Love this - my relationship to music has been similar - and even though I'm a bit older, I too am physically not capable of staying off any dance floor if I hear the first few notes of "Still Not A Player"
Such a lovely read, all the way around. I don’t even love Janet! Just such an entertaining read. Also lol the voice of the Red Sea: “y’all go on ahead…” 👌
Oh man, I often struggle to connect to female vocalists! which I feel so weird about as a female myself. I think you mentioned Ray of Light which I listened to obsessively in Paris of all places, a city where I was otherwise pretty lonely when not dancing to that album with a friend. (Omg just recalling Cher’s Do You Believe single out that year which we were likewise obsessed with.) I put on the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill for my daughter this year and I was like, that sh*t holds up! Big time. Then I looked up her recentish interview in Rolling Stone and I was so happy to read a woman in a prime talking about how the music industry absolutely did not do her right. Appreciated that part of your article so much, about Janet’s depression at the height of her fame! Our country has such insane ideas about the roots of happiness, and what you can and cannot “say”…especially as a woman. Oy. Ok gonna think more about this!
oh boy, lauryn is such a GOAT and also such a complicated story. getting older and hearing the real stories of what it's been like for women in music, even icons, is wild. highly recommend the mariah memoir, and am constantly in awe of how erykah has kept it together (probably it's all those scented candles).
I had to look up what GOAT means haha because I am a hundred years old. I love a good music memoir! Definitely going to check out, thank you. My younger self is guilty of throwing shade on Carey, which is not a good look. I have unique respect for Erykah, yes! lol the scented candles.
This was a little slice of heaven of a reading experience. Thanks for a trip down memory lane, Wheels.
I’d love to read hundreds of more words on the racial and class dynamics of our generation of White teens connecting so deeply to this music, and how it has shaped us, or not, as adults. Kthxbye.
Love this - my relationship to music has been similar - and even though I'm a bit older, I too am physically not capable of staying off any dance floor if I hear the first few notes of "Still Not A Player"
Haha I know it's not even my favorite song but those opening bars are 💯
Such a lovely read, all the way around. I don’t even love Janet! Just such an entertaining read. Also lol the voice of the Red Sea: “y’all go on ahead…” 👌
Thanks Kara! Who's your Janet? A friend once suggested we pick our top five female vocalists of all time and then we discussed for about 20 hours...
Oh man, I often struggle to connect to female vocalists! which I feel so weird about as a female myself. I think you mentioned Ray of Light which I listened to obsessively in Paris of all places, a city where I was otherwise pretty lonely when not dancing to that album with a friend. (Omg just recalling Cher’s Do You Believe single out that year which we were likewise obsessed with.) I put on the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill for my daughter this year and I was like, that sh*t holds up! Big time. Then I looked up her recentish interview in Rolling Stone and I was so happy to read a woman in a prime talking about how the music industry absolutely did not do her right. Appreciated that part of your article so much, about Janet’s depression at the height of her fame! Our country has such insane ideas about the roots of happiness, and what you can and cannot “say”…especially as a woman. Oy. Ok gonna think more about this!
oh boy, lauryn is such a GOAT and also such a complicated story. getting older and hearing the real stories of what it's been like for women in music, even icons, is wild. highly recommend the mariah memoir, and am constantly in awe of how erykah has kept it together (probably it's all those scented candles).
I had to look up what GOAT means haha because I am a hundred years old. I love a good music memoir! Definitely going to check out, thank you. My younger self is guilty of throwing shade on Carey, which is not a good look. I have unique respect for Erykah, yes! lol the scented candles.
This was a little slice of heaven of a reading experience. Thanks for a trip down memory lane, Wheels.
I’d love to read hundreds of more words on the racial and class dynamics of our generation of White teens connecting so deeply to this music, and how it has shaped us, or not, as adults. Kthxbye.
oh yes that's another piece, maybe for a certain journalist i know??