Oh, Christmas Tree (2025)

*The majority of this blog was written in 2019 and has been updated with additional photos and stories.

(2025) The kids were watching some Mickey Mouse holiday special on Disney+ recently. I cannot recall the name of the song, but some of the lyrics are a perfect lead in to this blog:

“Every time I see a Christmas tree
Something lights up inside of me
My heart is filled with electricity
There’s reason to cheer
Christmas is nearly herе“

Radio stations across the country will often begin playing all Christmas music after Thanksgiving. The adult contemporary station I worked at always did. Of course, Sirius XM’s Christmas music channels also start popping up around the same time or earlier.

(2019) One song always really sticks out to me each Christmas, mainly because it really isn’t a Christmas song – Linus & Lucy (AKA the Charlie Brown theme) from the Vince Guaraldi Trio. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a fun song that immediately makes be think of Charlie Brown and the gang, but it is a song that is used in basically every Charlie Brown special. Personally, the soundtrack to the Charlie Brown Christmas special is one of my favorites.

O Tannenbaum is the instrumental that kicks off the album. Many know the song as simply “Oh Christmas Tree”. (In case you were wondering, a tannenbaum is a fir tree). It’s one of my favorite versions of the song. I had the chance to hear it over the weekend and it got me to thinking about the Christmas Tree. I recently had the chance to go through a bunch of family pictures and I was surprised at how many of them included the Christmas tree. This blog is sort of a “pictorial” blog featuring some of those pictures.

As I looked through the pictures, it was fun to see the various decorations and the toys under the tree. Bear with me, as some of the years I am guessing on …

The above picture is of my dad in 1951. He would be 5 here. As I look at this picture, I see a little of me, my brother, and my oldest son in my dad.

The above picture is my mom. Just a guess, but this is probably from 1953 or 1954, as she looks 5-6 years old here. I think it is cute that she seems to be in pajamas and wearing dress shoes. Tinsel seemed to be really big in the 50’s! There’s quite a bit on this tree. I wonder what that “Little Painter” set is worth today….

The above picture is my dad, home on leave from Vietnam. The date is 1967. I really have no idea what that tree is made of. Eventually, my grandma had a ceramic tree that my mom made that stood about as high as the one in the photo. That would sit proudly in the same spot in the front window. This one looks … fluffy, and seems to have a strand of lights on it. Anyway, there are other pictures of my dad with both his mom and his dad next to this tree, too.

My folks told me that the local paper used to put names and addresses of servicemen who were overseas in the paper for people to send letters. Both of my parents were from the same city and my mom sent my dad letters. That is basically how they met and eventually marry. With those letters, occasional pictures were sent back and forth.

I think the above picture is one my mom sent to my dad. I am not 100% sure. I am not sure because I don’t know where this was taken. It would seem to me that this would be a picture that she would send to my dad overseas. There are some things that really jump out at me in the picture. Note the “sunbust” clock on the wall – I know my grandma had one of those. Also, note the cool Hi-Fi with the ceramic cat on it. This was a record player and radio. It probably also played 8 track tapes and stored records. I know my dad, and my grandpa each had one of them.

I know for a fact that this was taken at my grandma’s house. I know this because of the fireplace and the huge wooden fork and spoon on the wall behind the TV. In my lifetime, I don’t recall my grandparents ever putting a tree on the TV, so I am guessing this is before I came around.

One thing that really caught my eye is the “paper rack” between the fireplace and the TV. It seems like everyone in my family had one. After you finished reading the newspaper, you’d put it in the rack. Magazines would sometimes go there, too. When it got too full, they’d pull out a paper grocery bag and put everything in it to go out to the garbage.

I was born in May of 1970. I was 7 months old for my first Christmas. I am thankful that my folks took lots of pictures. A few of my favorites all come from 1970, all for different reasons.

The above picture is my and my great-grandpa. He passed away shortly after this. It is the only picture I have of him and I.

I am not 100%, but I believe this picture was taken in my mom and dad’s apartment. My dad can correct me if I am wrong. I remember that stuffed Bugs Bunny to my right very well.

I am pretty sure that this is at my grandma and grandpa’s house. What I love about this picture is a little foreshadowing. One of my favorite sports to participate in is bowling. I love that I am propped up next to a balling ball bag in this picture.

This is absolutely one of my favorite pictures of my mom and me. It was taken at my grandparents house, probably Christmas Eve. I love this picture so much, because it reminds me of another … which I will share in a few pictures.

The above is obviously from the same year. This time, I am with mom and dad. My grandma always kept her house hot, so mom took off her vest. Dad, who is ALWAYS hot, must not have felt it was too warm, because his is still on here.

One more from the same year (and you won’t have to look at that brown bowling ball bag anymore!), here is my and my grandpa. I always loved this picture of us. I was his first grandchild, and you can see just how happy he is here.

Grandpa and Grandma Davidson Christmas 1970 (2)

These are my mom’s parents – Grandma and Grandpa D. The date on the picture says 1970, but another scan from my brother says 1967. Not really sure. It could easily be 1970, though. It is one of my favorites of them. The tree is in the corner where my grandpa’s recliner used to always be.

The date on the above picture is October of 72, which means I am 1 here. This is at Grandma D’s house. That is my Aunt Jodi holding the bear. She is 5 years older than me. Note in the background, another Hi-Fi. My grandpa used to have big band records that I used to listen to with headphones.

The above picture was taken at our old house on Brandywine. I am about 4 here and my brother is probably just 2. The thing that stands out in this picture is the ornaments on the tree. See those diamond crocheted things? Yeah, my mom made them. She had many hobbies and this particular year, she was crocheting everything! I remember a maroon vest that she made for me. At any rate, those ornaments were two squares, with a piece of an egg carton in the middle, and a tail hanging down. I am sure she made these for many people. I remember seeing them on other family members Christmas trees.

A year later, same house, and same ornaments! You can see them a little better in this picture. I am probably 5 here, while my brother is 3. This would be the last Christmas at this house, as we moved the following year. A couple things (besides the ornaments) stand out in the picture. First, there is the organ I used to play, and mentioned in a past blog about my music lessons. Next, I remember those Ernie and Big Bird stuffed animals! Then there is that picture above the organ – it’s two horses. I think everyone in my family had that picture. Maybe a family member painted it? Finally, and this should get my wife’s OCD going, note that I am wearing the pants from one pair of PJs and the shirt from another in this picture! Good Lord!!!

