More Than Words

The sounds of young love. Nothing expresses those three little words louder than the perfect song. Admit it. You have a few mix tapes hiding among the skeletons in your love closet, complete with the songs that defined your first forays into romance. With the first few chords, you're transported back to the butterflies of young love and the memories of the first person that you wished could be your special someone, as well as the first person who really was .

They're the songs that still stir a reaction inside you when you hear them. You press play and hear the slow, awkward warblings that remind you of that unforgettable first crush. The person that made you sit up and take notice... and then run to the radio and desperately press record every time you heard the song that captured the essence of your (sometimes unrequited) love. The chorus rings out and you're transported right back to the awkwardness of your first journey down that rocky relationship road. Maybe your dream guy or gal doesn't look so dreamy in retrospect, but the songs stay the same.

Fast forward a bit, and you arrive at the songs that take you back to your first taste of true love. Crush, no more... this is the real deal. These are the melodies with meaning that, despite your best attempts, still tug at your heart strings with each note. Sure, the tape may close with a bittersweet song of love gone bad, but this isn't a tale of heartbreak. You're young and in love once again, staring wide-eyed in wonder at the first person who ever made you feel like you were part of something amazing. Even years later, a little part of you reawakens with the opening chords of these songs and you remember, if only for a brief moment, the innocent bliss of your first love.

Yes, we all have them. The songs that define the highs and lows, happiness and heartbreak of our first crushes and first loves. Make a mix tape of these memorable first experiences all over again. What's on it?

The Glory of Love

There you are. Lined up against that giant pad that hung on the wall underneath the basketball hoop. The lights are dimmed, streamers are crookedly twisted wherever the decorators could find places for them, balloons bob around the floor, and the smell of last hour PE still lingers in the air. You're standing there with a group of your friends, look up and see Him. (Or Her, as the case may be.) Panic starts to set in. This is it. Your first slow dance.

Dumbstruck, you make your way out to the middle of the gym and join the ranks of equally uncomfortable couples. Your arms are stuck straight ahead and locked at the elbows, you are rocking back and forth from foot to foot to something that might quite possibly resemble the beat, and staring anywhere but in your partner's face. Your mind races for something to say. You wish you were anywhere but here, yet pray that the song never ends.

When the song is finally over, you give your partner a nervous laugh ("Heh heh!"), say thanks ("Thanks... see you around!"), and race back to your friends.

Phew. You survived. Your first dance.

What was the first song you ever slow danced to, and who was it with?

Hit Me Baby One More Time

Girl, you know it's true. You rock out to Manilow when no one is looking and tear up every time you hear Eternal Flame. You haven't felt the same about Open Arms since your first slow dance in the seventh grade. And a time or two you've even asked your friends to tell you what they want, what they really really want.

Ahh yes. They're the songs you truly cherish but wouldn't ever admit to knowing, let alone loving. They hold a special place in your iPod under "Guilty Pleasures" and should anyone find them, you'll swear they were put there by accident... until you're busted belting out I Will Survive like the disco fan you really are.

So, go ahead, 'fess up. You owe it to yourself, not to mention Hanson, Britney, Bolton and all those other guilty pleasure providers out there. What are those songs you hear that should make you cringe but instead make you turn up the volume a little louder and get down with your bad, guilty self?

I've Got the Music in Me

Growing up, I guess my family was pretty music-oriented. My mom was the church organist, my sister and I both played the piano and were in various choruses, choirs and bands, and my dad ... well... okay, he couldn't play or sing, but he did like to listen to music. It is because of him that I love Dick Biondi. The man has a talent. I mean, he can Name That Tune in 3 notes, tell you who sang it, what year it was popular and where he was the first time he heard it. It should come as no surprise to me, then, that music has been so intertwined in my life. I can be driving along, hear a song on the radio and instantly be transported to another time or place.

I know there are songs that remind you of certain people, places or things. But I am talking -- you hear the first few notes and you are immediately there. All of the sounds, smells and feelings come rushing back and you. Are. There.

What songs transport you, and where do they take you?