film, but after watching this, I was sold.  Check it out. And if you see the film, be sure to let me know what you think of it.

My Music: Linda Ronstadt (Part One)

I first heard Linda Ronstadt's voice when I was in sixth grade and a song called "Different Drum" by the group Stone Poneys came on the radio.  I was an avid radio listener and reader of all things music, and knew that the Monkee Mike Nesmith had written this curious song about a girl turning down marriage because she listened to a different drum (I didn't know the Thoreau reference at the time.) The song wasn't a hit, and was soon forgotten.

Early in my sophomore year of high school, Linda surfaced again singing a haunting ballad called "Long, Long Time."  The clarity of the voice and the emotion caught my adolescent self, and I actually can remember the day I stopped after school in Woolworth's at Kamms Corner to buy the single before getting on the bus back to North Olmsted.  I am sure I listened to it a dozen times when I got home.  I couldn't get enough of the despair and grief she brought to the song through her vocals.

But it wouldn't be until the winter of 1974-75 that Linda would make her way into my music life permanently.  It was with the release of her album Heart Like a Wheel that Linda became a huge star; but that wasn't why I liked her.  The single "You're No Good" was a giant hit, but I didn't even like it that much.  In fact, it was my mother who pointed out to me how repetitive and boring the song was, and how she was practically shouting her way through it.  I couldn't deny either of these observations.

Lowell George & Linda Ronstadt

Heart Like a Wheel started me on a musical odyssey based on Linda's song selections.  On Heart the standout to me was the Hank Williams classic "I Can't Help It" (If I'm Still in Love With You).  That was the song I listened to over and over again.  I was not familiar with Hank Williams -- I didn't know his musical legacy in country music or any of his other great songs.  Linda gave me an introduction to Hank, but also to Emmylou Harris who sang harmony on the recording.  I didn't know much about Emmylou, but later that year would scour the town for her first solo record, as well as her recordings with Gram Parson.  Here is a live version of Linda and Emmylou singing Hank from back in the day.

That wasn't all, though.  The album contained songs by writers and singers I already knew -- James Taylor, Paul Anka, Phil Everly. But it also introduced to me to the formidable songwriting skills of J. D. Souther ("Faithless Love"),  Anna McGarrigle ("Heart Like a Wheel"), and Lowell George  of Little Feat ("Willin').  Eventually, I would go on to buy every Little Feat album -- George being their front man and jester until his untimely death in 1979, just two months after I saw him perform live.

Speaking of live performances, I believe it was in late winter/early spring of 1975 I went to see Linda perform at the Allen Theater.  What I remember from the evening is that Livingston Taylor opened the show and played longer than Linda did.  I was somewhat disappointed in Linda's scant and nervous performance.  Now that I have read her memoir, I understand she was nervous and didn't feel like she had much of a show.  By the next summer she would be playing larger venues, such as Blossom Music Center, and even with a longer show I still felt like there wasn't much enjoyment for her.  I can still remember her belting out "Heat Wave" at the end and it just felt so...wrong.  I decided just to stick with the recordings, which I was deeply loving.

In August 1975, Prisoner in Disguise was released to great acclaim. The song that touched me the most was Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You."  I knew of Parton, but not this song.  When I took the Studio B tour in Nashville last summer, I learned that Dolly wrote this song as well as "Jolene" the same day, right there in the studio.  By the way, Elvis Presley had wanted to record "I Will Always Love You" but his manager was demanding half the publishing rights, which Dolly would not grant.  When I tell people that story, I am always surprised at how many say they didn't know Dolly wrote that song, later a huge hit for Whitney Houston.

My music education continued in summer 1976 when Linda released Hasten Down the Wind, and I became familiar with songwriters Karla Bonoff and Warren Zevon (yes, purchasing all their albums as they came out) as well as another country classic: "Crazy"--by the great Patsy Cline -- written by Willie Nelson.  Yes, all new names to me at the time.  My music education -- past and present -- continued through Linda's tutelage. I went on to become a huge Willie Nelson fan, and been known to buy some Patsy Cline collections as well.

Patsy Cline's stage costume, Ryman Auditorium

Love this recording of Linda singing "Crazy."

 In August 1977 I spent a week in a tiny southeastern Ohio town called Buchtel.  My boyfriend Scot was getting ready to attend Ohio University that school year, and was going to be living in a house outside of Athens with two guys who were going to Hocking Technical College.  I left my high-rise apartment next to a mall in a suburb of Cleveland, and spent it in an extremely quiet "holler" armed with two new albums: Linda's Simple Dreams and Hall and Oates Beauty and the Backstreet.  I purchased both albums the day before leaving town, and purposely did not listen to either one before getting to Buchtel. Consequently, the music on these two discs take me back to a time and place like no other.  Every sultry summer morning, the first thing I would do is put on Simple Dreams while we sipped our morning beverages. Later, we'd play cards while listening to Hall and Oates, continued listening to the music through the window while sitting on the front porch swing, took walks in the woods, drove into Athens, and barbecued on a tiny hibachi in the evening, with no sound but the birds and the winds rustling through the trees, and maybe a little more Linda playing in the background.  I will never forget coming back home to Great Northern Towers and realizing what a bright and loud atmosphere I lived in daily.  Music had to cover it up -- in the rolling hills of southern Ohio, it was soundtrack adding dimensions to the environment. This is a distinction I have not forgotten.

Simple Dreams would stay with me throughout the fall and into the darker winter days because of the hit "Blue Bayou."  At nightfall I would leave work to drive 45 minutes home, and can remember hearing the song and thinking how it applied to me:  "Saving nickles, saving dimes/working til the sun don't shine/ looking forward to happier times on Blue Bayou."  For me, Blue Bayou was southern Ohio, a place where I could go for respite -- quiet, except for the music we chose to play; dark, except for the candles we wished to light.  "Blue Bayou" was a Roy Orbison song (I only knew his "Pretty Woman") and a last gasp of great radio music before disco took over the airwaves that winter with the release of Saturday Night Fever.

Linda. never. did. disco. thank. God.

But that doesn't mean she didn't change with the times.  In February 1980 she hit the first wrong note with me with her album Mad Love.  She had gone in a New Wave-y direction, and it wasn't one I cared for much.  Reading her memoir, I learned that this was the first album recorded digitally. This made me wonder if what I was responding to at the time was something my ear could hear that was different. The recording of music was changing and frankly, the early 80's is a bit of a wasteland in that regard -- even Hall and Oates was losing my allegiance with repetitive and overplayed songs like "Private Eyes."  I bought the album Mad Love, but don't think I listened to it much.  I never did buy the CD.

 In 1982 I got over it, though, with the release of Get Closer.  The songs on this one were superb, especially songs by Jimmy Webb ("The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" and "Easy for You to Say") and Kate McGarrigle again with the touching "Talk to Me of Mendicino."  I had married and divorced in the time since Mad Love had come out, and Get Closer was some kind of elixir for the transformation I was going through in my life.  Linda's approach seemed lighter and deeper at the same time, and I had an appreciation for that.  And besides -- I really loved the album cover!!!

Award winning album cover -- polka dots!

Polka dots!