This week's Soundtrack To My Life has been created by Marianne, who celebrates three years in the blogging world this month. After 18 years in Italy, a shift in circumstances meant that she had to return to England where her life changed once again. Mari describes herself and a Great British Housewife and she is now editor of the Brit Mums Blog. For now, it's over to Mari.
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Pre-boyfriends when fashion, make up and nail varnish were my new best friends along with good old Smash Hits and NME. I still adore this song today as much as I did back then. Tom Browne's intro on the trumpet is bloody marvelous.
Love the quote on YouTube: "Over 2 metric tonnes of marijuana went into the making of this video."
The fact that it was at number 6 in the charts and was then banned by the BBC just made it even more 'Must Have'. Hard choice for 2nd place, I was at college, living away from home with flatmates, it was a time of lager and snakebites, smoking and fiddling our electricity meter as much as we could. We lived off mash potato and we tried our first joints together, followed by eating massive cakes or bags of chocolate when the munchies hit.
My hardest choice as I was really into the music scene then and had been to various gigs; Toyah Wilcox, Depeche Mode, Culture Club, It was this or Tainted Love.
You can't live in a country for nearly 20 years and not appreciate their music. I moved to Italy at 20 and stayed there until I was 38. I learnt their language, I learnt their culture, I found my best mate out there who hated me the day I returned to the UK. I consider myself half Italian and love them and their country as much as my own.
Vasco Rossi is a larger than life character who doesn't give a shit. He has a gravelly voice and sings lyrics that shout out 'I don't care, I'm going to be me'. He has an enormous following and just watching him here will have you drawn into him. He looks a mess but goddamn cool with it, the kind of guy you'd love to have a few beers with and you know you'd have a right laugh in his company.
I reckon any Italian you ask would have Vasco on their all time favourite list.
Fast forward to 2003, I knew something was up, I knew it was going to be a big fight but I didn't know it would be The End. My marriage collapsed like a castle made of playing cards when I discovered he was having an affair with our bar maid who also happened to be half my age *ouch*.
Nothing in my life has ever been that hard to pick myself up from, I spent a year desperately grabbing out and not getting anywhere. I drank too much, smoked packets of Marlboro (daily) and basically got by. My breathing was so affected I had to hold my rib cage and force the air down. A complete mess.
Then one evening, it was carnival, I dressed up as a wacky witch and went out to the local bar to get drunk. I was about to go home as I was bored with myself and my misery but this guy caught my eye, 'Come and dance with us' he invited. I thought what the heck? and I tagged along. BEP were playing and I was dancing with this gorgeous looking bloke Half MY Age who was into me - I know I couldn't believe it either.
We spent a couple of months together and without knowing it he cured me, he made me feel sexy again, witty again, wanted again. He made me see there was more to life and he opened my eyes and my heart. He made me smile and dulled the pain.
We didn't fall in love but we shared, we had fun and we respected one another, for that I will always be grateful to him.
2005 I'm home in the UK, my kids prefer to live in Italy but I cannot go back there. I use Ryanair monthly at £25 a pop to go over and see them. It's difficult, it's never satisfactory but it's what I have to do. I'm working in central London, loving the London scene. My heart is light and filled with joy. If only I could have my kids with me too life would be perfect but you can't have it all can you?
I meet Paul, I fall in love and he takes me to Festivals. I. Love. Them.
V Festival one year finished with a magnificent performance from The Killers and Mr Brightside. I see all the beautiful qualities our relationship has, how it is so completely different to everything I've ever known before and I know I am home.
One day there will be a 6th song as we are planning to marry but shhhh that's a secret.
Tom Browne - Funkin' for Jamaica
August 1980 - I was 14 sitting in my step sister's room, she had bought David Bowie Ashes to Ashes and I chose this song. The summer was hot, the windows were open and Tom and David were on the record player on repeat until my dad came up a couple of hours later and asked us to change tracks.Pre-boyfriends when fashion, make up and nail varnish were my new best friends along with good old Smash Hits and NME. I still adore this song today as much as I did back then. Tom Browne's intro on the trumpet is bloody marvelous.
Love the quote on YouTube: "Over 2 metric tonnes of marijuana went into the making of this video."
Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Relax
The fact that it was at number 6 in the charts and was then banned by the BBC just made it even more 'Must Have'. Hard choice for 2nd place, I was at college, living away from home with flatmates, it was a time of lager and snakebites, smoking and fiddling our electricity meter as much as we could. We lived off mash potato and we tried our first joints together, followed by eating massive cakes or bags of chocolate when the munchies hit.
My hardest choice as I was really into the music scene then and had been to various gigs; Toyah Wilcox, Depeche Mode, Culture Club, It was this or Tainted Love.
Vasco Rossi - Vita Spericolata
You can't live in a country for nearly 20 years and not appreciate their music. I moved to Italy at 20 and stayed there until I was 38. I learnt their language, I learnt their culture, I found my best mate out there who hated me the day I returned to the UK. I consider myself half Italian and love them and their country as much as my own.
Vasco Rossi is a larger than life character who doesn't give a shit. He has a gravelly voice and sings lyrics that shout out 'I don't care, I'm going to be me'. He has an enormous following and just watching him here will have you drawn into him. He looks a mess but goddamn cool with it, the kind of guy you'd love to have a few beers with and you know you'd have a right laugh in his company.
I reckon any Italian you ask would have Vasco on their all time favourite list.
Black Eyed Peas - Shut Up
Fast forward to 2003, I knew something was up, I knew it was going to be a big fight but I didn't know it would be The End. My marriage collapsed like a castle made of playing cards when I discovered he was having an affair with our bar maid who also happened to be half my age *ouch*.
Nothing in my life has ever been that hard to pick myself up from, I spent a year desperately grabbing out and not getting anywhere. I drank too much, smoked packets of Marlboro (daily) and basically got by. My breathing was so affected I had to hold my rib cage and force the air down. A complete mess.
Then one evening, it was carnival, I dressed up as a wacky witch and went out to the local bar to get drunk. I was about to go home as I was bored with myself and my misery but this guy caught my eye, 'Come and dance with us' he invited. I thought what the heck? and I tagged along. BEP were playing and I was dancing with this gorgeous looking bloke Half MY Age who was into me - I know I couldn't believe it either.
We spent a couple of months together and without knowing it he cured me, he made me feel sexy again, witty again, wanted again. He made me see there was more to life and he opened my eyes and my heart. He made me smile and dulled the pain.
We didn't fall in love but we shared, we had fun and we respected one another, for that I will always be grateful to him.
The Killers - Mr Brightside
2005 I'm home in the UK, my kids prefer to live in Italy but I cannot go back there. I use Ryanair monthly at £25 a pop to go over and see them. It's difficult, it's never satisfactory but it's what I have to do. I'm working in central London, loving the London scene. My heart is light and filled with joy. If only I could have my kids with me too life would be perfect but you can't have it all can you?
I meet Paul, I fall in love and he takes me to Festivals. I. Love. Them.
V Festival one year finished with a magnificent performance from The Killers and Mr Brightside. I see all the beautiful qualities our relationship has, how it is so completely different to everything I've ever known before and I know I am home.
One day there will be a 6th song as we are planning to marry but shhhh that's a secret.
¨¨°º©©º°¨¨
You can find Marianne blogging over at Mari's World (her 'About Me' page is a fascinating read). You can also find her on Twitter and Facebook and whipping the the Britmums Blog into shape!
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