July 20, 2011

Forever In Blue Jeans

During the baseball game on Saturday, they played some good old Neil Diamond....not the typical "Sweet Caroline" that is played at most events.  No, this was the Neil Diamond of my childhood reverberating through the stadium.  And, oh it took me back.  That Neil.  Neil was the only music we listened to (other than Psalty and Colby that is) and he was a part of our everyday life. 

Mine was a unique musical childhood.  I mean, how many people can say they had a picture of a frog with a crown on his head hanging in their house?  Take this frog print, add a little, no add A LOT, of 1970's flair, and you have something not even close to the picture that graced our wall.  But, you get the idea.

And what, you may ask, does this picture have to do with my musical childhood? Well, if you were a true Neil Diamond fan, you would know that there is a line in his song, "I Am, I Said" that goes "Did you ever read about a frog who dreamed of being a king, and then became one." And, when you are my mom, you want to honor Neil, even in your home decor.  That picture hung in the hall of the very house that I am living in RIGHT NOW.  This house has Neil Diamond's spirit living in it.  And to prove it.... when we came home from that game, guess what was sitting in our entry way.  Neil Diamond's Greatest Hits!  I am not making this up people.  I swear....Neil is here (and no, he's not dead). 
I grew up going to Neil Diamond's concerts, or just being babysat while my parents (and my equally obsessive Aunt Karen, who also honored Neil with her home decor) were at Neil Diamond concerts.  Because, if Neil was playing 3 nights in L.A. and then another 3 nights in San Diego, they were there ALL. SIX. NIGHTS.  And, right now, "Coming to America" is blasting on my speakers, and I am vividly remembering that glorious moment at all of Neil's concerts when he would sing this song, and the bigger than the biggest American flag you've ever seen would drop from the sky.  If that moment didn't make you proud to be an American, then you are not an American.  Neil is so patriotic. 
And it wasn't only Neil Diamond that my parents would follow from place to place. Once, while we were driving, my mom spotted Neil Diamond's back-up singer driving down the road.  (Only my mom would know what Neil Diamond's back-up singer looks like well enough to spot her in this way.)  We followed her...all the way to her house...just so we could see where she lived.  Maybe they could become best friends.

It's so nice to have the sweet melodies of my childhood serenading me once again, after all these years.

If you click on all those colored song titles, you will get to enjoy some Neil yourself.  Trust me, you want to click.




7 comments:

  1. Oh the tidbits I can learn about your family!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have Neil to thank for my 7th row NSYNC tickets... Mom said she couldn't say no bc she had spent way more on Neil in her lifetime :) So thanks Neil for wearing those low cut sparkly shirts that my mom apparently found irresistable!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Others of us liked Neil, too, but not in the obsessive-he-is-my-life kind of way that your mother did. If only your dad could carry a tune; he would be adored as well.

    ReplyDelete
  4. You can never have too much Neil. You left out the times we tried to sneak in, or when we crushed U Bill against a fence trying to get an autograph, or camping out overnight so we could get tickets to those 6 nights - ahhhh good times never seemed so good.

    ReplyDelete
  5. hahaha Aunt Karen isn't there a story about my dad shoving you over a fence while trying to sneak into one?

    ReplyDelete
  6. whawhawhat? I'm certain I could have hurdled over that 10 foot fence if it hadn't been for my bum weighing me down. that was a kodak moment

    Really NSYNC - who admits to that?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ahhh..Aunt Karen, I love how you weaved in that Neil song to your comment. If only I could travel back in time and see you guys at all those concerts. I am sure that I would be thoroughly entertained.

    ReplyDelete