Name: Kristen (creator of Five Song Project) and Nina (Mom)
Song(s): “Panama” by Van Halen, “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen, “Boys Are Back in Town” by Thin Lizzy, “1999” by Prince, “Sexy Back” by Justin Timberlake, “Make me Feel” by Janelle Monae
First of all I want to say thank you to my mom who has been very supportive of this project. I think most of the likes, views, and comments are from her. Then again, she has always been supportive of me.
There is not a particular song that reminds me of my mom but a type of music. To put it in her own words, “I just like anything that has a beat” or “I like anything that makes me move”.
My mom shuttled us around a lot when we were kids. Both my sisters and I were involved in a lot of activities when we were in school, drama club, band, choir, debate club, dance, pep band, junior olympic volleyball, as well as active social lives. When she was driving me back and forth from Northern Minnesota to Minneapolis to go to the Minnesota Center for Arts Education, a residential arts-based charter school, every couple months for mandatory “go-home” weekends, she was zipping up and down the northern highways with my sisters for Junior Olympic volleyball. Also during that time my mom owned a consignment store and we would go to Duluth every few months to go on buying trips. We spent so much time in the car and that time was filled car dancing. I think that is the story of a lot of moms these days, hours and hours in the car, with soccer, play dates, and all of the things kids are up to these days. I hope that you add these songs to your car dancing playlists to make the drive more bearable or what my mom used them for, to stay awake.
I called my mom a couple weeks ago and we talked about epic car dancing songs.
Me: I remember we spent a lot of time in the car growing up. All that back and forth from Minneapolis for me, all of the volleyball for my sisters, and trips to town to go to Dairy Queen. I have fond memories of all the car dancing. What are your favorite car dancing songs?
Mom: Car dancing songs aren’t songs that you go out of your way to listen to, they come on during the course of the drives on the radio. I don’t remember song names so…
Me: Can you tell me how the song goes that you are thinking of?
Mom: Hey Dave (My dad’s name) what is the good Van Halen one? With David Lee Roth not that other guy?
I hear a muffled voice
“Panama” she responds.
I love that my parents are on the same wavelength.
Also, after Wayne’s World I think that everyone did “Bohemian Rhapsody” in the car. “Boys are Back in Town” by Thin Lizzy is also a good one. I think more than anything, I car danced to stay awake on those long car rides. I liked anything that had a beat. Prince is a good one “Kiss” or “1999.” Oooh and JT is a must.
Me: Which song would you pick from him?
Mom: “Sexy Back” for sure. Timbaland is good at bringing people together and it has a good beat. I really like the new Janelle Monae song, the one where she worked with Prince. I like that ipod shuffle mix you put together for me, you seem to always know what I would like.
[Note: I think car dancing is probably the reason that I am a very good dancer from the waist up, but not so much from the waist down.]
Thanks mom for sharing these car jams with me.
ON WEDNESDAY… It’s not a love song mom.