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10. "Downtown" by Petula Clark -This song brings back memories of driving over the Victoria Bridge, from St. Lambert to Montreal's Chinatown
for Sunday afternoon groceries with Mum and Dad. As we drive up close to Leong Chong's grocery market my Dad would circle
endlessly (and still does) to find the optimal free parking spot. And when that just wasn't possible, it was just as "free"
to lock my 2 (and then 3) sisters and I in the back seat, with the hazards flashing - sometimes letting us crack a window
open for air, while the parents would scurry around the market for 20-30 minutes in search of fresh ginger root, bok choi
and bbq pork. "Police won't ticket a car with kids waiting in the back seat," insisted my Dad, until the day the cops did,
but that didn't stop him either. Ohhh, the good ol' days pre-seatbelt-standing-up-in-the-back-seat-while-driving-and-leaving-all-kids-under-the-age-of-6-on-their-own-own.
I remember it fondly.
9. "I'm Coming Out" by Diana Ross - My cousins Eva, Daisy, Susan, and Angela gave the "Diana" album to my sisters and
I for Christmas, along with "The Commodores" album, which had less of an impact. It was our first pop album gift we ever
got. I played, sang and boogied to this song at age 11. My sisters, and I would have "Solid Gold" dancing contests to see
who had the best moves. Who knew eight years later relevance this song and my dance moves would play in my early 20's in
clubs where my new friends taught me the meaning to this song.
8. "Stairway To Heaven" by Led Zepplin - Too long of a song to be slow dancing to, with a sweaty, stinky, teenage boy
- yet it's what I had to endure after downing a bottle of $4.25 bubbly Chante with the girls, on the railroad tracks behind
the school. If I had known better at the time, I would have thanked my high school vice principal for cutting the song midway
and turning on the lights at 11:00PM - his subtle cue that the high school dance was over.
7. This is a toss up between "Papa, Don't Preach" by Madonna and "I'm Saving All My Love For You" by Whitney, both songs
which I hate because it reminds my of the summer of 1987 (I was 18) when I worked at Les Amoureux boutique where my boss,
Daniel, insisted I wear that goddamned "Prairie Acid Wash Dress". He thought I looked liked a princess in it and would sell
3 of them by the end the day. My record day was selling 6 and I was hit on by a lot of French-Canadian men wanting to impress
me by buying their share of acid wash jeans and asking what I thought of the look. To each of them it was always the same
pat answer, "C'est ecourant, tres flye et c'est ne pas trop cher!" I'm sure they all cursed me a week later when their jeans
yellowed and by now, disintegrating at the back of their closets.
6. "Teardrops" by Womack and Womack - My first love song with my first love. I have got to pick better love songs if
I want a relationship to last.
5. "How Soon Is Now" by The Smiths - Friday nights with Vanessa Smith (no relation to the band). The ritual was drinking
a pitcher of watered down draft at Stanley Pub and then stroll over to The Thunderdome to dance in the cage. After doing
the on-the-high-wire dance to this song I would promptly leave Vanessa in the cage and head on upstairs to dance in the hip-hop
cage, until Vanessa would come get me to let me know our last metro would be in 10 minutes. Also reminds me of drinking copious
amounts of cafe au lait in a bowl in Cafe Melies, also with Vanessa, and wondering with her if The Smiths would one day be
our "classics" once we grew old and grey, and would we be knitting black sweaters while listening to Morrissey.
4. "Groove Is In The Heart" by Delight - I can't believe this song is a one-hit-wonder? Almost my anthem every weekend
and could never be played too many times, whether it be at KOX, Maximum Security or JOY.
Although this song probably didn't come out when I was 19 it reminds me of when Brian first took me to The Garage for ladies'
night (every 2nd Wednesday of each month), I'll never forget him assuring me we would be okay if we didn't find our good friend
Rachel to take us back to her place for us to stay over night. The metro to the South Shore ends at 12:30AM but bars and
clubs stays open 'til 3:00AM - it hardly seems fair.
Anyway, Brian thought he would soothe my worries by saying "It's okay, Norine, if we don't find Rachel, we could always go
to a hotel...." and in that split second, my mind thought he would say, "...and book a room for the night" the words I heard instead were
"...and crash on the hotel lobby couches for the nignt." which prompted me to look him square in the eyes, as he did so seriously
in mine, and utter "We're finding Rachel."
3. "Moving On Up" by The M People - Reminds me of hanging out with John Boy. Drinking and smoking up too much and then
heading over to Joy for an all night dance session with the village boys. It was also my second time blacking out in a dark
crowded locale but a first for John Boy to drag me, while I was blind, across the dance floor, up the flight of stairs, pulling
me through the narrow catwalk, up another set of dark stairs, out to the roof top patio where I discovered a beautiful view
to watch the summer fireworks and take an outdoor shower if I needed to.
2. "Under The Bridge" by The Red Hot Chilli Peppers - Living with Maggie and Sean during my last summer in Montreal.
Mag and I would go dancing Wednesday nights at Lezard and watch weekly as the Mademoiselle Lezard, a drag queen beauty contest,
unfold with scandalous events . We'd dance 'til 3am go to Aarahova to pick up a souvlaki on pita and then head on back to
our apartment next door on St. Viateur and Hutchinson. In the morning, or afternoon we'd play this song to wake up then plan
the rest of our day. Life was so simple back then.
1. "Keep On Movin' by Soul 2 Soul - It's my happy music when life just sucks at that moment. I've played it often at
my work. If you listen to the lyrics you'll know why.
- Nors
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