The picture above has to be from 1977. My grandma bought us each a set of Star Wars figures that year. I think there were like 20 issued the first year. I remember my grandma having trouble finding the Jawa figures. This picture would have been Christmas morning, and we had gotten the figures the night before at grandma’s. If I remember right, we had the big Han Solo and Jawa dolls (pictured here) and Boba Fett and Princess Leia.

What I love most about this picture is that my mom is in it wearing this yellow robe. I have written about her yellow robe in previous blogs. She wore this thing SO much that it was stained and had tears and holes in it. She loved this robe. Eventually we bought her a new one for Christmas one year and she wore that. We assumed that she threw this one away, but after she passed away, we found it in the back of the closet! I have a “memory bear” made out of this robe.

The above has to be from 1978. If you can look past my brother’s golf pants and my wacky shirt, you will see a Tie Fighter and X-Wing Fighter. You can see the tree set up on the TV, but cannot really see the amazing display on my grandma’s mantel. Every year, she put up angels, Santa, reindeer, trees, snow and more. There was one piece that always stood out – a little mouse that was in a flower arrangement that I sent her when she was in the hospital. She put that up every year!

It obviously took my folks awhile to develop film! This is from Christmas of 78, and was not developed until August of 79! First, I love how skinny I am in this picture! Second, I remember having the sliding wooden doors that covered the doorwall. I have to chuckle because of the bowling trophy and chalice sitting on top of the door frame.

I also remember the bad paneling in the living room! I can see the Polaroid camera on the TV, the candy jar, and the glass candle sticks that my mom had. I wish I could make out more of the presents under the tree, but I remember really wanting this game. I also remember that star on the tree. It was made of hard plastic and the ends were very sharp! So sharp in fact, that it could probably be used as a weapon.

The above picture is of my dad’s folks, my Grandma and Grandpa P. This was in 1979 – I remember that was the year that everyone was taking Polaroids! At family gatherings, everyone took pictures and wrote their last name on the bottom, so they knew what pictures belonged to what family! A couple things I notice right away: The tree topper, I never understood just what the hell it was! It wasn’t a star, it was just this spaceship shaped thing that lit up! I remember the musical angels on the wall. They moved from room to room as I recall.

Then there is my Grandma’s beehive hair. She wore it this way for SO long! I also notice the pack of cigarettes in my grandpa’s pocket – you could bet they were either Lucky Strikes or Pall Malls. It looks like he is wearing a bracelet in this picture. I don’t remember him wearing one, but he did here. Just love this picture!!

The above is from 1980. This is my brother and me, with my cousins Arin and Melissa. This is at my Grandma and Grandpa D’s. A couple thoughts on this one – I am holding the very cool Coleco Head to Head Baseball game which I loved. I do not remember that bear I am holding! This is probably the year that my grandpa bought me my cribbage board, too! What is sad about this picture, is knowing that my grandpa would pass away in less than a year after this picture was taken.

Jumping many years ahead now for the above picture. Remember the picture of my mom and me by the tree from earlier? It reminds me of this picture. This is my mom and my oldest son, Dante’. This may not have been her last Christmas, I think Dante is 2 here. She loved him so much and I see the same joy in her smile here as I do in the picture of her holding me.

The above picture is about a year or so before my divorce. It’s my sons, Dante’ and Dimitri. I just love this picture because these two guys (no matter how much they may fight) really love each other. This was such a spontaneous picture and it remains one of my favorites of the boys!

The above picture is from Christmas Eve (2018) morning. Christmas Eve was always bigger than Christmas on my dad’s side of the family. The fact that I get the boys every Christmas Eve Morning to open up gifts is so special to me. I cannot wait until they can celebrate it with their sister (which would happen in February of 2020). They are going to be such great brothers to her.

The above picture is from 2018 (on the right) and 2017 (on the left). When we first got Moe (left) he got up in the tree! When Maizey came along in 2018, the fact that she was almost in the same exact spot as Moe the year before made me laugh. So I put together this comparison picture. It still makes me laugh!!

This picture (along with the song I mentioned earlier) was the reason for this blog. As I mentioned, so many favorite pictures involve the Christmas tree. I took this picture of Sam just the other night. It was her idea. The silhouette of her baby bump against the lights of the Christmas tree is just beautiful!! I posted it on Facebook (she did, too) and I mention how I cannot stop looking at it!

The reason is that it brings about so many feelings: Feelings of love for my beautiful wife. Feelings of joy and nostalgia – because it is Christmastime and the Christmas Tree. Feelings of excitement and anticipation – because the baby will be here soon. Feelings of happiness – because the picture brings a smile to my face every time I see it.

In the years ahead, I hope that more and more wonderful pictures will be captured near the Christmas tree … so I can reflect on them, too!

(2025)

Above are the boys in 2019. Dante’ would be graduating in June. Ella would be making her debut in about 2 months. I can see the ornament we got that year from Bronners. It is the cup of Hot chocolate with 5 marshmallows. Each marshmallow has our names on it – for the 5th one, it says “Baby P.”

Christmas in 2020 was strange because we were still technically in the middle of the pandemic. I was glad that everyone was well enough to be together on Christmas Eve. Ella’s first Christmas was extra special to me because with her being so young, it brought back a renewed love and excitement for the Christmas magic experienced by her.

Christmas of 2021 was fun because Ella was finally at a point where she was aware or presents and wanted to open them. It was Andrew’s first Christmas, and he was just a little over 2 months old. What I love about the above photo is her reaction to the presents under the tree. It has that “How did all these presents get here?” feel to it.

My wife almost always has the tree up Thanksgiving weekend. In 2022, Andrew was a little over a year old and he was curious about everything. Both kids were helping me that year. I was sure to give Andrew the honor of placing the tree topper that year.

I’m pretty sure that the kids had us up super early on Christmas morning of 2023. They both were excited that morning. The Barbie Castle and train table were huge hits. This photo reminds me of having to put them together into the wee hours of the morning. I just love their matching pajamas. I have to chuckle about the “cage” around the bottom of the tree to keep them and the cat away from the tree.

