BBTW: Soundtrack to your life

I'm so glad Ginger kept last week's prompts up through this week - I wanted so much to do this one but where does the time go?

I'm not a huge music fan. Well, I am, really, but I haven't listened to anything new except by accident in many years. Every once in awhile a newer band creeps through my defenses and I will listen, but mostly I'm stuck in the 40s/50s/60s/70s/80s/90s. I'm eclectic, in a narrow way

Anything TMBG. I have been the biggest fan since I was 12. I've been to 17ish shows, taken my kids to see the kids show, taught my kids all the words to all the kids albums and we're working on the others. I once talked my boyfriend (now husband) into driving from here to Asheville to see them, following a hurricane for the entire 14 hours up (PS - The Orange Peel is an amazing venue). I haven't really gotten into the most recent album or two, but I still listen all the time to Flood, Apollo 18, Dial-a-Song. This is my jam.  One of my very favorite songs is New York City, but I remember so much listening to the words to Mr. Horrible over and over in seventh grade with my friend Amy to get all the words just right. You know how everyone wants to tell you where they were when the planes hit the towers on 9/11? I had cut German class to buy the new TMBG album (Mink Car). Anytime a friend hears anything by TMBG, they immediately think of me. I'm good with that.

Annie - The soundtrack. I had a record player when I was 8 or so, and one of the few records I had was the Annie soundtrack. Man, I loved that thing.

Rainbow Connection - from the same record player, I had the Muppet Movie soundtrack, and I adored Rainbow Connection. When I started playing the clarinet it was one of the songs in one of my books and I credit it with keeping me playing when I was seriously bad - I wanted to master that song.

Nothing Compares 2U - you remember when Walkmans were a big thing? I had a giant yellow one that was supposed to be waterproof. Not that I knew, because it's not like I took it in the water or anything, but it was SPECIAL. I would walk around singing Sinead O'Connor with my headphones on thinking I was hot shit. See also: anything Debbie Gibson, the Beaches soundtrack, and Gloria Estefan's Greatest Hits. I was totally hot shit.

Angel by Aerosmith - I was 14, and I had boyfriends here and there but there was this one forbidden guy. He was madly in love with a friend of mine who strung him along, and I was dating another guy but he lived too far away to see except during school (and band practice, natch). So (oh crap, I can picture him but I can't remember his name) came over and we were hanging out, talking about our respective "loves", and I was somehow sitting with my legs across his lap and I asked if he was thinking of R and he was all "I can't think of anyone but you right now ..." Sigh. And Angel was playing in the background. TOM! That was his name. Yep.

Brick, Ben Folds - my ex was a big Ben Folds fan (I think still is, he planned on naming his first born son Benjamin but I don't think he has kids) and we listened to a lot of BFF and TMBG for a bunch of years (Ben Folds' first solo album came out on 9/11, we were there together to buy our favorite bands' new albums). Brick always makes me think of him. It's ... yep. That's the song for that period of my life.

Newsies - you see a lot of soundtracks on this list, do you? Les Mis should also make the list (and Forbidden Broadway, while we're at it) and Jesus Christ Superstar but I feel something special in my heart every time I pop the soundtrack in. Carryin' the banner, always.

Cruel Intentions (soundtrack) After my first year of college, I decided to embraced college life (for a few months, until I met and lost myself in my ex and the bulk of my "college experience" went to shit). I signed up to be an orientation leader of my college, which included staying in the dorms and hanging out with the incoming freshmen. I met some friends and had a GREAT TIME learning to swing dance and going to swing clubs. You'd think that those songs would be on this list, right? Well, I still listen to them and love them, but I listened to this soundtrack a lot in my dorm room and every single time any of the songs come on the radio (Praise You by Fat Boy Slim comes on a lot) I'm transported to that time.

Eleanor Rigby - On my first date with my husband, he sang this to me. You would think it's not a romantic song, but it was his move. He had the counts down. He had the stereo system in his truck. It was pretty cool, and he knew it. Worked on me!

Mysterious Ways - U2 It's amazing how most of the songs that remind one of their past have to do with the opposite sex, isn't it? Nearly my entire senior year of high school I was either pining for one specific guy,  dating him, mourning the death of our relationship or plotting to get back together with him. (We're still friends, actually, and whenever I'm in his city I stay with his sister and hang out with the lot of them and all their spouses and kids). He loved to roam the hallways of the school belting out U2 lyrics at the top of his lungs. Well, I have a number of strange stories about him but this is the one that works for this list. Mysterious Ways was his favorite to yell (I can't call it singing) and most U2 reminds me of the fonder parts of that relationship.