By Elaine Sine
My life has been flooded with iconic music that my family has shared with me. Although I’ve heard countless great songs, ranging from Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” to Richard Marx’s “Waiting for You,” the following songs were the ones that made the best impression:
Lady in Red – Chris De Burgh
My mom introduced me to this song when I was a little girl. The reason it made such a great impression on me was because of how my mom always reacted whenever it played. During a car ride, the melody would fill the space and we’d be suspended in silence until my mom would softly begin singing along. It’s always a quiet, soothing moment that I appreciate, and I’ll never forget my mom as the lady in red.
“La Vie en Rose” – Louis Armstrong
Jazz is one of my favorite genres, and “La Vie en Rose” was a song I’d sing often around my family. Every time I was around my grandma and sang it, she’d quietly sing along and then be surprised and reminiscent that I was listening to a song she listened to when she was younger. I liked that the music I loved also resonated very strongly with her, so whenever I want to sing around her, I usually sing that.
“How to Save a Life” – The Fray
My sister loved alternative rock as a teenager. I looked up to her and listened to her music as much as I could. This song took my interest because it was one of the songs she listened to that had a lot of meaning and a solemn undertone with a bit of hope. I didn’t understand what the song meant at the time, but as I kept listening to it, I grew to love it and became attached to it. I have my sister to thank for that.
“Ne me quitte pas” – Nina Simone
One day during a car ride with my dad, he excitedly asked me if I knew this song. When I told him I didn’t, he immediately hooked up his phone to Bluetooth and began playing this song. We took a moment to listen to it, and my dad passionately began singing along. Although the song is a bit solemn in terms of its tune and melody, I’ll never forget that my dad was the one to introduce me to it. Such an emotional, heartfelt piece was refreshing to hear, and I’m glad my dad taught me about it.
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