High School Playlist

I completed a High School Playlist post last week, and then deleted it in a temper because some of the links didn't work. I felt rather silly afterwards, it would have been far easier to delete the links (but Blogger, as well as my good self, was having a funny five minutes).

So, let's try again. I was tagged, what seems like years ago in blog terms, but it was a fortnight ago, by Vix. to contribute to this:

High School, 1989-1994. 

I generally did not enjoy school. I had a bad attitude, poor concentration, real trouble with maths and spent all day feeling bored and frustrated. I was good at languages, drama and English, but didn't put much effort in. No regrets, I've been exactly the same at work, bouts of enthusiasm and high energy, followed by me asking myself quietly "what am I doing here?". Yes, I'm the same at home too. The question now is "What am I doing on this planet?".

The first song I remember listening to with friends at school was Tom's Diner by Suzanne Vega. I had all her albums by the age of 16, she has a wonderful voice but some of her stuff is so blinkin' boring.

I dabbled with a few genres, never really got into hip hop or heavy metal like my friends, some tracks will always remind me, fondly, of school. One is Can I Kick It? by A Tribe Called Quest. 

Isn't it amazing how the brain stores lyrics to songs in your head? I still know all the words despite not listening to this track since my teens. Another is Falling to Pieces by Faith No More - it sounds horribly dated to me now but stirs up memories of the feeling of inadequacy which started at puberty (and still stings!)

As music was, and still is, a major part of my life, I'm struggling to contain the list. I'll omit the obvious artists like  Radiohead, The Cure, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Massive Attack etc, because they were a constant for me and so many.

My friends and I would hang around the Y.M.C.A every school night and fight over what music to listen to. The boys wanted to listen to Metallica and Slayer, us girls wanted to listen to more lightweight stuff. One track we all agreed on though, despite it's heaviness was Stigmata by Ministry

Here's  great video to accompany a track which reminds me a lot of school, and of my late friend (more about her here) who I went to see Orbital with, we had £2 each in our pockets and danced the night away

Orbital - Lush

Car boot sales - all human life on display

Another timeless track deeply embedded in me is Papua New Guinea by Future Sound of London. Sends a shiver down my spine, so it does

I'd wish I'd have been old enough to fully embrace the rave culture. It's all fair and well hearing how great it was to be a punk, how fantastic the 60's were and to stare in envy at my neighbour Kathryn going out in the eightis looking every inch the one who made it to the Bananarama shortlist, but the Rave culture started when I was a bit too young to fully embrace it, and I feel my age group had a pretty raw deal with music in some ways.

When I'm trowelling on the slap for a night out, this track always gets me in the mood though - Playing With Knives by Bizarre Inc. It did back then too.

And, in light of the beautiful weather, remember this number - It's a Fine Day? I remember seeing it on Top of The Pops, and thinking how brave she was having that hairdo, if you can call it that.

The main track I remember throughout school, which always seemed to be on is, unsurprisingly by The Smiths

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Lyrics which must resonate with most teenagers at school, surely?

I am the son

and the heir
of a shyness that is criminally vulgar
I am the son and heir
of nothing in particular

You shut your mouth
how can you say
I go about things the wrong way
I am human and I need to be loved
just like everybody else does

I am the son
and the heir
of a shyness that is criminally vulgar
I am the son and the heir
of nothing in particular

You shut your mouth
how can you say
I go about things the wrong way
I am human and I need to be loved
just like everybody else does

There's a club if you'd like to go
you could meet somebody who really loves you
so you go, and you stand on your own
and you leave on your own
and you go home, and you cry
and you want to die

When you say it's gonna happen "now"
well, when exactly do you mean?
see I've already waited too long
and all my hope is gone

You shut your mouth
how can you say
I go about things the wrong way
I am human and I need to be loved
just like everybody else does

Please join in, if you would like to, I won't tag anyone, but urge you to look at Vix,  Sarah Misfit and Curtise's brilliant contributions.

...and the same wrong link thing happened again, I won't delete it this time - I hope you know what How Soon is Now?  sounds like!