She Believes in Me

Once, there was a ten-year old girl. She liked to sing. She liked to sing, and she liked it, a lot. Because she was a prisoner of her parent’s taste in music, she sang what they played. She found that she liked what they played. She had a dad who was gagety, which meant that they had a 1979 stereo system that would have made Radio Shack jealous. There were headphones, a microphone, and the ability to record your voice onto a tape while simultaneously listing to the music played in your ears. The tape only recorded your voice. It’s like karaoke is now, but better, because you could hear the song in your head, and you weren’t able to hear the sound of your own voice while you were singing. The ten-year old girl’s parents played Kenny Rogers at parties. They played Kenny Rogers at home, while they were having fun. Kenny Rogers played on the bigass stereo when she went to listen, all alone, in the quiet. 70s 10 yo on floor listening to kenny rogers She sang. And then, she listened to the recording of her singing. Sadly, it sounded nothing like Kenny Rogers, and more like a comedy movie singer, in the shower, doing it badly, on purpose. Or, maybe like the kid that was left out of choir for a reason. These two songs were the ones that told that ten-year-old girl a story. They told her a story. One that she feels, 35 years later, affected her enough that she’s now telling you a story about how she used to snuggle, deep into the shag, to listen to this. Kenny Rogers’ She Believes in Me:

And Morgana Jones:

Other songs that I feel tell a story are the Kink’s Lola, Metallica’s One, and Violent Femmes’ Blister in the Sun. And I can’t forget about this story, by Meatloaf about the guy who promised that he’d love her until the end of time…and later prayed for the end of time.

This has been a Twisted Mixed Tape Tuesday production, brought to you by my genius friend Jen. Today’s topic was Songs that tell a story. There may have been some word like “epic” in there, but that felt too hard. Does this TMTT post suck? Last week, I sung a song about Caillou! For real!! Did you miss it? Click here! 🙂

What songs tell your stories?

by Kristi Campbell

27 comments

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Mytwicebakedpotato - Funny 🙂 I had a love/hate relationship with Kenny Rogers 🙂November 12, 2013 – 12:24 amReplyCancel
Kristi Campbell - Me, too. But I just listened to this song “While she lay sleeping” like seven times, and seven is lucky, right?? 😉November 12, 2013 – 12:28 amReplyCancel
Considerer - I’ve never heard these before. ‘While She Lay Sleeping’ is rather sweet.

I ADORE ‘Lola’ though 🙂 That’s an awesome song 🙂November 12, 2013 – 2:00 amReplyCancel
Michelle Liew - I have Kenny on my list too, though a different song! He was and is, a great storyteller,
Hey, and his restaurants here in Singapore aren’t doing too badly still!November 12, 2013 – 7:37 amReplyCancel
Janine Huldie - Yup, might not have been Kenny Rogers at 10 years old for me, but I totally used to listen to tons of music on my headphones and belt out tunes daily. I couldn’t carry a tune for a hill of beans, but didn’t stop me from trying!! 🙂November 12, 2013 – 7:43 amReplyCancel
clark - (there are so very, very *few* benefits of …not being real young) but your Post presents a slight opportunity for me to enjoy one of the… questionable benefits of age.

I recall seeing Kenny Rogers… on TV as a kid in what (might) be one of the precursors to ‘music videoa’. I forget the show, maybe Smother’s Brothers or one of the ubiquitous music/comedy variety shows that propped up the mass culture in the mid to late 60s.

…in any event, I totally remember, (come to think of it, maybe it was not a prehistoric music video, prehaps it was just an elaborate song production.)
Kenny Rogers and the First Edition and the Song was (or at least the lyric) ‘I just checked in to see what the condition my condition was in’… (yeah, I know I could get it exact with quick search but screw that…I know what I think I remember hearing, damn it!)November 12, 2013 – 7:51 amReplyCancel
Dream - I think Kenny Rogers was one of the last great superstar storytellers of the older country tradition. I think he was the one that opened the door to all the mass-crossover hits we have now on the pop charts. Great story-telling of your own and I love the shag carpet in the drawing.November 12, 2013 – 8:08 amReplyCancel
Jhanis - my mother loves Kenny too so I was kinda influenced 🙂
Love the drawing!November 12, 2013 – 8:38 amReplyCancel
Dana - The Gambler was on my list, although I never did write a post. She Believes in Me gets me choked up whenever I hear it. Lucille, Ruby…so many of his songs tell stories. Btw, did you wear blue onesies frequently when you were ten ;)?November 12, 2013 – 8:40 amReplyCancel
Tamara - This TMTT post doesn’t suck AT ALL! I may like you singing Caillou more than Kenny Rogers, but I’m going to have to give him a chance right now.November 12, 2013 – 9:30 amReplyCancel
Kristi Campbell - Considerer,
While she lay sleeping is awesome! Listen again!
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Michelle,
OOH more Kenny? I’m heading your way now to check it out!
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Janine,
“A hill of beans” is SUCH an awesome expression. Glad I’m not alone in my singing suckines!
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Clark,
HAHA! I’m sure you’re remembering it perfectly. And yeah, I’m totally lazy and wouldn’t have bothered looking it up, either!
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Dream,
Kenny Rogers really IS such a great storyteller. I think you’re right about him opening the door for the cross-over music. Listening last night, I wondered if he was country/disco or what…
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Jhanis,
Yay for your mom!
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Dana,
Yeah, She Believes in Me is a little sad…
haha about the blue onesie!
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Tamara,
Thanks for giving Kenny a chance. You’re the bomb.
—November 12, 2013 – 10:17 amReplyCancel
Emily - I can totally picture you as a child on that shag rug listening to Kenny Rogers. And now you having the guts to sing the Caillou song even makes more sense. 🙂 This post was sweet, and no, it didn’t suck.November 12, 2013 – 10:23 amReplyCancel
that cynking feeling - I grew up listening to Kenny Rogers, too, but I don’t remember “Morgana Jones.” Thanks for introducing me to something new.November 12, 2013 – 10:26 amReplyCancel
Kristi Campbell - Emily,
HAHA about having the guts to sing Caillou! I didn’t think about it like that but they’re obviously related…
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Cyncking,
Morgana Jones is awesome! Thanks for coming by!
—November 12, 2013 – 11:13 amReplyCancel
Kerri - I love me some Kenny. But you get that we are total sistas from other mistas and therefore let him lull us to sleepNovember 12, 2013 – 12:09 pmReplyCancel
Quick Stepp- Melissa - Man, you know I totally didn’t even think of Metallica. There are quite a few of their songs that would work!November 12, 2013 – 12:37 pmReplyCancel
Tracy@CrazyAsNormal - I wish Kenny hadn’t messed his face all up. It makes me sad.

