NPR is running a series right now called Winter Songs where writers reminisce about a winter from their past and the music that plays along with those memories. It got me thinking about my own winters and the year that stood out for me was 1993. That winter I moved from Raleigh to Greensboro and began my college experience in earnest. I had for couple of years been taking classes, first at NC State part-time then full time at the Community College. In 1993 I was accepted to UNC-Greensboro and I moved there in December of that year. I think of that year as my first year of real independence. I didn’t have a boyfriend. I got my first tattoo that year. When I moved to Greensboro I was living in a different city from my parents. The music I listened to at that time reflects the freedom I was feeling. I was discovering music on my own, free from the influence of a boyfriend.
When I moved to Greensboro I got a time slot on the college radio station so I really had time to express my own tastes. I remember having a debate with my roommate’s brother—he was a classic rock fan. I told him that I had heard all those songs way too many times. There was nothing wrong with classic rock but I craved something new. To prove my point I said that I could sing all the words to any song that came on the radio station he always listened to. I never lost. So what was I listening to? If you listen to Spotify you can hear my playlist—1993. Otherwise these were the cds I played over and over:
Love the playlist… turning up the volume even as a write.
Oh 1993— that was a good year for me as well and independence. Nice post.