Gentle on my Mind

 

Glen Campbell provided the soundtrack of my adolescence.

My parents listened to country music radio and I assume that is where the introduction happened. I listened to Everyday Housewife and knew that one day the love of my life would sing those words to me as I danced in my kitchen happily cooking and cleaning for him.

As luck would have it, I married a man who can do almost anything.  Except sing. He can’t sing. He hums unrecognizable tunes and can quote thousands of song lyrics. But he can’t sing. As a young wife it didn’t take me long to realize that. And also to realize that I wasn’t going to be dancing in the kitchen while I cooked and cleaned. Everyday Housewife didn’t seem to describe me as well as I thought it would.

As a teen with a job and some disposable income, I purchased a record player. Yes, I am that old. I purchased a record player before it was retro. Then I bought everything Glen Campbell had recorded at that time. I can attest to the fact that playing a vinyl album over and over does not in any way damage it. I devoted myself to testing that theory for many hours. Galveston made me yearn for my Texas homeland. Bowling Green made me dance.  And the love songs made my heart thump.

Recently, I was feeling blue after several days of rain when I remembered my new subscription to Apple Music and found that my old Glen Campbell albums were available to me. The familiar picture on the cover made me sigh like a schoolgirl. Laying on the couch with headphones in place, I wandered back. The musical introduction was so familiar. And the words …. Wait, are these the same lyrics?

Gentle on my Mind – “Knowing I am free to walk. Not shackled by dried ink stains. Some other woman cryin' to her mother 'cause she turned and I was gone….. “

By the Time I get to Phoenix –“ She'll turn softly and call my name out low, and she'll cry just to think I'd really leave her….”

You Better Sit Down Kids – “Your mother is staying, but I’m going away…”

These are not the romance-inducing words I remembered. I have no explanation for why I was enthralled decades ago. Some things defy logic. But at 16 Glen got me through teen angst and insecurities and his mellow voice filled my soul with hope. He will always be my first love.

Today, my taste in music has veered to show tunes or oldies and I am much more likely to be listening to a book when you see me with headphones. As for romance, I am moved to tears when my dishwasher gets fixed or my car is cleaned. And I swoon when a comforter comes straight from the dryer and is tucked around me on the couch in preparation for a night of watching reruns of West Wing.

Glen Campbell could have learned a thing or two from Martin Hinshaw.