Talking About Pop Music

I love pop music. Even the corny stuff. Especially the corny stuff.

It’s always been the same. Ever since my very first album purchase back in 1975- I was 7 and spent all my birthday money on Bay City Rollers’s Once Upon a Star. All birthday and Christmas money would go on albums, and all Sunday afternoons would be spent on my belly in front of Countdown. It was perhaps fortunate that we lived in the country and only got one TV station- the ABC.

Very early in life Abba taught me that we all get the blues and that sometimes life is a burden way down in your shoes. When it’s bad (worse worse) and you think you’re cursed, rock and roll will fill a hole in your soul.

They also taught me that sweet kisses will return to sender, and that if you give love away, you’ll get it in return. Every feeling you show is a boomerang you’re throwing. Apparently love is also a tune you hummy hum hum.

Even though that one didn’t hold up in my many unrequited crush situations, just like Muriel, I thought that life could be as fantastic as it was in an Abba song. Abba also knew that a well timed “a-ha” will cover most circumstances.

I spent most of my teenage years listening to pop that either made me dance or made me cry. I had an aversion to early Madonna, would walk out of any store playing anything by Boy George, argued with my sister over who was better- John Taylor or Simon Le Bon (my vote was on Simon Le Bon- I’ve always had a thing about Scorpio men) and was in love with George Michael. My gay-dar has never been great.

Johnny Logan, Michael Bolton, Whitney Houston and Toni Braxton accompanied me through major heartbreak moments- they really knew how it felt.

The Whole of the Moon reminds me to this day of an evening on a balcony with a very hot muso, I Think I Love You, has accompanied many a crush moment, and I wanted boobs like the girl in The Promises one hit wonder Baby It’s You (check it out on youtube & you’ll see what I mean- those puppies could have their own filmclip).  I also wanted a eye make-up like Siobhan Fahey in Stay, a jacket like the blonde girl in Euphoria’s Love You Right, Andy Ridgeley’s (Wham!) long tartan jacket and more recently Kylie’s denim jacket in TimeBomb.

If I hear Steps Tragedy (yep, the Bee Gees cover) I’ll still put my hands to my face like they do in the film clip. I cry at The Winner Takes It All, will point to the sky for Super Trooper and break into a scoop step for Mamma Mia. In fact when the school band played Mamma Mia at the end of last years speech night my daughter just shook her head in warning. I had to be satisfied with a surreptitious back to back with hubby.

On the astro blog I use titles and songs to describe otherwise technical astrological terms, and once managed an entire month using just Pet Shop Boys titles as inspiration (there’s a Pet Shop Boys song for every life moment).

Simple Plan’s Jet Lagged was on the ipod when I wrote a scene about my character missing her travelling love interest, and the Veronica’s Take Me on The Floor and This is How It Feels have also featured in scenes and said in music what I want to say in words. To me pop songs are chick lit but set to music. And yes, that does make some sort of sense.

It also goes a long way to explain why pop music is often tarred with the same brush as chick lit.

In the meantime, you can’t go too wrong with relationship advice like this from the Good Charlotte boys:

You’ve got nothing to lose, don’t be afraid to get down

We break up, it’s something that we do now, everyone has got to do it sometimes.

It’s ok, let it go, get out there and find someone…

*I must confess is a linkup with www.myhometruths.com….