My parents never really cared about music. When I was growing up the only records I ever remember them having is some blue-vinyl edition of an Elvis record, and “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon and Garfunkel. I don’t think they ever played either of those records.

I have two musical memories of my parents. One is my dad singing “My Boyfriend’s Back” whenever we were all getting ready to go somewhere.

The other is of watching the TV show “Fame” with my mom on a Sunday night. I can’t remember what the episode was about, but at one point all the Fame kids sat down in the hall and started singing “Sounds of Silence.” I hummed along with the song. Apparently singing along with the TV is not a new thing for me.

“Do you like this song?” she asked me.
“Yeah,” I said.
“This was your biological father’s favorite song.”

I nodded at her. I think that was the most personal detail she ever told me about him.

So with that background, it surprises me that when I think of my childhood it’s always filled with music. I can’t remember where it all came from. I know that my cousin Laurie was an early influencer, filling me and Sister #2 with Billy Joel, REO Speedwagon, and Blondie.

But, and this song that just came on Kathleen Turner Overdrive, when I think of one of my very first favorite songs, I think of “Boy from New York City” by Manhattan Transfer (which looks like it might have been circa 1981 when I was 9 and Sister #2 was 7). We loved that song. I think we probably heard it for the first time on KS95 while tooling around in the car with Mom or Dad. KS95 was the only radio station we ever, ever listened to. I distinctly arriving home just as the song came on the radio and racing into the house to turn on the radio inside.

That’s how much we loved this song. I would give anything if my only responsibility today would be to dance around the living room with this song playing on the radio.