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My life in music definitely started from my discovery of my parents record collection, and the band best represented was The Beatles. Hour after hour, I'd listen to Beatles records with headphones. One specific memory I have is listening to side 2 of Abbey Road at age 7, and my brother coming to tell me our cat had been hit by a car. I didn't believe him, and kept listening to "You Never Give Me Your Money" until he ran in again, and I realized he wasn't joking. We all stood there in the driveway with my dad cussing about the *sshole dragracers on our road and my mom crying. Of course the Beatles are mostly tied to happier memories with my family, but that is one of the most poignant.

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The Beatles - Abbey Road Medley "Restored" Version

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In thinking of different songs that represent my home culture, I had a difficult time thinking of music as my family doesn't have any particular songs that really embody the way we act or exhibit our family culture. At its core, the song that I felt most closely connected to how I feel like I'm home is ELO's "Mr. Blue Sky," because of how it reminds me of the music my family would listen to on car rides to visit relatives and family during certain holidays.

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Electric Light Orchestra - Mr. Blue Sky (Official Audio)

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Every now and then, all of my older cousins and aunts would gather together at Aunt Norelly’s house. They would dance, make food together, play games, and arrange a pajama party for the six little cousins of the family. This is one of the songs that takes me home right away.

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I had a really hard time choosing only one song! My family is very split and each different part of my family is a different part of me, so it was really difficult to choose only one part to represent.
I thought about Fleetwood Mac, Bob Dylan, The Who, John Denver, Eric Clapton, so many! I knew whichever song I chose would be classic rock/folky. I actually ended up making a "Comfort Songs" playlist for myself to listen to :)
I ended up choosing The Boxer by Simon and Garfunkel. I grew up in a really musical family; my grandpa (my dad's stepdad) taught my dad to play guitar and gave him his prized guitar. The first song he taught him was The Boxer. Then my dad passed that guitar down to my brother and taught him to play The Boxer. Then my dad and brother taught me how to play The Boxer for my first song too! The lyrics are about starting over somewhere new and feeling homesick, which I know my grandpa and dad felt when they moved from England to the US.

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Some of my fondest memories of my childhood are from road trips with my parents. During long drives, my dad would always control the music. I grew up only listening to 2000s R&B. My parents would put these songs on and clean and dance. Whenever I listen to artists like Mary J. Blige and Mariah Carey I am taken back and put to a happy place. I still listen to this stuff all the time! Thanks for letting me share :)

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Mary J. Blige - Be Without You (Official Music Video)

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My parents both really enjoy classical music which, as kids, my brothers and I weren't very into. However, my mom, in particular loves American folk music and in the record collection had some Peter, Paul & Mary that she would play for us. My brothers and I would sway and dance on the orange shag carpet in our basement while she sang and chose songs for us. This is a Bob Dylan song but performed by Peter, Paul & Mary. One that we all loved and reminds me of being little.

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Peter, Paul and Mary - Blowing in the Wind

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Throughout my life, my dad has always had music playing in the house. The music ranges from different genres including blues, jazz, Pop, soft rock, hip hop, country, folk, show tunes, soul, reggae, and rock & roll. My dad is the reason why I have such an appreciation for music and why I love so many different genres. I grew up listening to Van Morrison because my parents are big fans of his music. Van Morrison is of Irish descent and has many hits that came out as my parents were growing up. Fun fact: My dad went to see him live in New Haven, CT and wound up meeting him afterwards because they both ended up eating at the same deli after the concert.

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VAN MORRISON     Bright Side of the Road

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When I think back on my childhood, I remember the music my mom would be playing on Saturday mornings as she made us help her clean the house. My dad would be out gardening or in the garage fixing something and my brother and I would be helping my mom clean inside. I can distinctly hear this song playing while we all are going about our Saturday mornings.

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Every time I reminisce on my childhood and music, I can hear this song in the background or any song sung by Oscar Medina. When my parents started dating my dad gave my mom a mix tape of all of Oscar Medina's current songs. I think that's how my dad won my mom over lol and I'm pretty sure she still has that cassette. Oscar is a Spanish speaking Christian singer and so this song talks about what heaven will be like. When I hear these songs from my childhood, I can see and smell my childhood room and home in Mexico, specifically... Cool story, my parents and I have had the opportunity to meet Oscar's brother, who is also a singer, we actually get to see him once a year at conferences and such, but just the fact that they got to meet his brother was huge for them.

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When growing up, every Sunday there was a big family meal and  there was music playing on a vinyl record player. My grandmother's sister and husband will dance to it. This is one of the songs that come to mind when thinking of those wonderful family times.

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GUATEMALA LUNA DE XELAJU-MARIMBA DE CONCIERTO  BELLAS ARTES

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When my brothers and I were small, instead of asking for lullabies at bedtime, we would ask my dad to sing us songs by Tennessee Ernie Ford & Hank Williams, which is extra funny considering the topics of a lot of those songs.  My grandpa, who died tragically before I was born, used to sing the songs to my dad and uncle when they were young. The only video I've ever seen of my grandpa was him playing the guitar & singing this song.  This song is like a theme song to my family to this day...both of my brothers and I can sing all the words (which is kind of embarrassing LOL).

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Tennessee Ernie Ford Sixteen Tons (with lyrics)

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This song reminds me of my grama and dad singing in the living room of our home.
https://youtu.be/IDfeExh5wL8