Last year, Christmas Eve. I love that Andrew and Ella are wearing Bluey pajamas. Bluey was a big show for them. Andrew was happy that they finally got to hold Twinkles, their elf, before he went back to the North Pole.

The boys were over earlier in the day. We always tried to get a picture in front of the tree every year. By last year, they’d grown so much that you can barely see the tree in the back. You can, however, see the snowman’s hat from the top of the tree – it makes Dante’ look like he is wearing it.

Surprisingly, I haven’t taken any picture of the kids by the tree this year. I’ll have to be sure to make that happen. I know we are trying to figure out when the boys will be able to get us all together.

The Christmas tree. It will forever be connected to warm feelings and memories for me. So that lyric I quoted earlier … it really expresses the truth:

“Every time I see a Christmas tree
Something lights up inside of me
My heart is filled with electricity
There’s reason to cheer
Christmas is nearly herе“

Friday Photo Flashback

A couple days ago, I posted about October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I explained that both my grandmother and mother passed away due to breast cancer. In the comments, my blogger friend, Dana (her blog is: https://regulargirldevos.com/) made a comment led to today’s photo.

Dana’s comment: Thank you for sharing this, Keith. I’m sorry about your mom and grandmother. I do enjoy reading about them when you share your pictures and memories.

This photo of my mom and my grandma (her mom) was taken in Florida. It was taken around 1989. My parents and I went with the high school band on their Florida trip. At the time, my grandmother had moved to Florida with my aunt. I’m not sure how close we were to where they lived, but she was able to meet up with us.

My buddy, Steve, also joined us on this trip. We were “chaperones” believe it or not. We had both graduated and we went off doing our own thing while we were there. I didn’t spend much time with the family on the trip. That, however, is just a small part of a lot of regret.

When my grandma was diagnosed with breast cancer, I was an unruly teen who was doing teen things. It seemed like my buddies and I always had something going on. So, I didn’t see much of my grandma. Naturally I had heard things about cancer, but I guess I thought if I didn’t think about it, it wouldn’t bother me. To a degree, that was true.

I rarely appeared at family functions because I wanted to hang with my friends instead. I don’t recall what the family function was, but my mother had taken pictures at it. When she got the photos back from the store (yes, kids, we often had to wait to see our pictures), she was going through them. There was a photo of my grandmother that shocked me.

She looked so thin and pale. I don’t even know how much chemotherapy she had been through at this time, but it obviously took a toll. She wore a terrycloth hat over her head, which was like a beret. She had lost most of her hair at that time. She was wearing what looked like a blue robe. In that photo, my grandma did not look like my grandma. That photo sealed the deal – I did not want to see my grandma that way. I didn’t see her until after she passed away.

When I think back to the time I could have spent with her, I kick myself. It was unfair to her. It was wrong of me. There were things that were not said that I would like to have shared with her. I missed way too much because I was in my own little world. It is one of my biggest regrets.

I will always remember her as she looked in the above photo.

Friday Photo Flashback

Remember the Polaroid One Step camera? Everyone in our family had one. You snapped a picture, the photo would spit out the front and slowly develop before your eyes. At family events, you needed a pen so when everyone took the same picture, they could write their name on the bottom so they knew what picture belonged to them.

At the time, so many people took pictures with that camera. Back in the day, you put them in a photo album where they stayed until the digital age. Then we all started scanning them. When we began to do this, many people realized that those pictures didn’t hold up too good. Take for example my photo today.

That picture is one of my favorites of my grandparents. As you can see, the photo has cracks all throughout it. I’m sure there are people who restore pictures, and at some point I may have to do that to this one and a number of others.

The story of this picture is a simple one. My grandpa’s feet always seemed to bother him. They hurt all the time. So for Christmas that year, we bought him a “Foot Fixer.” If memory serves me right, the year that it came out there was a barrage of commercials for it on TV. There was probably some joking that proceeded him actually getting one.

The thing I love about this picture is the natural smile on my grandpa’s face. He was genuinely happy to have gotten this! Any time someone bought him something, he’d say, “Why did you by me something?” or “No, no, I don’t need anything.” He may have even said it before he opened this, but he sure did love getting it.

A couple things stand out in this picture for me. First, is my grandma’s beehive hairstyle. She wore her hair like this for many, many years. Many of my core memories of her include that hair.

Next, is the orange couch. If you go back through some of my previous Friday Flashbacks, you will probably see the loud/ugly furniture that used to reside in this room. The couch was this awful gold swirly flowery design. I cannot remember why grandma got rid of that furniture because NO ONE every really sat on it. It looked like it was brand new. However, she did get rid of it and solid color prevailed.

There is a crocheted afghan on the back of the couch. I can probably bet that my mom was responsible for making it. She made countless afghans with the pile of yarn she had. I wish I had one of those now.

The thing behind my grandpa is not the grandfather clock I thought it was. I cannot recall if that was even the place that she put the clock. At first glance to me, that is what I thought it was. Upon closer examination, I can see that it is a shelving unit of some kind. It looks solid because you can see the front door behind it. I do not remember this thing or any of the things that are sitting on the shelves.

As I look at this picture, I see my grandparents happy and healthy. They look great here. I am sure that as a kid behind the camera, I am just enjoying having them around. I never really thought about the possibility of them getting sick or getting older. I miss them both a lot, but am happy to have some great photos to remember them.

Friday Photo Flashback

I have a few pictures of me that I absolutely love. I may have featured this one before, but it makes me smile when I see it.

This is me at my grandma’s house. It is taken in their front room, where no one was really ever allowed to go (at least when we were there). It was rare that anyone would venture into this room, let alone sit in it.

I’m not sure how old I am here, but I’d guess one or two. I love the look of determination on my face in it. I have no idea what kind of suit I am wearing here. As I look at it, I’m not really sure that shirt even goes with it. I also wonder if I had just woke up from a nap because of the way my hair is all messed up.

That’s my mom behind me. I wish there was more of her face in the picture. I love her smile here. I am guessing that my grandma is sitting on the couch in front of me.

Speaking of the couch, get a load of that crazy design! Compared with the chair my mom is sitting in, I can’t help but ask if these two pieces of furniture even go together. It is almost like they are from two separate (and ugly) sets.

