June Music Blogathon - Day 1

A Song That Makes Me Happy.

Well, this is a difficult start as first of all you have to have a philosophical discussion about what happiness is.....

It was a difficult choice though. There are plenty of songs I like to listen to, but do they make me happy?

There are songs that bring back a time and occasion when you were happy but are they making you happy now or just nostalgic?

I think I have got a song in mind that means a lot of things to me on different levels.

I grew up with Glam Rock, enjoyed my time as a New Romantic in the early 80s, but I have never been jealous of other musical genres to the point that I wished I could be young again to experience it as it should be. Or that was the case until Dance music hit the scene. I like Dance music, understand exactly how the 120 and 140bpm music resonates with the body, and it strikes me as happy music. I suppose that's why there was a sub genre of Happy House. If I was ever going to take drugs it would have been ecstacy, to increase the heart rate to match 120/140bpm. For the first time, I "got" drugs.

But for a short period I was able to be part of that world. When I went to Blackpool for the weekend with my mates, when Dance was at it's peak, I could go clubbing and immerse my self in it. There was one club I would always go to. Heaven and Hell. Heaven played the more commercial chart type dance music whilst Hell was into Trance and Techno. I spent many a happy hour in Hell just being immersed in the beat. Old enough to be wise to the fact I shouldn't actually dance I would just stand there and enjoy being part of the experience.

The song I am choosing reminds me of that time, it could have been played in either part of the club but my favourite memory of it was in Hell, with smoke machines and strobe lighting.

If I hear it now it does make me feel happy and I'm not averse to bouncing along to it as I drive and trying hard not to "throw some shapes" as the younger generation probably never say anymore.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you - Castles In The Sky : Ian Van Dahl

PS - Apologies. I don't have the technical knowhow of how to embed the video and as they will all come off Youtube probably you might have to suffer an advert first. I just hope you don't prefer the adverts to my musical choices!