Hello again, old friend

Do you recognize this album cover? It's "Rocky Mountain High" by John Denver, released in August, 1972. I started high school in 1972. And I vividly remember the day I went over to my friend Heidi's house, and she put this album on. We sat on the floor in her bedroom and listened to it...and played it again...and again. In a way, I think this album was the soundtrack to my freshman year in high school.

I hadn't really thought about John Denver or his music in years. I used to own quite a few of his albums, and I'd played them a lot through high school and college. But I moved on in my musical taste, and haven't listened to any of his music (other than a favorite Christmas album that I bring out ever year) for years....decades, even.

So, while cruising around ITunes for music to download to my beloved Ipod, I stumbled onto something by him...which made me think, "Hmmm, maybe I'll download a song or two." And that got me started on a musical trip down memory lane. As I clicked on songs and listened to excerpts, I realized what a big part of my adolesence his music was. I guess his optimistic, idealistic style really touched something in me back then. So hearing bits of songs brought it all flooding back. I ended up dashing over to Half.com to buy some cheap, used CDs of my favorites, and two arrived in the mail yesterday.

I'm surprised at how familiar they are. Without thinking, I know what song will come next, all the lyrics... The album covers, the inner liner notes, all the photos--they're all so familiar. And I'm struck, again, at how beautiful some of this music is. I love a pure voice singing along with an acoustic guitar.

Anyway, I've been listening to this music and feeling like I'm spending time with an old friend I'd forgotten about.

Whether that's John Denver, or myself as a high schooler, it's hard to tell.