Photos of my grandma’s house are always neat just because of the stuff in the background. The table behind my mom has candlesticks and a lamp on it. I don’t get it. That lamp also has a wacky design on it. I remember that it had one of those light bulbs that had three different brightness levels on it. It also had a way to make the bottom of the lamp only light up.

That orange pillow behind my grandma – I remember it being like a silky kind of material that seemed to snag on anything. There were always little threads hanging off it where it got caught on something.

This is one of those photos where I wish I could zoom out and get a bigger picture of what’s going on. Sadly, I can’t. So I will look at myself staring at this apple with a bite out of it and my mom smiling …. and smile.

August 23, 1969

Today would have been my parents 56th wedding anniversary. They did get to celebrate 37 of them together. My uncle/Godfather was the best man and my aunt was the maid of honor.

I remember my brother and I were fascinated by their wedding album. It was fun to see our grandparents looking much younger. There were pictures of mom getting ready at my grandma’s house. Mom and dad didn’t smash cake into each other’s face, either. As a matter of fact, almost every picture seems to have a seriousness to it.

I’m guessing the photographer left after dinner, because there are no fun candid photos. I always remember hearing stories about how fun it was to go to weddings around this time. I know they had a live band that played music, but there are no pictures of any dancing – not even the bridal dance. There are, of course, a few family photos and a picture of people lined up at the buffet line.

Despite all of that, there are some really good pictures of my mom and dad. In most of the photos, my mom is not wearing her glasses. There are a couple of her in glasses, and this is one of my favorites.

They both are so happy here! I was blessed with wonderful parents.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom.

Mother’s Day is one of celebration and sorrow for me. I celebrate my wife and her being the mother of Ella and Andrew. At the same time, I remember the woman who gave birth to me – my mom.

She’s been gone 19 years and yet there is still a hurt in my heart. I miss her and wish she could be here to spoil her grandchildren, share embarrassing stories of me with my wife, and hug me one more time.

Today, Facebook was full of “Missing Mom” Poems. Some really hit home. Knowing that some of my blogger friends and readers have also lost their mom’s, I thought I’d share a few.

First, this one from Jac Judy A Campbell

Every day must be a celebration in your newfound heavenly home,

But our Mother’s Day is forever empty for your children here below.

There will be no bouquet of roses, no gifts, no cards, no hugs,

No connection to call to hear your voice to tell you how much you’re loved.

Each day I see you in my mirrors, you’re in my flowerbeds outside.

I know you live within my children as I can see you in their eyes.

Every day I feel you’re near me, But it’s just not the same.

I miss your arms to hold me. I miss you calling out my name.

So I just want to tell you because you’re far away

I miss you more today than I did yesterday.

I know you’re content and peaceful as God shines his light on you

And He showers you with joy and blessings all the whole day through.

So happy heavenly Mother’s Day, Mom.
With abundance of love from me to you.

This one was from an anonymous author:

When your mother dies it doesn’t matter how old you are.

You still feel like an orphan because you’ve lost your guiding star.

She’s the one you’ve always turned to whenever anything went wrong.

She’s the one who cleaned your skinned knees and chased nightmares away with a song.

She was there to celebrate all your important days with you,

Like birthdays, and holidays, and your very first day of school.

It was easy to take her for granted because you knew she’d always be there,

Until the day that she wasn’t, and you discovered life truly wasn’t fair.

So each Mother’s Day take a moment to remember the best things about her,

Like her gentle hands and open arms, and how close the two of you were.

And you can be sure she’s in Heaven thinking of you on this day above any other.

That’s because you are the wonderful reason that she became a mother.

This one is from Claudia Lee

I awake each morning to start a new day,
But the pain of losing you never goes away.
I go about the things I have to do,
And as the hours pass, I think again of you.

I want to call you and just hear your voice.
Then I remember that I have no choice,
For you are not there and now my heart cries
Just to see you again, to tell you goodbye.

To say, “Mama I love you and I always will,”
And hope that much of you in me you’ve instilled.
The day that you left I just didn’t know
That you were going where I couldn’t go.

And now all my memories of you are so dear,
But gosh, how I miss you and wish you were here.
Who now can hear me when I need to cry?
It’s so hard to tell you, “Mama goodbye.”

Someday I know all will be well
And I’ll see you again with stories to tell
Of how you were missed and how we have grown
And how good it is to finally be home.

Until then my memories of you I’ll keep near,
And I’ll pass them on to those who are dear.

I miss you, Mama!

Finally from Kathy J. Parenteau:

If I could have just one more day and
wishes did come true,
I’d spend every glorious moment
side by side with you.

Recalling all the years we shared
and memories we made,
how grateful I would be
to have just one more day.

Where the tears I’ve shed are
not in vain and only fall in bliss.
So many things I’d let you know
about the days you’ve missed.

I wouldn’t have to make pretend
you never went away.
How grateful I would be to
have just one more day.

When that day came to a close
and the sun began to set,
a million times I’d let you know
I never will forget

The heart of gold you left behind
when you entered Heaven’s gate.
How grateful I would be to
have just one more day.

Happy Heavenly Mother’s Day, Mom.

I love you and miss you.

Friday Photo Flashback

I found a stack of pictures this week that I had stuck in an envelope. I probably did that so I could scan them for this feature, but I don’t really remember. Anyway, I found this great picture of my brother and me.

I love this picture because I actually look cute in it! I see that smile and I can see each of my kids in it. How weird is that?

I love the little swoop curl on my forehead. I’m staring at this photo trying to make out what is on my shirt. Is it a cartoon character? Is it some generic shirt design? I really can’t tell.

I’m going to guess this was taken in early 1973, based on the fact that my mom is holding up my brother. Look at how cute he is in those footie pajamas! I wish he’d been looking at the camera and that we could see my mom’s face in this picture.

It’s weird to think that if this is 1973, I am probably 3 years old here – my son, Andrew’s, age today. I can really see him most in this picture.

So, not much to really flash back on, other than I just love this picture.

The Music of My Life – 2007

Welcome back to The Music of My Life, where I feature ten songs from each year of my life. In most cases, the ten songs I choose will be ones I like personally (unless I explain otherwise). The songs will be selected from Billboard’s Year-end Hot 100 Chart, Acclaimed Music, and will all be released in the featured year.

Late 2006 and most of 2007 was a blur to me. The loss of my mother hit me hard. I distanced myself from so many people, including my wife at the time. That wasn’t good because the weekend we buried my mom, we found out we were expecting our second son. I was there, but I was not there.

