The Soundtrack of Our Lives
A Double Album in Prose
by Annie Christie
Genre: Drama
Swearwords: None.
Description: For anyone who has ever got lost in music!
Swearwords: None.
Description: For anyone who has ever got lost in music!
Disc Two
Side Two
A Little Ditty
Oh, yeah, life goes on,
Long after the thrill of living is gone (John Cougar)
Side Two
A Little Ditty
Oh, yeah, life goes on,
Long after the thrill of living is gone (John Cougar)
Track Thirteen
So far away but still so near, The lights come up, the music dies But you don't see me standing here, I just came to say goodbye I'm in the corner, watching you kiss her, oh, And I'm giving it my all… I keep dancing on my own (Calum Scott)
~ 2016 ~
So far away but still so near, The lights come up, the music dies But you don't see me standing here, I just came to say goodbye I'm in the corner, watching you kiss her, oh, And I'm giving it my all… I keep dancing on my own (Calum Scott)
~ 2016 ~
‘You say I never tell you things.’
It was Laura on the phone. March 2016.
‘Shoot.’
I was sure there was nothing she could tell me now that would be of any significance. All that had died with Billy, right? How wrong was I.
‘It’s Jess.’
Jess was Laura’s youngest daughter. Now aged thirteen.
‘What’s happened?’ I asked.
‘You’ll never guess.’
‘So tell me.’
‘Are you sitting down?’
‘Oh, Laura, come on, just tell me.’
‘So. Jess came home from school today all excited. She’s going out with a boy.’
‘So?’
‘It’s her first real boyfriend.’
We’ve all been there.
‘That’s great, I’m very happy for her.’
‘You’ll never guess.’
‘It’s getting old, Laura. Just tell me.’
‘He’s sixteen. He’s called Scott. Scott McGinley.’
You’d better believe it.
‘And they’ve got a song.’
‘No way.’
‘Guess what it is?’
I had to think. ‘Well I hope it’s not Justin Timberlake, or worse, Justin Bieber?’
‘Get over yourself, he’s way cooler than that.’
‘So?’
‘She said he sent it to her iPhone. Told her it was dad’s favourite song… she played it to me… you’ll never guess…’
‘Don’t tell me,’ I said.
‘Don’t you want to know?’ Laura asked.
‘I know,’ I said. And I do.
‘So romantic, don’t you think?’ she said.
‘Yeah,’ I said. ‘Chip off the old block. I wish them every happiness.’
And I did.
I’m happy to hand the torch over to another generation. I really do wish them all the best in creating their own soundtracks. I hope they made a better job of it than we ever managed to do. I never had children. I may not be invested in the future. But I had a past. And I can go back to it any time I choose. Memories are made of this:
~ 1975 ~
I remember we spotted Billy and Rachel – in the words of the song – holding each other close. It was dark but everyone could see they were necking. The song after didn’t help. It was Look at Me by The Moments – was this some teacher’s idea of a joke? No, the teachers weren’t that smart. It was just some probationer teacher who was into Motown and thought they’d break into our pop-addled brains. Billy and Rachel just held onto each other via the lips right through the song.
The teacher was still stuck in their own wee world with the next one – Who Loves you by the Four Seasons – and by the time Scooby, or it might have been Doobs had gone up to complain about the music, Billy and Rachel had faded out – believe it or not they must have snuck out during the first ever playing at the disco of Bohemian Rhapsody. Stevie had been carrying a copy with him and demanded that to redress the balance from all that ‘disco crap’ the teacher put it on. In those six minutes we were all so transfixed by the song which was like nothing we’d ever heard before, that when it came to the penultimate song of the night – which was traditionally the number one and in this case Space Oddity – and Billy’s favourite song of the moment, they were nowhere to be seen. While the appalling, interminable instrumental Free Bird drove us out from the disco as the ‘last song’ – the only intention of playing that song could be to force us to leave the hall – there was still no sign of them. That sealed the deal. It would be something to talk about on Monday.
~ 1976 ~
I remember Billy almost kissing me at the Christmas Disco to the strains of Don’t Give up on Us.
~ 1977 ~
I remember Holding on to Sixteen as long as we could, even though it was a hideous time at the movies.
~ 1978 ~
I remember Yesterday’s gone, yesterday’s gone but Fleetwood Mac had only just begun to exert their pull.
