Many, many years ago when the donor and I first divorced, I found myself a single mother with two young children. I was sad and lonely and so I turned to caffeine, nicotine and music to keep me going.
Yes you heard that right, I’m one of those people who find comfort, understanding and motivation through music. At that time (dating myself) my songs of inspiration came from the early years of Bruce Springsteen.
My phone is naturally loaded up with Springsteen and the other famous Jersey Boy, Jon Bon Jovi. I don’t always find the empathy from Jon that I get from Bruce, but there are many times when he does inspire me.
Every three or four weeks I make the trip to Avon for dog food. I used to love to have Hubby go with me, but now I find I really enjoy this time to throw on some music and let my hair down.
I plugged the phone in and rather than do my traditional I don’t feel like listening to this song routine, I decided to listen to every song and see what kind of inspiration/motivation I might find.
Of course when you’re driving it’s hard to write things down, but I somehow managed to make a semblance of a list.
Today ladies and gentlemen I present to you my musical inspirations, in the order they came off my phone.
Springsteen: Badlands – Talk about a dream, try to make it real, you wake up in the night, with a fear so real, spend your life waiting for a moment that just don’t come, well, don’t waste your time waiting. (The time is now, I need to get my butt in gear and do the next step, not keep waiting for God knows what.)
Springsteen: Leap of Faith – It takes a leap of faith to get things going. It takes a leap of faith you gotta show some guts. It takes a leap of faith to get things going. In your heart you must trust. (I need to take that leap and have faith it’s what is right for me.)
Bon Jovi: Raise Your Hands – I – I’ve been out on the front line. Where you’ll go down if you waste time. They’ll walk all over you. (I’m sitting here wasting time by not taking my blog to the next level. Um…..during this song I looked at the speedometer which read 100 and I realized, this song also makes me drive really fast)
Springsteen: Sherry Darling – my inspiration from this song was sometimes you just have to kick back and let yourself enjoy!
Gretchen Wilson: I’m Here For The Party – You know im here for the party. And i aint leavin til they throw me out. (Yup that’s me and this blog, I’m here until y’all stop reading.)
Bon Jovi: Wild In The Streets – Sometimes this town ain’t pretty, but you know it ain’t so bad. (I have a tendency to focus on the negative, but that is changing!! More positive please.)
Janis Joplin: Mercedes-Benz – This song told me I don’t want to be someone who just sits back and waits for someone to hand me something, I need to work my butt off if I want to make my dreams come true.
Springsteen: No Surrender – We made a promise we swore we’d always remember. No retreat baby, no surrender. (I can’t give up, I need to keep trying and working it and eventually it will turn out the way it was supposed to.)
Kathy Mattea: 455 Rocket – She’s a Rocket, she was made to burn. (That’s me, I’m wasn’t made to just sit on the side-lines, I’m an all in sort of gal.)
Springsteen: Out In The Street – When I’m out in the street, I walk the way I wanna walk. When I’m out in the street, I talk the way I wanna talk. (I have to stop worrying about what other people think and just be myself.)
Springsteen: Bobby Jean – Now you hung with me when all the others turned away turned up their nose. (That’s you guys! You stick with me even when I’m feeling sorry for myself.)
Credence Clearwater: Bad Moon Rising – No inspiration here. 🙂
Jason Aldeen: Crazy Town – One year they repossess your truck, and the next you make a couple million bucks. (Things might not be so great this year, but next year the tables could be turned.)
Mary Chapin Carpenter: I Feel Lucky – No Professor Doom gonna stand in my way, Mmmmm, I feel lucky today. (Negative is out and positive is in, I need to get out of my own way.)
Sixty miles later I pulled into the driveway screaming, All Jacked Up by Gretchen Wilson. While the lyrics didn’t inspire me, I do like the tune and I can be all jacked up with positivity.
So there you have my insights from my music. What inspires you?
I’m the same way mom! There is always a song that I can relate to depending on my mood or whatever I’m going through. Sometimes I hear old songs & it reminds me of certain things that happened to me (example: Cuts Like a Knife by Bryan Adams reminds me of Coventry Lake because I remember hearing it while driving there when we were still living with the donor). And by the way – Raise Your Hands is my favorite Bon Jovi song!
