Those Old Songs - The Memories They Hold

I can hear an old song and remember where I was and what the circumstances were when I first heard that song.

Music brings out so many different emotions and memories.  Odors do also.

It was way back in 1954 when I first heard Elvis on the car radio singing "Heartbreak Hotel".  I remember that song like it was yesterday.

We had gone to Texas and were heading back  home in the car... a long drive and no stops except to get gas and a cup of coffee.  There was no interstate on that route.  Later, Interstate 70 replaced Route 66... but not on that trip... not that year.

We drove Route 66 all the way.  Two lanes and traffic only heavy in the cities.  Motels along the route and we saw every one of them.  Gas stations too... just the ones with a couple of gas pumps... nothing like there are today.  No McDonald's either.  There was no such thing as fast food anywhere.  No air conditioner in our Indiana car... just roll down the window.  But then, we didn't know what we were missing...You don't miss what  you never had.

The radio was playing and here comes this song, sung by a new singer I had never heard before.  But I LOVED the song and the guy singing it.  It played often... and it was a 2 day drive.. so we heard that song many times.  The song was  "Heartbreak Hotel".. and yes, it was sung by Elvis Presley.   I never grew tired of it.  It was a big hit, and so was Elvis!

You all have to realize that before Elvis, the singers were Pat Boone, Patti Page, crooner music... soft and smooth.  Elvis came on the scene with a new brand of music, along with shaking hips that were not allowed on The Ed Sullivan Show.  Elvis was a sensation that is still alive today.

When I got back home I asked all of my friends if they had heard the song, "Heartbreak Hotel"... no one had.  No one had ever heard of Elvis Presley either.  Imagine that name being an unknown name.  The station we heard it on was that Del Rio radio station, and it was not heard in Indiana except late at night.. sometimes.

You all know the rest of that story.  But that song takes me back to that trip from Texas, and into that era once again.

A little add on to this story.  I watched Elvis on The Ed Sullivan Show many times... right in front of the TV... enjoying his singing and enjoying Elvis.  Later, my boyfriend (hubby to be), stationed in the Army in Texas, thought he'd score some points when he heard Elvis was going to have a show at the base  and since I so loved Elvis then, my boyfriend (hubby to be) said he'd attend that show for me.  Later he wrote in his daily letter, saying he would not "go across the street to see Elvis again".  I guess Elvis was a lady's man and not a soldier's man.
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Then there was a song, The Green Door, that came out in 1956 and I was expecting my first child.  I really didn't like that song at all... and it seemed to play way too often on the radio.  To this day, I get sick every time I hear that song.  It takes me back to that awful sick feeling that goes along with those first 3 months.  But I also remember the Johnson baby products with that sweet smell of a newborn baby and the delight of those happy times.

One more song I have to mention is "Afternoon Delight".  I really don't like that song either.  I was working in a beauty shop after I got my license to do hair.  It played and played... I didn't like it the first time I heard it and I didn't like it after I'd heard it a hundred times.   After all those years, I heard it again last  year, and that old feeling was right there with the song.... in the shop, doing hair, seeing the sunlight come in the windows, seeing Debbie beside me doing her customer's hair.  It all came back.

It amazes me after the years are past... that the memories are still there... the good ones are the best.. hang onto those.
   I'm so glad you stopped in to read my stories.  Do leave a comment if you'd like.  Thank you!