Take a moment and think about your childhood.  Now, whether you had a great childhood or maybe it wasn’t so great growing up,  what music did you grow up with?  What music do you remember from your first school dance?  What songs come to mind when you think about your best childhood friends?   Do you have a song in mind when you think about your first kiss?  It’s amazing how our memories are tied to the music we listened to growing up.  

When I think about my own childhood list for instance, #35 on my list is, “I Can’t Get Next To You” by Al Green.   I always think about my now deceased Uncle John; whenever we had a family get together at some point of the event my uncle would pull out his vinyl records and put this song on and try to get his wife to dance with him. Often times she would accept his invitation, but on the occasion she didn’t he was undaunted and would pull out the broom and dance with the broom. The family would always laugh, and he’d just keep on dancing.  I still hear his voice singing along.  My uncle was always the life of the party, and this is a fond childhood memory and that song  is forever locked to that memory.  Even as I’m writing this now I can’t help but smile as I think about my Uncle John, may he rest in peace.

To my readers, what is your childhood soundtrack?  

Start with the year of your birth through year 20. For example, if you were born in 1980, then consider songs that were released between 1980 and the year 2000.  See what you come up with.  Remember, only include songs that you have an affinity to which relates back to a friend or family member or an event.

Invariably, this exercise may illicit  some memories you had completely forgotten about. Hopefully, you can embrace those memories like you would an old friend.

D’s CHILDHOOD SOUNDTRACK 

1. Ain’t No Half Steppin’ –   Heatwave       
2. Always And Forever –  Heatwave                 
3. Am I Dreaming –  Atlantic Starr
4. Annie Mae –  Natalie Cole
5. Another Star –  Stevie Wonder
6. As –  Stevie Wonder
7. Bad Girls –  Donna Summer
8. Bennie and the Jets –   Elton John      
9. The Best of My Love –  Eagles 
10. Billie Jean –   Michael Jackson
11. Bohemian Rhapsody –  Queen
12. Boogie Nights – Heatwave       
13. Break Up to Make Up – The Stylistics                      
14. Brother Louie –  Stories          
15. Car Wash –  Rose Royce                        
16. Children of the Ghetto –   Philip Bailey                        
17. The Closer I Get to You – Donny Hathaway & Roberta Flack         
18. Cloudy – Average White Band             
19. Cold As Ice –  Foreigner                 
20. Come Together –  The Beatles              
21. Controversy  –    Prince                     
22. Dancing Machine –    Michael Jackson
23. Devotion –  Earth, Wind & Fire     
24. Disco Nights (Rock Freak) –   G.Q.            
25. Double Dutch Bus – Frankie Smith
26. Dust In The Wind – Kansas
27. Easy – Commodores
28. Faithfully – Journey         
29. Fly Like An Eagle – Steve Miller Band       
30. Footsteps In the Dark –  The Isley Brothers      
31. Georgy Porgy –  Toto   
32. Got to Be Real – Cheryl Lynn    
33. Got to Give It Up  –   Marvin Gaye   
34. Hotel California  –   Eagles 
35. I Can’t Get Next to You –   Al Green       
36. I Can’t Tell You Why –   Eagles 
37. I Keep Forgettin’ – Michael McDonald     
38. I Wanna Be Your Lover – Prince 
39. I Wish – Stevie Wonder
40. I Would Die 4 U –  Prince & The Revolution
41. (If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don’t Wanna Be Right –   Luther Ingram 
42. I’ll Be Around –   The Spinners  
43. I’m Not In Love  –  10cc  
44. In the Air Tonight –  Phil Collins     
45. The Joker –   Steve Miller Band       
46. Just My Imagination –   The Temptations       
47. Just the Way You Are –  Billy Joel        
48. Keep On Truckin’ –  Eddie Kendricks
49. Keep Your Head to the Sky –   Earth, Wind & Fire     
50. Lady Marmalade – Patti LaBelle   
51. Let It Be – The Beatles    
52. Let’s Get It On – Marvin Gaye
53. Let’s Get Serious – Jermaine Jackson
54. Let’s Stay Together –   Al Green       
55. Little Red Corvette –    Prince 
56. Love and Happiness –  Al Green       
57. A Love of Your Own –   Average White Band   
58. Lowdown – Boz Scaggs    
59. Make Me Say It Again Girl  –  The Isley Brothers      
60. Me and Mrs. Jones  –  Billy Paul       
61. Memory Lane –  Minnie Riperton         
62. Midnight Train to Georgia –   Gladys Knight & The Pips       
63. Minute By Minute –  The Doobie Brothers  
64. Never Too Much –  Luther Vandross        
65. One of These Nights –  Eagles 
66. Open Arms –  Journey
67. Philadelphia Freedom –  Elton John                
68. Rappers Delight –  Sugarhill Gang
69. Ring My Bell (Radio Edit) – Anita Ward    
70. Rock With You – Michael Jackson
71. Rockin’ Roll Baby – The Stylistics
72. Sadie –  The Spinners  
73. Sara Smile –  Hall & Oates   
74. Shining Star –  Earth, Wind & Fire     
75. Sho ‘Nuff Must Be Luv –  Heatwave
76. Sir Duke – Stevie Wonder
77. Sade – Smooth Operator     
78. Soft and Wet – Prince 
79. Something in the Past –  One Way  
80. Sparkle – Cameo
81. Superstar/Until You Come Back To Me – Luther Vandross
82. That’s the Way of the World –  Earth, Wind & Fire
83. Sade – The Sweetest Taboo
84. The Glamorous Life –  Sheila E
85. Then Came You – The Spinners & Dionne Warwick         
86. This Is It – Kenny Loggins 
87. This Masquerade – George Benson
88. This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) – Natalie Cole   
89. Too Hot – Kool & the Gang        
90. Voyage to Atlantis – The Isley Brothers      
91. What a Fool Believes –  The Doobie Brothers  
92. When Doves Cry – Prince & The Revolution        
93. When Will I See You Again –  The Three Degrees    
94. Who’s Crying Now –   Journey
95. Wishing On a Star – Rose Royce    
96. Yearning for Your Love – The Gap Band
97. You and I – Rick James               
98. You Know How to Love Me –   Phyllis Hyman 
99. You Make Me Feel Brand New – The Stylistics
100. Sade – Your Love Is King
101. Zoom – Commodores            
102. 1999 –   Prince