Isn’t that the truth! And I think I choose my music depending upon my mood. 🙂 Raise Your Hands is a great song and very uplifting!
I’ve been playing songs from the 60s to 80s on my iPhone playlist the last week and just remarking to The Other Half how they bring me back to the days! Sometimes sad, sometimes happy, some lost lust, always nostalgic.
Currently, I’m loving Christina Perri, Adele, Eminem and Dr Dre and that Bruno guy. Yeah, I have teenager billboard taste.
I like that you have a wide variety of music. When my kids were younger their tastes molded mine a bit, I still have some Backstreet Boys on my ipod. 🙂
Tall person is a fan of Bruce Springsteen – he saw him in concert in London many years. He said he was amazing!
I’ve seen him 3 times in concert, he is totally awesome! Somehow I expected tall person to be a fan. 😉
We like Janis Joplin too. Her voice is unique….
It is at that, there’s never been another like her.
You sure do have a lot of Springsteen on your phone…lol. The songs are on my iPhone are quite a variety and some are just because I like the beat…lol. Not sure what they inspire. 😉
I wonder though if you are putting too much pressure on yourself to bring your blog to the next level? I understand what you want, but I hope you don’t change too much because I really enjoy reading. Does that make any sense?
He was very instrumental (no pun intended) on helping me through a very difficult time. As soon as I got my phone I went to his website and wrote down every song that I liked from every album, then I downloaded them. 🙂
Yes it makes perfect sense and I don’t think it will change a lot, I will just be able to offer affiliate links, paid ads, etc. I expect the content will remain very similar, I may just post a tiny bit less. 🙂
Lot of great tunes Jodi! It’s funny how a good song makes you drive faster, huh?? Love that each inspired you in different (and often similar) ways. You go girl! Be the Dog. Oh wait. JUST Be the Dog! 🙂
It’s funny, most days I hit, skip, skip, skip. But that day I decided to let it play and that’s what it handed me. 🙂 Just Be The Dog!
Haha, those are some good ones! I love Bon Jovi too 🙂 What I love most is traditional Zimbabwean music because it is so deep-rooted and danceable, but it’s a lot easier to find Deadhead music in these parts so I like that pretty much too 🙂
Ain’t nothin’ wrong with Springsteen. Bon Jovi on the other hand…
I am kidding. I will never judge you for your taste in music. After all, I spent many a teenage hour yelling along with Alanis Morrisette so I am no one to talk.
Nothing like getting a little motivation from your favorite music. Just watch that gas pedal while you’re rocking out. 🙂
I try not to get inspiration from my music. I tend to listen to pretty dark stuff (don’t know why; I just do). I’m better off not being inspired by Richard Thompson (“I feel so good I’m gonna take someone apart tonight”), Puccini (basically anything by Puccini deals with death and despair), Bruce Cockburn (“If I had a rocket launcher…”), or Suzanne Vega (“Consider me a widow boys, and I will tell you why, it’s not the man but the marriage that was drowned”).
I’m lately hooked up to All These Things That I’ve Done, The Killers. Whenever that plays on my iPod when I’m running I feel like I’m flying.
I like your list, know most of them.
Wow, that’s a lot of inspiration – I think my Mum needs to listen to some Music too 🙂
I hope you’re having a fun day,
Your pal Snoopy 🙂
Love the title you wouldn’t believe the picture I have in my head LOL
Hey it’s jet here. Hi miss Jodi.
Mom is at nana’s right now and she’s using her phone so… We will give her a break if she makes any mistakes!
Anyway, mom’s a jersey girl too and a HUGE Springsteen fan too. So she enjoyed ur playlist.
I’m really digging your choices. I tend to gravitate towards music that fits my mood (so sometimes happier than others) or that helps me get out some anger/sadness… I’ve been known to blast “I am a rock… I am an iiiiiiisland” when I’m feeling grouchy.