Saturday, May 29, 2010

Music to do Genealogy By

This is just a list of songs that seem suitable for doing genealogy, with commentary about each. As I come across other songs I'll add them. Feel free to suggest songs, too.
  1. Dire Straits - On Every Street. The song itself is about somebody trying to track the identity of a suicide victim, but, for me, the feel of the song makes it work, especially the lines "There's got to be a record of you some place/ You've got to be on somebody's books/ The lowdown, the picture of your face..."
  2. Toy Matinee - We Always Come Home. Just a song about family. The quirks of family members, the old homestead, and the comfort of knowing where you are from, and where you will end up.
  3. Level 42 - Running in the Family. A boppy little song about how parents are doomed to see their kids make the same mistakes they did, but not depressing, just a "that's how life is" song.
  4. Neil Diamond - He's not Heavy (He's my Brother). Personally, I detest this song. It gets in my head, and I need brain bleach to get it out. Yuck.
  5. The Rankin Family - Rise Again. A thoughtful song about children and how we are echoes of our parents.
  6. Genesis - You're No Son of Mine. The title says it all, sad and bitter. A reality none of us likes to think about in our family trees.
  7. Mike and the Mechanics - The Living Years. All about the regret of the things we never say to our parents, that perhaps we should, and the hope that maybe we can do better with our children.
  8. The Cranberries - Ode to My Family.  I think mostly about hoping for approval and notice from your parents.