Today’s category is…
The First Song You Remember Liking.
Here are the staff picks:
Tara Seetharam: “She’s Not Cryin’ Anymore” – Billy Ray Cyrus
Cyrus released “Achy Breaky Heart” when I was seven years old, and I fell for it. The upside? My mom bought me his Some Gave All cassette tape, and I fell in love with “She’s Not Cryin’ Anymore.” It was the first song in my life to grip me with emotion, which would later come to define my bond with music.
Kevin Coyne: “I Love Rock’ n Roll” – Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
I know that it was either this or “Physical”, but I’m pretty sure it was this one because I have foggy memories of this being turned up for my amusement in the car when I was a small child. This is what happens when you’re a child of the eighties.
Dan Milliken: “Keep on Dancing” – The Gentrys
This is just my best guess. My dad used to crank this oldie in our living room and literally swing me and my little sister around in the air to it when we were young. I sometimes wonder if my preference for uptempo material (regardless of actual emotional tone) was established right there.
Leeann Ward: The songs of Raffi
I don’t have a particular song in mind, but when I think about it, I realize that the first music that I remember really liking was from Raffi, a children’s’ singer. There was a particular cassette that I was obsessed with (recorded by my dad from the TV), which was a recording of a concert that aired on the Disney channel and subsequently released on CD a few years later.
As an adult when I revisited the album, along with Raffi’s Christmas album, I realized that the instrumentation closely resembled the sounds of country music. In fact, the country music community released a tribute to Raffi, which includes adorable recordings by the likes of Keith Urban, Marty Stuart, Kathy Mattea, Lee Roy Parnell, Lari White, Elizabeth Cook, Eric Heatherly, Alison Krauss and Asleep at the Wheel, among others.
My favorite track from the tribute is Raul Malo’s version of “Thanks A Lot” (not the Ernest Tubb song). Although I didn’t fall in love with country until I was a young adolescent, as I see it, loving Raffi music proves that I was wired to naturally love country music, even as a young child.
I can name three that I liked right off the top:
YOU’RE NO GOOD–Linda Ronstadt
DREAMWEAVER–Gary Wright
A FIFTH OF BEETHOVEN–Walter Murphy & the Big Apple Band
I heard all three of them back in the late 1970s, when hearing a variety of songs on the radio was a commonplace thing and before everything had become compartmentalized and corporatized. I remember that time fondly, and to be brutally honest, I miss it terribly.
Its a tie between “Fancy”, and “Some Kind Of trouble. ” I was 5 when they came out!!! Love the early 90’s!
Well as kids there was stories of us singing “I Like It, I Love It” by Tim McGraw. So I guess that would be the first song I truly remember liking. Otherwise I’m going with anything Barney…
As near as I can figure, the first song I remember liking is Garth Brooks’ “Against the Grain,” a track from his 1991 album Ropin’ the Wind. The reason it was the first song I remember liking was partly because it was the first track on the album. It was such a fun barn-burner of a song that it immediately implanted in me a deep affinity for the awesome sounds of fiddle and steel, thus fating me to be a country superfan for the rest of my life.
Little Bitty- Alan Jackson
“Friends in Low Places” – Garth Brooks
When I was really little, for some reason I thought any male country singer I heard on the radio was Garth. I’m not entirely sure why.
Must have been an Abba song, probably Dancing Queen.
First songs I remember liking that got me interested in music in all its forms are from 1978-80:
Fischer Z: So Long
The Knack: My Sharona
Tom Petty : Refugee
Still 3 of my favorite songs.
Songs I remember first hearing that got me interested in Country: (which is hard in the Netherlands)
Glen Campbell: Witcheta Lineman
Vince Gill: Whenever you come aroud
Faith Hill: Breathe
This one’s a toughy. When I was young I never liked music for some reason, but I always liked the Pokemon theme song…embarrassing, huh?
“Hawkeye” by Bobby Lord or “The Witch Doctor” by David Sevelle. They both came out at about the same time. I think that “Hawkeye” was the first, but I’m not sure now of the order in which I first heard them
“Sh-Boom” by the Crew Cuts
I have two:
“Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me” by Mel Carter
and,
“Hit the Road Jack” by Ray Charles
This is what happens when you’re a child of the 80s, but your parents are children of the 60s who had their musical growth stunted by the horrible era of 70s disco. (Heck until 3rd grade I thought the Beach Boys were a new group. Keep in mind that would have been roughly 1994).
I don’t have a particular song, but it would have to be the catalog of The Eagles for me. I remember being introduced and loving them, prior to getting into mainstream country music
Don’t remember a particular song being first, but very likely mid or early 80’s country.
“I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon” by Ernie from Sesame Street. Still a favorite.
The first song I remember liking as a radio and music consumer was Jump5’s “Do Ya.”
……I was a child of the Radio Disney early 2000’s generation.
Probably “Convoy” by C.W. McCall. I had access to my mom’s 45 collection at an early age, and that, “Wipe Out” by The Surfaris and Johnny Horton’s “Battle of New Orleans” were my favorites.
My dad was never a big music person, but he did have Tim McGraw’s debut CD, and it was played often. I remember “Indian Outlaw” was the song I always wanted to hear. So even though I didn’t really like/listen to country music until about 2 and a half years ago, it seems fitting now that the first song I “liked” was country.
delta dawn
My first memory of music is hearing George Strait’s “Baby’s Gotten Good At Goodbye” on the radio when I was no more than 5 or 6 years old. I still like the song, so that would be my answer.
I also want to add that I really like this feature and the way you’ve bent the criteria to better fit country music. You guys are awesome!
Probably “Something In Red” by Lorrie Morgan. But I don’t know if I liked the song at the time, or just her. I was about five or six years old and I used to run to the TV when the video was on, and once it was over I went back to whatever I was doing. Or so I am told. I definitely do like both the song and Lorrie now.
LeAnn Raffi was one of my absolute favorites as a kid. Apples & Bananas, Baby Beluga and so on were all great sing-a-long songs and fun as a child. Nice memories because I like to iyt-iyt-iyt apples and ba-na-nas!
Wow, everybody is really, really young on this board!
My earliest memory if of the Chad Mitchell Trio singing “Lizzie Borden”.
Any of the Disney movie songs. I watched those old tapes so much when I was young.
I think that my first would have been either “A Whole New World” from Aladdin or “Reflection” from Mulan.
The youngest I can remember liking a song was probably 4 years old and it was Achy Breaky Heart! I had a little plastic karaoke machine with plastic records and I would play this record and sing along. I know better now lol
My parents told me that as a baby, the only way they could calm me down for my morning changing was by playing “Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road”! I’m not sure what my first song I remember liking, but the two most likely are The BeeGees’ “Staying Alive” and the theme to the movie “Goodbye Girl”
“When I Dream About You” :)
“Devil Went Down to Georgia” by the Charlie Daniels Band.
Country-wise I distinctly remember falling in love with LeAnn Womack’s “I Hope You Dance,” thus my love 9for country music was born.
Otherwise, I have way too many guilty pleasures to recount when it comes to my first memories of music.
Although I was too young to remember, my Mom said that “Achey Breaky Heart” was a favorite of my brothers and I (Did I just admit that?)
Being a 90’s kid, there are too many others to name, and yes, Britney Spears, N’snyc and Backstreet Boys were among them…
It Must Be Love.
Patsy Cline – I Fall to Pieces