And thanks for bringing up the story the VF story about self pleasure. It will be stuck in my head for the rest of the day. =)November 12, 2013 – 1:04 pmReplyCancel
Kristi Campbell - Kerri,
I love me some Kenny too and yes! He can lull us to sleep anytime, sistah!
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Melissa,
Metallic would totally work. Especially One, but I’ve posted about One more than once.
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Tracy,
It makes me sad, too…haha about VF and self pleasure. You’re welcome.
—November 12, 2013 – 1:26 pmReplyCancel
don - Kenny Rogers is in my playlist as well. He is a favorite, though I don’t recall if I ever listened to him on a shag carpet with headphones. It’s entirely possible though.November 12, 2013 – 1:35 pmReplyCancel
Lori Lavender Luz - Twin powers activate!

I, too, did the recording thing and was SHOCKED that I didn’t sound as good as Pat Benatar.

And not 20 minutes ago, Paradise by the Dashboard Light was on the radio and I thought, “I should work this into a blog post.”

You did it for me. Much better than what was going on in my head (“Here’s a song that made me think about being stuck with someone until the end of time” — a la Stephen Wright.)November 12, 2013 – 2:45 pmReplyCancel
JenKehl - My Skewed View - Seriously forgot about Morgana Jones!! I used to listen to that album over and over!! And I am so glad you included Paradise By the Dashboard Lights!! I wanted to but then I figured someone would and then so far no one has!!!
I know EVERY SINGLE WORD!
U Rock sister! TTTx10November 12, 2013 – 3:52 pmReplyCancel
Kristi Campbell - Don,
Whoop to Kenny Rogers. And I’m betting that you totally listened to him on a shag carpet with headphones. You just don’t remember. You should ask around. A video of that would make a most excellent blog post.
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Lori!
We sound SO much better in our heads, don’t we? Weird. And wrong. Haha to thinking about it that you’ll be stuck with somebody until the end of time!
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Jen,
The entire album was most party-on excellent. You know every single word to EVERYTHING! So much cooler than I.
TTTx10
—November 12, 2013 – 4:03 pmReplyCancel
Lance - Don’t tell anyone, this is just between you and I, but I’ll sang Paradise by the Dashboard Light at Kareoke, sober, and non sober, more than once.

Kenny Rogers played in my parents house for years. The best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep.November 12, 2013 – 8:51 pmReplyCancel
Kristi Campbell - Thanks Lance. I’m actually hoping that the best thing I can hope for is to NOT die in my sleep…or maybe in my sleep…but as a really old woman…does that work?November 12, 2013 – 9:33 pmReplyCancel
Rachel - Getting a tape recorder for Christmas was one of the best days of my life. I don’t know. I didn’t care that I sounded so stupid. It was that much fun. Kenny Rogers is such a conundrum to me. Loved and still love all of his music, and it’s all horrible!November 12, 2013 – 10:01 pmReplyCancel
Jessica - Yay, Kenny! I almost used “The Gambler” for mine (posting soon), but Kerri used that last week so I didn’t want to repeat. Those are great songs, too. And how about “Ruby?” LOL Good times. “Lola” is a classic, too. 😉November 12, 2013 – 10:28 pmReplyCancel
Stephanie @ Mommy, for Real. - This is so sweet and awesome. My parents, my dad mostly, were all about oldies. So I grew up loving the Beach Boys. And I kind of still love them.November 12, 2013 – 10:55 pmReplyCancel