Life goes on, however, and I was still working and DJing. In between all of that, I was seeing a grief counselor, which helped a little. But not much. All that being said, music found a way to get me through the tough times. Let’s look at my 2007 picks.

One of the things that has always remained constant is that people love to dance. Line dances like the Hustle, the Madison, and the Stroll have been getting people on the dance floor for years.

The Cupid Shuffle has been compared many times to the Cha Cha Slide from 2000. They are two very different songs, but they both have easy to follow line dances. Those songs became a staple of DJ gigs, dance clubs, and a night at the bar. It remains one of those songs that people of all ages can dance to. Folks still get excited when there here it play.

Nothing makes a DJ happier than a full dance floor. This one always filled them.

Cupid Shuffle

Honestly, I had forgotten that Michael Buble’ dated Emily Blunt. It seems like she and John Krasinski have been together forever. Michael was her boyfriend before she met and married John. Buble’ wrote the song Everything for Emily when they were still together. He explained:

“I wrote that song about the great happiness of real love, but at the same time I was making a statement about the world. We’re living in really crazy times, and I wanted to say that no matter what’s happening, this person in my life is what really makes it worthwhile.”

In 2009, after Buble’ and Blunt broke up, an Australian newspaper asked him about the song. He explained:

“I can sing ‘Everything’ because I’m OK now. But straight after, well, I didn’t want to listen to music. Forget about my music. I couldn’t do anything. The only good thing I did do was I went and got a therapist. I felt bad for everybody involved. It’s definitely worse cause it’s all done publicly. You go to the grocery store and it’s in every magazine. It’s the same thing that’s happened in my other break-ups. It’s always tough. You grow attached to someone and they become your best friend. You lose a friend – that’s one of the most difficult parts. I’m a sentimental person.”

This one didn’t mean much to me until after Sam and I got together. She is my everything without a doubt.

Everything

There was something about Colbie Caillat for me. I still don’t know whether it is her voice or the words of her songs. I really connected to her music. I remember hearing Bubbly for the first time and trying to figure out just what (or who) it is about. I found out, it isn’t about anyone or anything specific. According to songfacts, Colbie says,

“It’s about the feelings you get when you have a crush on someone and they make you make smile all the time; they give you butterflies and you just adore everything they do.” She added that the inspiration for the song came in the summer of 2006 when she was realizing that, “I didn’t have a crush on anyone, and its always fun to have a crush. So I was just thinking about missing those feelings and wanting them.”

She comes from a musical family. Her father, Ken Caillat produced Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours and Tusk albums!

Colbie Caillat explained the album title to MTV. “Coco is my nickname,” she said. “My parents called me it since I was a baby. And then my friends called me that, now my producer calls me it. So I just, I don’t know, I figured that would be a cool name for the album.”

She is a beautiful lady with a beautiful voice.

Bubbly

Sara Bareilles signed with Epic Records in 2005 and recorded the album Little Voice. Prior to this, she released a lot of demos. Things changed in a heartbeat thanks to iTunes.

“Love Song” was featured as the free single of the week on iTunes between June 19th and 26th June 2007. People then began to check out her album. Little Voice became the most downloaded album on the iTunes store between July 8th and 17th. Because of this, her music gained a lot of fans. She went from having a relatively small following to national exposure within a very short space of time. In an interview with Songwriter Universe, she commented on the popularity of the song:

“Honestly, I don’t know what it is about ‘Love Song’ that’s catching on with everyone. I think it’s just a cool and sassy uptempo tune and people are ready for a female artist in that range.”

What many people don’t know is that an artist doesn’t always have a lot of control of their music. Many times, they are asked to record something that the label feels is what the public wants. That was sort of the case with Love Song. Sara says,

“‘Love Song’ came out of my own frustration about trying to please somebody else with my music. I really put an unseen pressure on myself and got way too caught up in what other people wanted. That is not why I write songs. No one was really excited about the material I turned in. ‘Love Song’ came on a day where I was like, ‘God, just let me write something – anything – just for me.’ The label had no idea I was writing about them.”

I guess I like this because it does have a “feel” to it. It is as cool and sassy as she says.

Love Song

One of the absolute coolest artists I have ever met is James Otto. When I worked at the Moose he dropped by to play us some tunes and blew us away. One of the songs was “Just Got Started Lovin’ You.” My program director, Jim Johnson, and I looked at each other when he was done playing it and asked if we could start playing it on the air that day!

It was the ultimate smooth love song. When you get married, it’s easy to say I will love you forever. However, when you say, “Hold on to your seat, because I just got started loving you!” In other words, “You ain’t seen nothing yet!”

James wrote this with Jim Femino and D. Vincent Williams. In an AOL interview, he said,

“We sat down to write and I said, ‘I have got this hook – just got started loving you.’ D. Vincent had this melody line, which turned out to be completely hooky. The feel of that melody and that hook just sounds sexy, but I had no idea it was going to do what it did.”

In regard to the song itself, he says,

“This song is kind of a real groovy, R&B-feeling song. Like if Ray Charles was doing a modern Country record. It would have that R&B-feel to it, that kind of groove to it. It seems to be appealing to more women than men, which is not a bad thing. Actually the key demographic in Country music is women and all men want to reach women. That’s why we play music and buy nice cars and buy nice things, because we want to meet women in the first place. So, I guess it’s just a groovy song, it’s got a unique feel and kind of a sexy thing and hopefully it reaches them on all those levels.”

The song reached #1 in May of 2008. We were thrilled for him and were glad to see him on more than one occasion when he came through town. He and I are friends on Facebook and chat every so often. Over the past year or so he’s been working on rebuilding a late 60’s early 70’s Chevelle. It’s been fun to watch.

Side note: The first time he shook my hand, I thought he’d crush it! His hands were HUGE!

Just Got Started Loving You

The next song is about murder. I don’t promote it and I don’t think it is right. However, anyone who watches the First 48 or any of those cop shows knows that cheating is often a motive for murder.

My introduction to Wake Up Call by Maroon 5 was via video. The video was edited in the style of a NC-17 movie trailer. Naturally, lead singer Adam Levine as the main character. At the end of the video, Levine is arrested and dies in the electric chair. It was one of those videos that I thought was very well done. I like when a video lines up with the content in the song.

