Writing 101, Day 3

It’s another free-flowing exercise; this time the subject should be three songs important to me. They may as well have asked me to say what my favorite song is, or what’s my favorite color. It’s pretty impossible for me that answer any of these questions in just a few minutes. Then ask me to do it and write about them within just fifteen minutes without editing. Definitely impossible.

I’ve always had a hard time narrowing down favorites or picking things like this. I know it when I see it/hear it. I can’t always bring it to mind when prompted without some warning. If I went through the various playlists I have in iTunes, I would probably find several repeated on more than one list. Does that mean they are important to me? Probably not. I just like them or they happen to fit several moods or purposes.

For example, one of these songs is La Negra Tiene Tumbao by Celia Cruz. I think I have it on at least three playlists, maybe more. It  does fit multiple purposes: it’s on one of my walking playlists because it has a good rhythm and it makes me feel good as I’m walking. It’s on a party playlist, and it’s on a latin playlist. It’s fun, but it also reminds me of growing up in Panama and hearing Celia on the radio. Back when I didn’t like salsa, by the way.

I do have a playlist called “Fresh Start” that Doug and I put together when we hosted our first party. It is composed partly of songs that reflect our state of mind at the time: we both felt we were getting a fresh start on life, with me getting ready to move in with him. Some of these songs are about the journey we each took to get there, and some are just about how happy we were (and still are!). So to end my fifteen minutes of free-flowing (otherwise known as rambling), I leave you with our “Fresh Start” playlist:

• Litte Martha — The Allman Brothers Band
• Love Shack – The B-52’s
• Feel Like Makin’ Love — Bad Company
• Dejame Entrar — Carlos Vives
• Carito — Carlos Vives
• La Negra Tiene Tumbao – Celia Cruz
• Strawberry Wine — Deanna Carter
• Nobody Else in the World But You – Don Henley
• I Have Always Loved You — Enrique Iglesias
• Bailamos — Enrique Iglesias
• Medley: Bamboleo, Volare — Gipsy Kings
• Broken Bed – James McMurtry
• Slow Dance — John Legend
• Carey — Joni Mitchell
• Guavaberry – Juan Luis Guerra & 4.40
• A Dios le Pido – Juanes
• What Is and What Should Never Be — Led Zeppelin
• You Make me Feel Like Dancing — Leo Sayer
• Roll Um Easy — Little Feat
• Skin it Back — Little Feat
• Spanish Moon — Little Feat
• If Wishes were Horses — Lucinda Williams
• The Way you Make me Feel — Michael Jackson
• I’ll Meet you Halfway — The Partridge Family
• Cuban Slide — Pretenders
• Lost Without U — Robin Thicke
• Miss You — The Rolling Stones
• Wild Horses — The Rolling Stones
• Bitch — The Rolling Stones
• The Girl from Ipanema — Stan Getz * Antonio Carlos Jobim
• Yeah — Usher