Where young people gather, music is sure to be heard!
Full disclosure to begin, every space I shared with young people I shamelessly (but not easily) promoted my own musical taste!! I also shamelessly justified this by telling myself (and others to their annoyance) that it brought some balance. So yea, it could go from boy band bopping to Rage Against the Machine, you know what I mean, "balance"!
Cassette tapes, CD's, Mini Discs, Ipods to the battle of the bluetooth connection and we even have people bringing their own speakers! Music has been on its journey too.
Sugar Hill Gang - Rappers Delight
I have vivid and wonderful memories of walking through the Wicklow mountains with a gang of kids and a boom box blasting out rappers delight! At one with nature and accompanied by one the all time great tracks!
Rednex - Cotton Eye Joe
One of those songs which had choreographed dance moves associated with it. I HATED it and therefore everyone else LOVED it and it got extensive airtime in the youth club. Dreadful tune altogether!
System of a Down - Prison Song
Picture a youth hostel with kids who have finally found themselves asleep after late night chats etc. Then Daisy decides at the ungodly hour of 6am to play this as the WAKE UP song! Did they need to be up at that time? Absolutely not! Was there some payback in there for keeping me up? Maybe. It's still a great tune though! (special mention for Slayer - Raining Blood which I used sometimes!
House of Pain - Jump Around
Picture me on duty at the front door for the youth club disco…… the horns come on, instant recognition and I’m sprinting for the dance floor!! I absolutely loved that the kids knew it was my song and so whenever it was played they would be waiting for me to hit the dance floor and give it everything!
Sacred Spirit - Yeha Noha
I got this cassette in the mid 90's called 'Chants and dances of the Native Americans' and so it began that when our youth club would go to stay in a youth hostel in the mountains we would go out at midnight, find a spot in the forest and play this cassette as everyone lay in the ground. Teenagers doing mindfulness in the 90's!!
What songs are the soundtrack to your journeys?