I can't tell you why

When I was a little girl, I remember listening in the car to tapes my mother, Karen, liked. A mix tape from a post-divorce boyfriend of hers entitled "the Boogie tape" has to be my earliest music memory. My mom still has the tape, but not the list of artists. Listening to it now, I can identify some of the songs: Michael Jackson, Donna Summer, A Taste of Honey, Kenny Loggins, Bob Marley, Patrick Juvet, Steely Dan. That boyfriend must have had access to a mixing board because all the songs fade into each other, you know, so you can boogie all night long. That tape assured that I could never hate disco.

Driving around in our orangle VW Beetle, I remember her playing tapes over and over by The Eagles, Queen, Joni Mitchell. "I Can't Tell You Why" by the Eagles was my favorite song for years. The next car, a white Mazda, heard Tears for Fears, Fleetwood Mac, George Harrison, Anita Baker as the 80s progressed. After this she strayed into Kenny G territory, but I try to repress that period.

There was music when I was with my dad too (every other weekend). He and his girlfriend (later wife) Anna loved Bruce Springsteen, Miles Davis and The Police. Anna probably played more music than my dad, Wayne. She would play Patsy Cline, The Doors, Bonnie Raitt, Steely Dan.

At neither household do I remember I don't remember listening to the tapes in the house much, just in the car. They did have record collections that I would raid though. My mom had a bunch of musicals, A Chorus Line, Pippin and the Fantastiks stand out, as well as some movie soundtracks. I heard Moon River for the first time on my mom's record player. Holiday music was played from records at my mom's house too. The Motown christmas album and then traditional songs sung by a children's choir would blast through the house as we made cookies or decorated the tree or whatever. Anna had the Andrew Lloyd Weber collection, so I heard Cats, Phantom of the Opera, Evita and Les Miserables over and over.