Category: Memories

Deb Ertl Moser

Guttenberg, IA

Oh it was Kiss, definitely. And we were always at Lakeside.

The guitars were winding and the drums were so loud, it was just a blast of sound.

It was my junior year and Lisa had painted us up to look like Kiss.

We were in my Mom’s basement and we were out of control an awful lot.

They actually did come around in concert, but I could not go.  I remember Chris went to the concert.

When I finally got to see them myself much later, Lisa was right there on my shoulder, a vodka and orange juice in hand.

Rock and Roll All Nite

Ammi Hugo

Pretoria, South Africa

i remember going into a record store.  It felt like it was part of the underground and I had all this class by being there. This was the only album I bought.  I loved her throaty voice and I played it over and over. The memory takes me to Pretoria.  It was a sunny time.  I was living this young hip life in the suburbs working as a nurse.  And it was an introspective time, parties and drinking, and really having the time of my life.  But White Rabbit was the sound of ultimate daring.

It curled in my gut and I can still feel it that way.

I also loved Peter Sarstedt and Where Do You Go To My Lovely?

White Rabbit

Norma Thiese

Guttenberg, IA

I was a student at UNI in Cedar Falls and I lived in Campbell Hall.

There was this grad assistant who called me.  You know, we just had phones in our room.  They were by the door.  He was a senior.  As soon as I picked up and said hello he would start signing, “You’re so vain.”

I do think about him now when I hear that song.

You’re So Vain

Deb Eulberg

Guttenberg, IA

It was winter and I was with friends.  We were driving around.
I can remember Robin Ackley was in the backseat.  It was snowing and Robin jumped out of the car and just played in the snow.

We don’t do those things now. You know, I don’t think we were drunk.  It was the music, we were just cruising the backroads on a winter night.

American Pie

Denise Kuethe Strudthoff

Stoddard, WI

Dad bought a Beatles album from the drug store. Yep the drug store in Tripoli sold them.

I had a record player in my room. I played albums but had the adapter for ’45s too.

It was the Beatles one with the brown background, and they were dressed up and all had short hair.

When I turned 16, my friends threw a surprise party. Gary Bergman gave me a ride to Cathy Weidler’s house where the gang was waiting and Ringo Starr was on the radio singing. I loved that song Photograph so much but he was singing “She’s 16, she’s beautiful and she’s mine.”

I remember thinking he was singing it to me.

And I loved the Stones.

Like Tumbling Dice, I can hear it playing. I was in Big B, my parents’ car, driving to my guitar lesson in Waterloo.

I played that guitar for weddings and at church until I heard the Wedding Song so many times that it made me sick. I sold my guitar to John Poock so I had an excuse to say no. It was a damn sexist song. I hate it to this day.

Photograph

Julie Metcalf Cull

Bloomington, WI

It was Frankie Valli, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.  I was with Jim in his Super B.  It was a Dodge Charger with this amazing trim that made it look like a bumble bee.  We listened to the whole 8-track over and over.  We rode around and sang.  Sal went along too. Some day I’ll tell you the whole story.

Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You

I’ll be There

Girls born between 1948 and 1966 experienced junior high, high school and/or college years with the soundtrack of the ‘70s.

This is the songbook of their growing up.

Where were you?

Who were you with?

What were you eating?

What did it smell like?

Which band?

What were the words you will never forget? 

What were you wearing?

How did you feel?

Sing it for me.