~ 1979 ~
I remember the Logical Song and Don’t stop me now. And thinking it was all over. It’s never all over. Never.
~ 1988 ~
I remember the Walls come tumbling down after the 10th anniversary reunion.
~ 1998 ~
I remember Running Away with the Corrs and the Cars in a convertible. The drive of my life with the man of my dreams.
~ 2003 ~
I remember the moment before Grant hit him. When we could still believe in Hold me Close and Dancing the Night away.
~ 2013 ~
I remember Billy’s last birthday song. Get Lucky. We've come too far to give up who we are. Oh boy, I would give everything I own… just to touch you once again. I never had a dream come true, Billy, but I came close.
~ 1972 ~
I remember writing in my diary in 1972: I kissed Billy McGinley. Behind the swimming pool. I know he only did it for a dare. But I love him. I’ll always love him. Whatever happens.
~ 2016 ~
They’ve rebuilt the school. It’s not my school. It belongs to other lives. To other young loves. It’s for Scott and Jess to dance the night away now. I’ll never go back there.
I’ve told myself it’s the last time I will do it. I keep away from the charts as a rule now. What’s the point? It’s not my music, I have no memories left to make in music. But today I downloaded Billy’s number one song. It was Lukas Graham: Once I was seven years old, momma told me Go make yourself some friends or you'll be lonely… Soon I'll be sixty years old, will I think the world is cold...
I loved Billy McGinley. I thought he never really noticed me. I thought he never knew. He knew. And, in his own way, I know he loved me too. It wasn’t how he loved Rachel, of course it wasn’t. But somewhere, somehow, between the swimming pool and the school disco and driving him home and Jack and Diane, we had our own love story. And I know his favourite song. I always did. It was my favourite too.
Billy’s favourite song? He told me in the car in 1980 when I drove him home after Rachel’s 21st birthday party. And he reminded me of it in my car after the 1998 reunion. Just before he kissed me. Properly kissed me. It was the moment I’d waited for all my life and I will always treasure it. For one moment I was not just a page in anyone’s diary.
What’s the song? That’s for me to know and you to guess. It’s our song, after all, not yours.
It was Laura on the phone. March 2016.
‘Shoot.’
I was sure there was nothing she could tell me now that would be of any significance. All that had died with Billy, right? How wrong was I.
‘It’s Jess.’
Jess was Laura’s youngest daughter. Now aged thirteen.
‘What’s happened?’ I asked.
‘You’ll never guess.’
‘So tell me.’
‘Are you sitting down?’
‘Oh, Laura, come on, just tell me.’
‘So. Jess came home from school today all excited. She’s going out with a boy.’
‘So?’
‘It’s her first real boyfriend.’
We’ve all been there.
‘That’s great, I’m very happy for her.’
‘You’ll never guess.’
‘It’s getting old, Laura. Just tell me.’
‘He’s sixteen. He’s called Scott. Scott McGinley.’
You’d better believe it.
‘And they’ve got a song.’
‘No way.’
‘Guess what it is?’
I had to think. ‘Well I hope it’s not Justin Timberlake, or worse, Justin Bieber?’
‘Get over yourself, he’s way cooler than that.’
‘So?’
‘She said he sent it to her iPhone. Told her it was dad’s favourite song… she played it to me… you’ll never guess…’
‘Don’t tell me,’ I said.
‘Don’t you want to know?’ Laura asked.
‘I know,’ I said. And I do.
‘So romantic, don’t you think?’ she said.
‘Yeah,’ I said. ‘Chip off the old block. I wish them every happiness.’
And I did.
I’m happy to hand the torch over to another generation. I really do wish them all the best in creating their own soundtracks. I hope they made a better job of it than we ever managed to do. I never had children. I may not be invested in the future. But I had a past. And I can go back to it any time I choose. Memories are made of this:
~ 1975 ~
I remember we spotted Billy and Rachel – in the words of the song – holding each other close. It was dark but everyone could see they were necking. The song after didn’t help. It was Look at Me by The Moments – was this some teacher’s idea of a joke? No, the teachers weren’t that smart. It was just some probationer teacher who was into Motown and thought they’d break into our pop-addled brains. Billy and Rachel just held onto each other via the lips right through the song.
