Soundtrack Friday

Cyndi Lauper was this rebel child of a singer. Somewhere between pop and punk in her dress and definitely pop in her music, she was someone you couldn't mistake for anyone else. Maybe that was what she was going for. I used to sit and listen to She's So Unusual for hours, memorizing her turn of phrase, her tone, until I could almost mimic her. Almost. At least in my mind. I loved the fun songs like She Bop and Girls Just Want To Have Fun and would dance around my bedroom like a mad woman. Uninhibited. Not a care in the world.

But I didn't quite know what to think of Time After Time. Was it a love song? Was it about love lost? Was she talking about leaving that little place we call home to find something more in the big bad world and yet knowing that our hearts will always remain connected to home? The video didn't really help. Some of it coincided with the lyrics. Other parts of it just seemed sad. Short sighted.

Now, over 20 years later, I listen to the song and hear something different than my 15 year old self heard. I don't really need to know what Cyndi had in mind when she wrote the song. For me, the song is about an anchor. Someone who will always be there no matter how far I travel. No matter what mistakes I make or roads I go down. You know the saying, "All roads lead to home?" Well, that's what I picture when I listen. All roads lead to this anchor, this person who will always be waiting. Loving. Caring.

This song is in my playlist for Mallory's story for that very reason. She needs an anchor, and doesn't realize that she has one -- or two -- who have been and will continue to be around for her, even when she has been unable to be there for anyone else. I listen to the song, and I see her anchor, clear as day, waiting for her to wind her way back home. It's a wonderful picture. I wish you could see it, too.

For today's Soundtrack Friday I give you Cyndi Lauper and her 1984 hit, Time After Time. Enjoy the video!