| My taste in music is pretty diversified. I grew up in the 1960s and listened to many of the classic rock songs we hear today. I was influenced by my older brother in my taste of music. I remember him scolding me and being called a "teenybopper" for liking the song "Sugar, Sugar" by the Archies. He influenced me to also like heavy metal in particular Grand Funk Railroad and Black Sabbath. In my late teens I lived in Poughkeepsie with my aunt and her family while working at IBM for the summer. There was a radio station that played interesting music. I remember hearing Roxanne by the Police and a song called "Come back Jonee" by a group the DJ called "The De-evolutionary Band." I would try to find this bands music but couldn't. One day I mentioned the band's name to a friend and he said, "You mean DEVO." Now DEVO had a certain schtick where they dressed in radiation suits, played like they were robots. I found this hilarious and the music was also enjoyable. Years later I was listening to the Devo song Shout. At the end of the song, Mark Mothersbaugh, their lead singer, says "Be happy or not." When I heard this, it hit me like a ton of bricks. ∼Happiness is a choice. Focus on bad shit and you'll be unhappy. Focus on the good stuff and happiness is yours. Another song that's not as subtle is Bobby McFarrin's "Don't Worry. Be Happy." Then there's the Beatles Happiness is a Warm Gun or the Turtles So Happy Together or Depeche Mode's Happiest Girl. From all these great songs the most liberating is the fact that happiness is a choice. So, I leave you with the acronym BHON - Be Happy Or Not! |