At a college dance in 1975
Just a few notes of a song from my youth ring through the air and I can name that tune. Music always sticks in my mind.
And it does something else – it transports me back in time. When I hear a familiar tune and commence singing along with the words, a kind of magic descends. My surroundings fade away and it’s almost like I’m immersed in a time machine.
Years, even decades, melt away and there I am. Transported to the past, reliving a memory. And all because of a song.
I experienced a little time travel while driving to work the other day. Often I drive in silence with the car radio switched off. I don’t listen to talk shows. I don’t even listen to music stations very often although I do love music.
I imagine after all of those years of being the ‘mom taxi’ and driving three kids and friends around while listening to chatter and loud disagreements from the back seat, I relish the quietness of just me and my auto.
But the other day, I switched on the car radio and a classic rock station sprang to life. I moseyed down the highway singing, “big girls don’t cry” anticipating the next fun song from the past.
The first couple of notes sounded and instantly my time machine, doubling as a car radio, transported me back in time to my college days.
The song was Dance With Me by the group Orleans. I used to own that record album and I loved that song.
Dance with me, I want to be your partner
Can’t you see the music is just starting?
Night is falling, and I am calling
Dance with me
Middle daughter & son-in-law
As I sang along with the lyrics, I recalled dancing to that song with my college sweetheart, who is now my husband of 35 years. We were young, we were in love, but we weren’t the greatest dancers.
Dance inspires and moves me when I watch others interpret music with their bodies. I can remember wanting to be a dancer as a kid. Gliding on tip toe through the house, I pretended I was a ballerina. Or I danced and pranced like a go-go girl with dances called the Monkey, the Jerk, the Swim, or the Pony.
But I never was a very good dancer. Enter boyfriend/husband, who was even more of a non-dancer than I was.
Son & daughter-in-law
My husband listens to music every day, but his sense of rhythm when it comes to dancing leaves something to be desired. He knows it, he jokes about it, and he’s never been a confident dancer by any stretch of the imagination.
But that song…dance with me.
Fantasy could never be so giving
I feel free, I hope that you are willing
Pick the beat up, and kick your feet up
Dance with me
Oh, how we danced to that song. I recall the way his arms held me tightly and even though we just swayed, moving in a tight little circle to the music, it was heavenly.
Listening to that song in my car reminded me of the first taste of real, true love. My mind jumped to thoughts of my grown-up children dancing with their own true loves at their weddings last year.
Oldest daughter & son-in-law
Let it lift you off the ground
Starry eyes, and love is all around
I can take you where you want to go
But then, the words of that old song from my youth suddenly transformed into new meaning for me. I thought about true love and my first real true love – my relationship with Jesus.
As much as I love my husband, my children, my family and friends, my first love is for my Savior. My dance partner for life.
Thinking that over, I suddenly pictured myself in the arms of Jesus, my Lord. I could hear Him whisper the words of the song, even though they aren’t scripture. I could imagine Him singing these lyrics to me.
And today, on this best day of the year, I wonder. Can you hear Him sing these words to you? Have you chosen Him as your life’s dance partner?
Dance with me, I want to be your partner
Can’t you see the music is just starting?
Night is falling, and I am calling
Dance with me
Let it lift you off the ground
Starry eyes, and love is all around
I can take you where you want to go
Dance with me, I want to be your partner
Can’t you see the music is just starting?
Night is falling, and I am calling
Dance with me
Dance with me
Dance with me.
©2013 mamasemptynest.wordpress.com
It’s amazing what music can do. And even more amazing that we can remember words to songs from “that many” years ago!
I know! Sometimes I can’t even remember the simplest thing, yet I can recall all of the lyrics to old songs. Go figure.
ha! You caught us!
He and I like to dance on the shores of a beach, with the sun setting behind us. I’m usually wearing a gown, and I don’t know what He is wearing, my eyes are closed in heavenly bliss. OR, we are bopping around the house and I’m humming the old song from the Tammy movies, “I hear the cottonwoods whisp’ring above, ******, ******, ***** ‘s in love. . . . . 
Happy sigh. . . . .I LOVE dancing with Him.
Oh, I love the word pictures you just painted for me of the two of you dancing! Sweet!
I can only imagine……;)
Alison, YES! Love that song! Thank you! I’m going to be singing it for the rest of the day. “Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel; will I dance for You Jesus or in awe of you be still.. Will I stand in Your presence or to my knees will I fall. Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all. I can only imagine…..” (happy sigh)
My lovely daughter used to take dance at our church when she was younger…she learn the art of litergical dancing from a wonderful, graceful and godly woman. Julianne learned how through dance we can bring glory to God. Each year during the inspirational spring show, Jul’s teacher would bless us with a solo dance. One year she chose this song and ever since then I have had this beautiful picture of a woman of God dancing before The Lord. I should take the time to send her a note, thanking her for helping me to “see” what dancing before The Lord might look like.
Beautiful! What a lovely story.
Congratulations on 35 years. We just celebrated our 35th too. Sweet!
I wish your children great happiness and their marriages will stand the test of time.
I enjoyed this enlightening tribute to that great old song.
Thank you, E.C.! This year we’ll celebrate our 36th anniversary, but who’s counting?
Blessings to you too for your 35 years of matrimony.
This is such a beautiful post! I got lost in your story. Yes, music does the same thing to me. I’m young again and I can picture my life as it was then. The Orleans? I actually saw them perform this song at Six Flags in 1980. I was 14 and while they were singing that song, I got my first real kiss and thought I was in love! Good Times
Thanks for the reminder.
That’s so awesome! Music is really like a time machine, isn’t it? It seems to be so attached to our memories. Thanks for sharing your story with me and getting ‘lost’ in my story. That’s a lovely compliment!
Oh how beautiful you were (and are), and all your family too! What a lovely post. What a wonderful story
You are always so kind! Thanks! I actually ‘wrote’ this one in my head while driving after hearing that ‘special’ song but I had to hurry up and write it down when I got home so I wouldn’t forget! So I can remember songs from decades ago, but not what I just thought about on the same day. Go figure!
Old music and old photos – the best way to start up my old memeories.
It sure is! Thanks for stopping by my blog today.