Music Mondays: Luther Vandross - Anyone Who Had a Heart.

“Anyone who had a heart/ Would take me in her arms/ And love me too”. I heard those lyrics when I was around 8 or 9 years old. I found an old tape that my Grandparents owned and I was going to put paper inside the wholes at the top and record over it. Y’all remember recording over your parents tapes? I am still paying them back for it. Well, I pushed play and I heard a sweet voice; it was Luther Vandross! It was love at first sound. What touched me as a child were love songs, lyrics of love, pain, longing, yearning, and joy. What I now understand is that is the heart of a romantic. Romantic or The Lover, I was too young to understand this pull on my subconscious, but there I was listening to this sad love song. It reminded me of my personal life. How could my parents say they love me and leave? “You couldn’t really have a heart and hurt me like you hurt me and be so untrue”, as Lutha says. So the longing began. The need to be recused and fantasy flooded my mind of a better day and the perfect love. Love songs allowed me to escape a deeply emotional, scared, sad, and abandoned childhood. Of course I had wonderful Grandparents who raised me and I wouldn’t change my life experience for the world. But that’s not what this is about. This is the truth. My love story, not censored. My love story is a story about pain and redemption; to be whole, broken, and whole again.

To understand the life of the romantic you have to first go into their childhood. You have to look at the lover’s first heart break, the feeling of loss and despair. How could someone who loves love be so sad? It’s the complexity of the romantic. But also a beautiful reflection of life itself! To fully love life we have to learn to embrace both good and bad. To be fulfilled as human beings we must see our dark/shadow and light within ourselves. Being able to accept this paradox is what makes us whole!

When you listen to “Anyone Who Has a Heart” you enter the life of a true romantic. “Knowing I love you so” Luther sings. To still love and commit to a relationship that is damaging to your soul. To be able to let go, a constant struggle for the romantic! The hurt and abandoned that sums up the lyrics at the end of the song, “No one is going to make you feel the way I do”. My goodness… Below is one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite singers. Enjoy!

Music Mondays: The Foreign Exchange - On A Day Like Today

“On A Day Like Today” by Foreign Exchange is close to my heart for several reasons. I won’t bore you with all the reasons, but will share a couple. I have never been in love before. Not the romantic type of love. And at 36 I thought I would be married with children by now. Life does not go as we plan and that’s okay too. If just for today I let go of all my expectations. If I just allow life to unfold as it will. That is scary, I always had a “plan”. But as Phonte sings, "Today I am going to try something new".

For years I have “worked” so hard on trying to have it all together. On my journey I find myself letting go. I finally accepted I won’t have it all together. Pause….breathe….and it’s okay. Perfection only lives in my mind. I wanted the perfect relationship. I wanted to court, get married, THEN move in together (build our own home of course) and have children. It’s okay to have a dream about your ideal relationship, but what I never made room for was life to happen. As Phonte wisely sings, “Get out the way of your happiness/ Let go of all you know is not true”.

“On A Day Like Today” is one of my favorite songs. It is a mid tempo song with an 80’s feel. It a perfect song for a sunny Fall day! And I love how Phonte fades out the song with the lyrics he sings at the start of the song. There is nothing greater than a love song! A song you can jam to and lyrics that can heal a broken Spirit. A healthy love is the goal. I will no longer be obsessed about the process. What I don’t learn while I am single, I will learn God willing when I’m in a relationship. My obsession with trying to have it together was my wall. That wall kept romantic love out of my life that did not meet my high expectations. On a day like today I will change my point of view. Now with a new outlook on life my prayer is that I will find my way to you. Enjoy…

Music Mondays: The Internet - You Don't Even Know ft Tay Walker

To stick with the theme of setting the mood I have another song to add to your catalog. This group is called The Internet. The entire album is filled with songs about love and making love, truly one of my favorite albums of the year.

The sensual ballad “You Don’t Even Know” starts off with the Syd singing, “You’re beautiful, you brighten up my day/ And when your skin touches mine/ I get goose bumps right away”. I swoon every time I hear that line. It is the simple gesture of saying a women is beautiful sometimes is all she needs to hear by the man she adores. That then opens up the door to so much more.

For those who are single like me this is an exciting time. Now that we are in the Fall season and the weather has gotten cold, it’s time to warm your heart with a new lover. This is what some know as “cuffing season”. This is when a man and a woman spend quality time together, hoping to build something great together. Once you’re blessed to have met that special someone you have to have your theme music! Enjoy…

Music Mondays: Anita Baker - giving you the best that i've got

This week is Children Of Alcoholics awareness week. I am honoring my own childhood and Valentines Day by posting my favorite childhood LOVE song. Anita Baker is one of the reasons I dream of LOVE. Growing up in a home where no one said "I LOVE You" due to alcohol, I would listen to LOVE song over and over. I would dream one day someone would LOVE me like this. My favorite lyric of the song is Somebody understands me/ Somebody gave his heart to me/ I stumbled my whole life long/ Always on my own, now I'm home. That is my heart and soul in those lyrics! Today celebrate LOVE, not just with a LOVER, but your family and most importantly with you!