A Song and a Story: Mesmerizing Music #AtoZChallenge

Today’s M songs bring back memories of being confined to bed.  One of these stories is humorous while the other comes from one of the most difficult times of my life.

Let’s start with the Celtic mysticism of Enya and her take on the song:

Marble Halls

My sophomore year of college, I had two roommates, and one overcast day one of them put on Enya’s most recent album Sheperds Moon, on repeat.  Although it was mid-afternoon we all promptly fell into a deep sleep.  Enya’s trance-like music forced us into a comatose state against which any desire to wake up and resume studying could not resist.  My bed was in a loft, so I remember fighting the soporific powers of Enya to climb down the ladder.  Finally, I made it to the stereo and hit the off button.  We were saved!!!

The next song and story comes from 15 years later and is by the indie pop artist Feist.

My Moon, My Man

By 2008, I was an adult, had a full-time job, was married, and had a newborn baby.  Three months after my son was born I began experiencing intense pain in my lower back that radiated down my right leg.  Soon I could not walk or even sit without crippling pain.  My employers sent me home and I wasn’t able to go to work for more than two weeks.  I saw various doctors who diagnosed my problem as sciatica but took a long time (and some uncharacteristic yelling on my part) to get them to actually treat the problem.

So I spent many days alone, in bed, my right leg propped up, willing myself not to move and cause pain.  All I could do was listen to the radio, and on WERS, I heard songs I liked by artists who were new to me: “In the Night” by Basia Bulat, “On The Radio” by Regina Spektor, and most significantly “My Moon, My Man” by Feist.  Although these songs remind me of the most miserable time of my life, I have warm feelings toward them because of the comfort and distraction they brought me.

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2019 Blogging A to Z Challenge – A Song and a Story

A: Always on My Mind
B: Baby Come Back and Baker Street
C: Cheek to Cheek
D: Don’t Worry, Be Happy and Doctor Jones
E: Everyday Sunshine
F: Fly Me to the Moon
G: Ghost Town
H: Hobo Humpin’ Slobo Babe
I: If I Were John Carpenter
J: Jungle Strut and Justified & Ancient
K: Kiss
L: Loaded

If you want to read more, check out my previous Blogging A to Z Challenges:

• 2016: A journey through my neighborhood of Jamaica Plain in Boston.
• 2017: A spontaneous photograph each day.
• 2018: Watched and reviewed documentary movies.

And dig deep into Panorama of the Mountains, by checking out my:

• Book Reviews
• Movie Reviews
• Beer Reviews
• Music Reviews and Writing
• City Stories, expository writing about my experiences in various cities

And, if you like Doctor Who, I have a whole ‘nother blog where I review Doctor Who stories across media: Epic Mandates.