40 Years 40 Songs

I am turning 40 later this year. I didn't plan to make a big thing about it, because--you know--it's just a number, and I'm busy momming it up and don't need to make a big deal about MY stuff because there are constantly big deals to be made about their stuff.

But then we were talking about Chris' birthday (he's also turning 40, sooner in fact), and I had this sort of "pillow talk" epiphany. It was probably birthed out of years of neglecting my prior self and a desire to make the me then relevant to the me now. Also, I think we all need to make peace with aging. Celebrate it, even. Enter my 40 Years 40 Songs project.

The idea is for me to learn how to play one song released each year of my life, starting with 1978 (I'm calling that one song zero). I want to learn them well enough to be able to play them out somewhere if I so choose and then record them. Someday when I am dead my kids can listen to who I was. Thus far I have learned 4 or 5 songs to a decent level, but they need a bit more practice before recording. Once I do start recording them, I will share them here on the old super-neglected bloggity-blog.

I have already learned a few things on this new journey. 1) Callouses are just as painful to acquire the second time around (oh yeah I've played very little guitar in the last eight years). 2) Learning 40 songs is going to take a LOT of woman hours, and the kids are not always going to like it. On the other hand, 3) The kids are starting to get old enough to truly appreciate music in general and guitar in specific and even ME as a musician. I hear the eight-year-old singing the songs I am learning sometimes. She and the five-year-old talk about wanting to learn guitar. Even the three-year-old SOMETIMES wants me to play; she just wants me to play songs from her favorite kid movies. And she has been picking up the guitar to strum a bit herself since it's always laying around. I hope it may inspire them to work on not-for-pay personally enriching projects of their own someday.

So here's the line-up so far!

0. 1978 - One Way or Another - Blondie
1. 1979 - (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding - Elvis Costello
2. 1980 - Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division
3. 1981 - Talk of the Town - The Pretenders
4. 1982 - Atlantic City or Mansion on the Hill - Bruce Springsteen
5. 1983 - 99 Luftballons - Nena
6. 1984 - Hold Me Now - Thompson Twins
7. 1985 - Time - Tom Waits
8. 1986 - There is a Light that Never Goes Out - The Smiths
9. 1987 - Wanted: Dead or Alive - Bon Jovi

I reserve the right to change these, but I have already started learning most of them. Stay tuned for future developments if you like. Or, if not, at least I will have this project good and documented for the children and stuff.