Despite the content of the song, I love the song.

Wake Up Call

New Eagles music?! Yes, please! That was my reaction when the song How Long hit my desk. I was working at a country station at the time. There were many people who did not want to play it, but I was super excited to add it. It was so fresh and so “Eagles!” Those harmonies were still fantastic!

From songfacts: “How Long,” was recorded with Don Henley and Glenn Frey sharing lead vocals. The song sounds especially familiar, like it could have come from the 1970s. That’s because it did.

The song was written by the band’s longtime friend J.D. Souther in 1969. Souther wrote many songs for the band (Best of My Love, Heartache Tonight, etc…). The Eagles used to perform it live in the early ’70s, but never recorded it. Souther put it on his first solo album in 1972. At the time, if one member or a cohort released a song, the Eagles wouldn’t do it themselves. However, 35 years separated them from Souther’s version. So they had no problem adding it to the Long Road Out Of Eden album.

We have YouTube to thank for the Eagles recording this song. Glenn Frey’s kids were online watching videos. They came across footage of the Eagles performing “How Long” in 1974 on a Dutch TV show called Pop Gala. They showed it to their dad and had a good laugh. Glenn’s wife suggested he record it with the Eagles. He took the idea to the band and they all got on board.

The album was the band’s first studio album in 28 years. The single didn’t even crack the Hot 100, peaking at #101. That didn’t matter, the song won the Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals.

I just love this song!

How Long

I’m not the biggest Kenny Chesney fan. I know that will not go over well with some people. I felt that there was a time when he could record a piece of trash song and people would play it. Why? Because he is Kenny Chesney. There were songs that were much better than some of his tunes that never got airplay because stations only played established acts.

With all of that being said, he did have some great songs! Don’t Blink is one of those. It basically says what I have said over and over on this blog – Time flies! Life goes faster than you can imagine.

From songfacts: “Don’t Blink” is a reflective song where Kenny Chesney sings of a TV news story where a 102-year-old man is asked about the secret to his longevity. The man’s response is “don’t blink,” which inspired the song’s message about slowing down and cherishing every moment. So very true!

For me, having children sped up the clock of time. It just goes faster when you have children. Before you know it, you blink and they go from toddlers to high school graduates.

Don’t Blink

Leona Lewis is one of those artists who appeared on a reality singing show. She won The X-Factor in February of 2008. She waited almost a year before putting out this song. Songfacts says, the 22-year-old from Islington took her time over the follow up and accompanying album. She didn’t want to rush out a record that might disappoint all her fans who supported her on the show. It was worth the wait. In its debut week “the single “Bleeding Love” sold 218,000 copies, the biggest total for any UK single since “A Moment Like This.” In it’s debut week it outsold the rest of the UK top five put together.

“Bleeding Love” was originally intended for Jesse McCartney’s third album, Departure. However record label boss Clive Davis heard the song and wanted it for Leona Lewis, who he was championing. McCartney said: “We originally wrote the song for my record and then I guess Clive Davis heard it, called up and said, ‘We really wanna use it for her album.'” Jesse co-wrote the song with OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder.

Jesse McCartney revealed that his songwriting inspiration for this song was the pain of a long distance relationship (specifically actress Katie Cassidy, daughter of singer David Cassidy). He said: “I kept thinking about being in love so much that it hurts. I was away from my girlfriend for four months at the time and I really wanted to throw in the towel (quit) and fly home. I was so in love that it was painful. It was like bleeding, it cut me open. That’s how my head was and that idea just really fit the song.”

Bleeding Love

When Taylor Swift first came out, I was impressed with her stuff. There were some really deep songs for a gal that young. I suppose I knew when they started remixing her songs for pop radio that she’d wind up leaving behind the format that made her famous.

There were some great songs from that debut album, and Our Song is no exception. AOL asked her if there was a true story behind this song. She replied:

“I wrote this song in my freshman year of high school for my ninth grade talent show. I was sitting there thinking, ‘I’ve gotta write an upbeat song that’s gonna relate to everyone.’ And at that time, I was dating a guy and we didn’t have a song. So I wrote us one, and I played it at the show. Months later, people would come up to me and say, ‘I loved that song that you played.’ And then they’d start singing lines of it back to me. They’d only heard it once, so I thought, ‘There must be something here!'”

Her debut album went Platinum on June 7, 2007. This made the 17-year-old Swift the first female solo artist to write or co-write every song on a Platinum-selling debut album. The album eventually went 7x Platinum.

When this reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, Swift became the youngest performer ever to write and sing a chart-topping Country single.

This made my list because of my wife and me. We’ll be married 7 years in March. Would you believe we do not have a song?!

Our Song

So that wraps up 2007. What songs did I miss that are on your list? List them in the comments.

Next week, we’ll move into 2008. My list includes two fantastic parent songs, a counting song, a couple songs that make you ponder, a song with a great sample, one that I came to love because of the Rock Band video game, and a song for the guys. I thank you for listening and reading!

See you next week.

Friday Photo Flashback

According to the date stamp on today’s picture, it is from the summer of 1981. We spent many summers going up north to Caseville. They were usually weekend trips. Off the top of my head, I can only recall two family vacations. One of them was to King’s Island and Sea World (probably when I was in kindergarten or first grade). The other was to Mackinac Island.

As I recall, we had a hotel in Mackinaw City. It is located at the tip of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. I’m sure there were places that we visited there, but I don’t remember much of that. I do remember the day we went to Mackinac Island. As you can see, you had to take a boat over to the Island from the city.

There are no cars allowed on the island. There are plenty of horse drawn carriages and bicycles. There are also plenty of shops where you can find the famous Mackinac Fudge.

The highlight of this trip was actually visiting Fort Mackinac. This fort is located on the island. Fort Michilimackinac is actually in Mackinaw City.

Fort Michilimackinac in Mackinaw City is seen from a guard tower on Friday, Sept. 25, 2015. The fort was built by French soldiers in 1715 and was taken over by the British 1761 after the French and Indian War.

My dad took a lot of pictures from our trip, but some of them are lost. I remember he took this really awesome shot of a cannon being shot. You could see the flame coming out of the wick area and the muzzle in front. It was such a cool picture. I wish I still had it.

