Sing A Song... If You Can Remember It

It's funny how memory works, and often doesn't. I don't think we ever really forget anything once it's in "long term memory". It just gets filed away, sometimes in a bottom file drawer in the dusty back room of our mental archives, never to be recalled unless something occurs to bring it out. What's puzzling to me is how things that were once important and exciting can be filed away and "forgotten" in this manner.

Yesterday I found this video over at Keys and Reeds. Back in the 70s this was my song. As someone who didn't fit in, and by that point didn't really want to, this song was very exciting to me. And yet, I hadn't thought of it in years.

I was thrilled to rediscover this song but then I was left with a disturbing puzzle. Who sang the version I loved when I was in high school? I could have used the Internet and found it in a minute but I was determined to figure it out for myself. Well, after a day of mentally beating myself over the head for not being able to remember I gave up.

I went directly to Youtube and searched. The first video that comes up is Cass Elliot. Well that's a bit of a surprise but... could be? So I listened. I didn't think so but I couldn't completely rule it out. Scrolling down, the next video that leaped out at me was by Bobby Sherman. I was pretty sure I was looking for a female singer but I had a huge 13-year-old's crush on Bobby Sherman so I listened to the first 15 to 20 seconds. Nope, definitely not it. And The Carpenters. That seemed like a strong possibility but I was curious as to what else would turn up and kept scrolling, thinking I would come back to it.

And then I saw it! I didn't even have to listen to know that this was it. I have this album! (vinyl, which I no longer have any way to listen to) And I suddenly remembered knowing it as part of the Sing/Make Your Own Kind of Music medley and HOW IN THE HELL COULD I EVER FORGET THIS?!

Beginning in 1974, the year the movie The Way We Were came out, I worshiped Barbra Streisand, which was one of the things that made me weird in high school because everyone else hated her. (I didn't really like the movie, loved the song)

Well, anyway, that's my little memory journey. I'm happy to have been reminded of this and still bothered and annoyed to have forgotten it. Another thing that's strangely annoying is that I think I like the Paloma Faith version a little better. Oh well, either way it's still my song.