What is on the Soundtrack to Your Life?

If you ever watched Ally McBeal (I'm dating myself here) or Grey's Anatomy, then you're familiar with the idea of the personal soundtrack - a soundtrack to your life, if you will. Recently I reloaded my MP3 player, and as a result, I've been listening to some of my favorite songs. Here are songs and artists that would be on my personal soundtrack.

1980s - For me, the 1980s was my childhood. I was born in 1980 and have been a music fan practically since I was born. The following songs remind me of my childhood.

"Eight Days A Week" by the Beatles - You will see a lot of songs by the Beatles, but this particular song will always remind me of my Mom. She is the one who introduced me to the Beatles as a child.

"Brown-Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison - This song will always remind me of my Dad. My sister has blue eyes like my Mom, but I got my Dad's brown eyes. I spent a lot of time with him as a young kid (he's self-employed). Every time this song came on, he'd give me a hug and say "You're my brown-eyed girl, right?" This song always gives me the warm fuzzies.

Anything by CCR, Bob Seger, Three Dog Night, Neil Diamond, the Beatles, or Motown - Quite simply, my Dad introduced me to CCR, Three Dog Night, Neil Diamond, and Bob Seger (he was a fan of 70s music back then). My Mom introduced me to the Beatles and Motown, among other things (she introduced me to a lot of 60s music really).

Anything by Madonna, Michael Jackson, and Paula Abdoul - Some of my favorites were "True Blue," "Like a Virign" (long, long before I knew what a virgin was or knew about sex), "Cherish," and "Material Girl" by Madonna. All of these artists reflect my cousins' influence. They were older, and when I started choosing what I wanted to listen to at a young age, I looked up to them. I actually was born in the same town as Madonna (I live in Bay City, Michigan today). My favorites from Paula Abdoul were "Straight Up" and "Cold Hearted Snake." Anyone who was alive during that time period loved Michael Jackson.

1990s - In the 1990s, I was a junior high and high school student. In 1996, I got my license. My interests in music varied greatly. My CD collection was growing by leaps and bounds.

"I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston - This song reminds me of a childhood crush. It was rightfully a huge a hit. It is still spine-tingling. Of course, I always joked that my Mom's version should be "I Will Always Love Shoes." Sadly, it is all too true for many women!

"Love Shack" by the B52s - This song will always remind me of my sister and high school. There were a few mornings on our drive to school during which we belted this one out when it came on the radio. It will always be a fun song. It was the one time when she didn't yell at me for singing with the radio.

"Spiderwebs" by No Doubt - I still love No Doubt. They introduced me to to Ska music.

"Last Dance with Mary Jane" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Who can forget the video? As a high school student, this song and video riveted me.

"Ruby Tuesday" by the Rolling Stones - I really could relate to this song. It is all about not being labeled, changing for the better, and being yourself. It is a great message for any high school student.

Anything off of "Nevermind" by Nirvana - It is probably a generational thing, but I remember grunge all too well thanks to this album.

New found popularity of Aerosmith, Rod Stewart, Meat Loaf, and the Eagles - All of them released new albums and had new hits in the 1990s. I ate it all up.

Anything by the Eagles - Thanks to an album release in the 1990s and the movie "Desperado," I was introduced to a whole new back catalog. I still love them a lot!

There are a lot of additional bands and singer/songwriters that I fell in love with during this time (way too many to list here). Honorable mentions include: Ricky Martin, Christina Aguilera, Selena, Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, Prince, U2, Garth Brooks, and so many more.

Stay tuned for part two, which covers college and today.

Lindsey