One of my favorite photos of my mom, my brother and me was taken at one of the forts.

With all of the trouble that my brother and I cause for my parents, my mom had to pose for the above photo! I remember her saying, “I gotta get me a set of these for at home!”

There were quite a bit of things around the fort where prisoners were held. The above photo is us in the foot stocks. There is another picture somewhere of my brother and I with our heads and hands in the stocks. This was so cool to see.

The look on my mom’s face is priceless. She is all smiles! I imagine if she did have these at home, she’d be smiling bigger! I think it is hilarious to see the two personalities of my brother and me. My brother not only has his feet in the stocks, he had his hands in there, too. No fight, he just submits to the punishment. I, on the other hand, and pulling at my feet in hopes of breaking out and getting free!

I love that the sign says that the stocks were for “petty offenses!” I am just guessing that the “offenses” my brother and I caused were more along the lines of misdemeanors or felonies! LOL

It is photos like this that make me miss my mom more than usual. I know if she was still around she’d be taking her grandkids on trips like this.

The Music of My Life – 2006

I started this feature with 1970 and we have come to 2006. As each year progresses, it has been interesting. I have noticed that some years it is difficult to get 10 songs, while other years I have trouble narrowing my picks to 10. I have a feeling that as I get closer to the end, there may be the need to pick less than 10. We’ll see.

2006 was a year of ups and downs. It became clear that my mom’s cancer battle may be drawing to an end. There was quite a change in her. After ten years of fighting, she was tired. She passed in October.

In October, just 11 days before my mom passed, the Detroit Tigers went to the World Series for the first time since 1984. My dad and I were so excited. Of course, the high was brought low when they lost it in 5 games.

Musically, 2006 wasn’t a bad year. My list has a variety of genres and a few songs that mean more now than they did in 2006. So let’s turn on the radio …

I love the sound of a good acoustic guitar and a simple vocal. If you look back over the years I’ve covered, there are quite a few songs like that. In 2006, Hey There Delilah jumped out of the radio for me. I loved the sound.

Delilah is a real person. Her name is Delilah DiCrescenzo. She is a steeplechase runner Plain White T’s lead singer Tom Higgenson met through a friend. He thought she was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen.

He told Songfacts:

“I was like, ‘Well, all right, I’ve got to write a song for this girl.’ I literally started playing it. The first verse just poured out exactly as it is, all the way through to the chorus. I didn’t really know the girl, you know? So, it was like, ‘What’s it like in New York City? Tonight, you look so pretty'”

He told Clickmusic that he felt this was possibly the most well-crafted song on the album:

“I think I definitely spent the most time on the lyrics with that song. It’s a lyric-driven song, so every line was important. It’s very exposed and vulnerable, but it’s very simple.”

Tom didn’t get the girl – Delilah was dating somebody and wasn’t interested – but he did get a number one song out of the encounter.

Hey There Delilah

The next song was one that I played when working in country radio. It was one of those songs that surprised me and became a country hit. I don’t know that country music would have ever been associated with Bon Jovi!

Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora wrote two versions of Who Says You Can’t Go Home. Both are on their Have a Nice Day album. One version is just the band and was a hit on the Adult Contemporary charts. The other is a country version featuring Jennifer Nettles of the band Sugarland.

At first, Jon Bon Jovi wanted Keith Urban to sing with him on the country version and play the banjo. It didn’t work out since their voices were so similar and the banjo didn’t sound right, so they used Nettles. The song went to #1 on the Country charts, the first time a rock band has done that.

Jennifer was a bit anxious about singing with Bon Jovi. In an interview she said, “I had his New Jersey posters on my door when I was in the seventh or eighth grade. It made me nervous because the last thing I would want is to ruin a Bon Jovi song.” I think it is safe to say that she didn’t.

Who Says You Can’t Go Home

The next song is just one that struck a chord lyrically. When I heard the story behind the song, it took on a deeper meaning. Isaac Slade of The Frey explained to Songfacts how he came up with How To Save A Life. He explained that he wrote this song about an experience he had working at a camp for troubled youths:

“One of the kids I was paired up with was a musician. Here I was, a protected suburbanite, and he was just 17 and had all these problems. And no one could write a manual on how to save him. I got a lot of email about it. One kid died in a car accident, and I guess it had been the last song he downloaded from his computer. They played it at his funeral, and some of his friends got ‘Save A Life’ tattooed on their arms. The response has been overwhelming.”

Lead guitarist David Welsh told I Like Music the story of this song:

“The song came about very organically. Isaac had this idea on the piano of this kind of lullaby. Then he concocted this repetitious drum beat that moved the lullaby along with Ben. The lyrics came from an experience Isaac had with a teenager he was mentoring who was struggling with drugs and addiction. It was just a very natural process, the song developed and the lyrics fitted very well.”

The Fray is comprised of devout Christians, and this song certainly has some religious subtext, with specific references to God:

And I pray to God he hears you

The Christian music community embraced the song, sending it to #4 on the Christian Songs chart, but it wasn’t marketed as a religious song and was also a hit in the secular community – it made #3 on the Hot 100 and was also a #1 Adult Contemporary hit.

How To Save A Life

The first and only cover song on my 2006 list is a classic. In 1960, The Drifters recorded Save The Last Dance For Me. It was originally a B-side. The legendary Dick Clark thought Save the Last Dance For Me was the better of the two songs and started playing it on the radio. Bingo – it became a number one song.

It is a song that has been covered by many artists including Buck Owens, Dolly Parton and John Davidson! In 2006, Michael Buble’ released it as the third single from his It’s Time album. There were many remixes of the song before the single was released. After Bublé performed the album version of the song during the closing credits of the film “The Wedding Date,” that version was released to radio, peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

I love his version! I love entire feel of it. It is so different from the original and the instrumentation is SO good. Every time I hear that horn line, it gives me chills. I like that it gives a little nod to the original by going from the strong brass sound to the lone guitar with the opening vocal.

Save The Last Dance For Me

If I mention the song Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol to my wife, she will immediately remind me that it was used in an episode of Grey’s Anatomy. A friend of mine will remind me that it was used in an episode of One Tree Hill. I have seen neither one of these shows – by choice.

It was a song I heard on the radio and I remember thinking was a great love song it was. It’s a great song about just getting through day by day with just you and your significant other. Lead singer Gary Lightbody, who called it “the most pure and open love song I’ve ever written.”

