#5FandomFriday: Make-Up Friday - 5 Songs that Changed My Life

5 Fandom Friday is a weekly prompt challenge hosted by The Nerdy Girlie and Super Space Chick. This week, I'm revisiting another early prompt I missed - 5 Songs that Changed My Life. Music is the one thing I've truly been a geek about since childhood - my parents were teenagers in the 1950's and I was raised on their rock music. My dad had been a drummer and my mom was a total fangirl. I grew up in the dance studio, where instead of making music myself I interpreted it and used it to tell stories. Some of my very best friendships have been forged because of music, and in college I made a promise to myself to see as much live music as possible - I budget around concerts instead of the other way around! When I met Mr. Q, one of the first things we connected about was music, and his family is very musical as well. 

My mama loves, she loves me

She gets down on her knees and hugs me

She loves me like a rock

She rocks me like the rock of ages

And she loves me

Paul Simon, "Loves Me Like a Rock" - I don't even remember falling in love with this song, but my mom was constantly playing her Here Comes Rhymin' Simon album on our record player and little toddler me learned all the words, so it became my parents' party trick to trot me out and get me to sing the song to their friends. My mom really is my best friend and to this day she signs cards and letter to me "love you like a rock."

The Beatles, "I Am the Walrus" - I was in fifth grade when The Beatles Anthology aired on television, and my Beatle-loving mama watched every installment. I'd always heard the Beatles in the background of my life, but never put two and two together and realized that all those amazing songs were the same band until watching Anthology. I distinctly remember seeing the clip from the "Walrus" video and thinking how cool it was that the Beatles could be so weird, creative, and beloved at the same time. I became a little hippie kid, which got me bullied throughout middle school, and never looked back. When I finally got to see Paul McCartney this past summer, it was an almost religious experience for me and I found myself weeping with happiness.

NSYNC, "I Want You Back" - Until middle school, with the exception of Mariah Carey, I didn't really listen to pop music - it was oldies and country all the way. When NSYNC came along, I think I truly became a teenager - Teen Beat posters on my bedroom wall, calling the radio station from sleepovers to request a song, standing in line to get the new CDs as they came out, and even wearing a "Justin" charm bracelet. I felt like my mom's Beatlemania finally made sense to me when I went to my first NSYNC concert and felt completely ecstatic, screaming from the back rows and truly believing they could hear me from the stage.

My daddy turned his face up towards the sky

And I knew that there was nothing to lose

I felt the crowd breathe in and I closed my eyes

And we disappeared into the groove

Marc Broussard, "Home" - When I was a first-year college student we had a "coffee house" that brought up-and-coming musical artists to perform in the first year dorms. The head of the council that chose the acts was from Louisiana and her personal victory was bringing Marc Broussard to the lounge. It was love at first listen and meeting, and I got to see him live again a few years later in a local club. I also met one of my best online friends, Micah from Unabashedly Me, through our mutual Marc fandom!

So tell me what you want to hear

Something that will light those ears

Sick of all the insincere

So I'm gonna give all my secrets away

OneRepublic, "Secrets" - Okay, this song didn't really change my life, but was the background music for a life-changing moment. Right after we got engaged, Mr. Q and I went out to dinner to celebrate and this song was playing in the restaurant. I remember listening to the lyrics and thinking, yes, this is right.