The teacher was still stuck in their own wee world with the next one – Who Loves you by the Four Seasons – and by the time Scooby, or it might have been Doobs had gone up to complain about the music, Billy and Rachel had faded out – believe it or not they must have snuck out during the first ever playing at the disco of Bohemian Rhapsody. Stevie had been carrying a copy with him and demanded that to redress the balance from all that ‘disco crap’ the teacher put it on. In those six minutes we were all so transfixed by the song which was like nothing we’d ever heard before, that when it came to the penultimate song of the night – which was traditionally the number one and in this case Space Oddity – and Billy’s favourite song of the moment, they were nowhere to be seen. While the appalling, interminable instrumental Free Bird drove us out from the disco as the ‘last song’ – the only intention of playing that song could be to force us to leave the hall – there was still no sign of them. That sealed the deal. It would be something to talk about on Monday.
~ 1976 ~
I remember Billy almost kissing me at the Christmas Disco to the strains of Don’t Give up on Us.
~ 1977 ~
I remember Holding on to Sixteen as long as we could, even though it was a hideous time at the movies.
~ 1978 ~
I remember Yesterday’s gone, yesterday’s gone but Fleetwood Mac had only just begun to exert their pull.
~ 1979 ~
I remember the Logical Song and Don’t stop me now. And thinking it was all over. It’s never all over. Never.
~ 1988 ~
I remember the Walls come tumbling down after the 10th anniversary reunion.
~ 1998 ~
I remember Running Away with the Corrs and the Cars in a convertible. The drive of my life with the man of my dreams.
~ 2003 ~
I remember the moment before Grant hit him. When we could still believe in Hold me Close and Dancing the Night away.
~ 2013 ~
I remember Billy’s last birthday song. Get Lucky. We've come too far to give up who we are. Oh boy, I would give everything I own… just to touch you once again. I never had a dream come true, Billy, but I came close.
~ 1972 ~
I remember writing in my diary in 1972: I kissed Billy McGinley. Behind the swimming pool. I know he only did it for a dare. But I love him. I’ll always love him. Whatever happens.
~ 2016 ~
They’ve rebuilt the school. It’s not my school. It belongs to other lives. To other young loves. It’s for Scott and Jess to dance the night away now. I’ll never go back there.
I’ve told myself it’s the last time I will do it. I keep away from the charts as a rule now. What’s the point? It’s not my music, I have no memories left to make in music. But today I downloaded Billy’s number one song. It was Lukas Graham: Once I was seven years old, momma told me Go make yourself some friends or you'll be lonely… Soon I'll be sixty years old, will I think the world is cold...
I loved Billy McGinley. I thought he never really noticed me. I thought he never knew. He knew. And, in his own way, I know he loved me too. It wasn’t how he loved Rachel, of course it wasn’t. But somewhere, somehow, between the swimming pool and the school disco and driving him home and Jack and Diane, we had our own love story. And I know his favourite song. I always did. It was my favourite too.
Billy’s favourite song? He told me in the car in 1980 when I drove him home after Rachel’s 21st birthday party. And he reminded me of it in my car after the 1998 reunion. Just before he kissed me. Properly kissed me. It was the moment I’d waited for all my life and I will always treasure it. For one moment I was not just a page in anyone’s diary.
What’s the song? That’s for me to know and you to guess. It’s our song, after all, not yours.
About the Author
Annie Christie is a pretty ordinary person, except that she was born Annie Christie and then married a man called Christie and so is still called Christie despite having taken on her husband’s name. She sometimes wonders if she should have called herself Christie-Christie: but who would believe that?
Born near Drum of Wartle in Aberdeenshire, Annie moved as swiftly as possible to a place with a less bizarre name – Edinburgh – but the bizarreness chased her and she now lives with her husband Rab in rural Galloway, with a Kirkcudbrightshire postcode. (That's Cur coo bree shire to the uninitiated.) She is an active member of the Infinite Jigsaw Project.
The Soundtrack of Our Lives is Annie's fourth McSerial written for McStorytellers.
Born near Drum of Wartle in Aberdeenshire, Annie moved as swiftly as possible to a place with a less bizarre name – Edinburgh – but the bizarreness chased her and she now lives with her husband Rab in rural Galloway, with a Kirkcudbrightshire postcode. (That's Cur coo bree shire to the uninitiated.) She is an active member of the Infinite Jigsaw Project.
The Soundtrack of Our Lives is Annie's fourth McSerial written for McStorytellers.