It’s such an amazing song, and Lightbody was even impressed with it. He wrote it under unique circumstances. He says he wrote it in the garden of producer Garret “Jacknive” Lee’s cottage one night while in “a blur of red wine and Percocet.” He says he wrote about 10 songs that night, and when he looked at them the next day nine of them were terrible, but “Chasing Cars” stood out like “a diamond in the s–t.”

It took 35 weeks to get there, but the song did reach #1 on the Top 40 charts. It was the only Top 40 hit foe the band in the US.

Chasing Cars

Country music listeners can get offended easily. In my years working in the format I can recall the division that songs like Goodbye Earl and Honky Tonk Badonkadonk stirred up. You had people who loved them or people who were offended by them. So when Love You by Jack Ingram hit my desk, I wasn’t sure about adding it.

You ask, “Why? Why would a song called ‘Love You’ be one you didn’t want to add?” Well, the “love” in the song means anything but “love.” Wikipedia says that this is a “kiss off” song. “Its lyrics feature several phrases where the F word is replaced with the word “love.”

It’s the ultimate “radio edit!” Here is part of the chorus –

“Love you, love this town / Love this mother-lovin’ truck that keeps breakin’ lovin’ down”.

There are also more traditional replacements in the song, with “dang” (“damn”), “heck” (“hell”), and “shoot” (“sh*t”) appearing several times in the first verse.

The song took on a whole new meaning for me when I was going through my divorce. It was a song that I would often listen to after a heated interaction with my ex.

My next song is here because I have a distinct memory of my oldest song when he was about 5 singing it in the back seat. I remember thinking, “Where did he hear that?!” Nothing like hearing your 5 year old singing, “You got soul, you got class. You got style, you’re badass!” Thanks a lot, Christina Aguilera!

It had been 4 years since Aguilera had released an album. Ain’t No Other Man was the first single from her Back To Basics album. The song samples a 1968 Latin soul tune called “Hippy Skippy Moon Strut” (aka “I’ll Be a Lucky Man”) by Dave Cortez and the Moon People, and “The Cissy’s Thang” by Soul Seven.

She said of the song, “I wanted to make it light and easy for people to dance to and sing along to, so the whole song is based on feel-good elements of soul and blues and jazz. Lyrically, I just got married, so it’s about someone in particular, but it’s all about feeling good and not taking anything too seriously.”

It’s definitely a catchy tune and people still like to dance to it. I dig the horns.

Ain’t No Other Man

The next song on my list is one that many can relate to. At any workplace, you are going to have people who will stand around and tell you what would make life better or what the government needs to do. They are right there with “solutions” to the world’s problems, but all they do is talk. They are not doing anything to make a change in things, instead, they wait on the world to change.

When you hear the lyrics of Waiting on the World to Change, you can see just how deep John Mayer is. You’d think it was written by someone in their 40’s, but he was only 28 when he wrote it.

Songfacts says that this song is how most people deal with problems in the world. When Mayer sings, “Me and all my friends, we are all misunderstood, say we stand for nothing but there’s no way we ever could,” he’s talking about his generation and their lack of faith in the government – all we can do is wait, and it seems like everyone is waiting for the world to become a better place. We sit on our hands and watch as the government takes control.

In an interview with the Daily Mail December 21, 2007 Mayer explained why he wrote this song that makes a point without laboring matters: “I wanted to start a debate. Most of us are happy to wait for things to change.”

Waiting on the World to Change

The next song is another example of a song that didn’t mean much to me in 2006, but means more to me now. In 2006, I had only my one son. My second son arrived in 2007. Until 2020, I was a “boy dad.” In 2020, my daughter was born. All of a sudden, all of those Daddy/Daughter songs started to hit hard.

Working in country radio, there is no shortage of songs about kids, songs about family and songs about daughters. If I had a dollar for every time I played My Little Girl by Tim McGraw as a Bride/Bride’s father song …. I could go on a long trip!

It was featured in the film Flicka. It is one of many that I want to dance with my daughter to.

My Little Girl

My final song for this week is one that I heard while visiting a church. Many of the modern churches will sing contemporary Christian songs instead of traditional hymns. I love those hymns, I won’t lie. I get chills singing many of them.

My brother-in-law at the time invited us to their church. It was odd for me, as I felt like I was watching a play or production instead of being in church. To me, it should be about the message and not so much the “tug at your heartstrings to make you cry” production. Anyway, I heard this song there and I did like it.

Chris Tomlin has had many Christian hits. Songfacts interviewed him about the song:

Tomlin said, “I wrote that song when I was living in Austin, Texas. I remember sitting on my sofa in my little apartment. And Psalm 104 was the psalm I was looking at. It said, ‘You our lord are very great. You’re clothed with splendor and majesty, wrap yourself with light as with a garment’ – through those opening verses and just describing a little bit of God, the glory of majesty, that little chorus came out. I started singing the chorus and, man, I had no idea, I thought the chorus was just a little simple thing and it was. And I had no idea it would become such a song in the church, and a song that finds its way in so many different cultures, different languages. It’s so transferrable, so accessible. I had no idea that it would ever become that.

I remember I had the song, I thought it was finished. I didn’t have a bridge to the song, and I met Ed Cash who produced that record it was on. First time meeting him and talking to him about maybe producing my new record. And I remember he picks his guitar up and says, ‘This ‘How Great is Our God’ song, I think it’s pretty good, but it’s not finished.’ And I’m like, ‘What are you talking about? Who do you think you are?’ And I remember him grabbing his guitar. I believe it was something about, ‘What if you do something like this?’ And I remember he just started singing, ‘You’re the name above all names, you are worthy of our praise.’ And it’s really good, but when you open up and let somebody else sneak in, it just makes it better. So that’s when we knew it was taking it to another level.”

How Great Is Our God

With all I have been through, I know my faith got me through. They say that it is often played with the hymn, How Great Thou Art. I can totally see the two songs complimenting each other.

So what song from 2006 did I miss that was your favorite? Tell me in the comments.

Next week it is 2007. My list includes one of the biggest dance crazes of the 2000’s, a song about murder, a song about time flying, and a fantastic song by a classic group from the 70’s and 80’s. Join me next week …

Thanks for reading and listening!