This morning I drove to work, very early, actually too early :). I always listen to music and sometimes I'm in a nostalgic mood, like this morning. A few weeks ago I spent an evening with a friend of mine and we listened to a lot of music, we also discussed the influence your parents had on your eventual taste in music or the music you like. My parents, or at least mainly my father, had a great influence on my taste in music. Later on, much more was added, but the music I still play now also comes from my upbringing.

My mother was completely crazy about Dutch music and Abba. So I got the latter from her :) I'm also crazy about Abba and can also appreciate a Dutch song every now and then. My father, on the other hand, was a real lover of Symphonic Rock, Camel, Pink Floyd, Rush, it was all played at our house.

This post is therefore a kind of tribute to my musical upbringing in which I show a number of songs by artists that are meaningful to me, whether it concerns a memory or the beauty of the song itself....

Drafted by Camel

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I'll start with the great song Drafted by Camel. Camel is a Symphonic band that was very big in the 70s. My father was crazy about them. I saw them live once in Amsterdam, together with my brother and father. My brother and I bought tickets without my father knowing, so it was a great surprise for him. When they played this song my father just had tears in his eyes, and that's exactly what music can do to you.. It was great and a memory I will never forget.

Laat me alleen by Rita Hovink

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My mother loved Dutch music. In the Netherlands there was a TV show "Op Volle Toeren", which was one of the most watched TV shows in the Netherlands. A song that I can remember well, and which I still think is a very strong song, is "Laat me Alleen" by Rita Hovink. Her way of singing and the whole atmosphere of the song is just insane. Unfortunately she died very young, so she didn't make a lot of music. This song is about a woman whose husband left her (cliche) "Laat me alleen" means leave me alone.

Beautiful people by Melanie

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For me Melanie Safka is a bit in the same era as Janis Joplin and Joni Mitchell Hippie and Woodstock. Beautiful people is a beautiful song with her characteristic voice, my parents often played this song on Sunday morning, waking up with a cup of coffee. This song remains, as far as I'm concerned, beautiful...

Repudation by Arkus

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This is a different story. We used to live in Nieuwegein, a city near Utrecht. My parents rented out the attic at the time, at some point a couple came to live there, the man played in a band (Arkus). This band was quite big in Utrecht and the surrounding area and played Neo-progressive music. At some point my father became the manager of this band and had many performances with them in the Utrecht area. This also resulted in a record recording, which became 1914. Of course I am biased but I still play it often, it is so well put together. It is funny, when you are older yourself, you start to notice things, such as the English pronunciation of the singer. It could have been better, but it also has its charm with the music. By the way, I still think that this music certainly has international allure.

Comfortably numb by Pink Floyd

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My father was a big fan of symphonic rock. Pink Floyd definitely falls into that category in a way. This song is so mellow, David Gilmour's voice (and his guitar sound) is one of the most pleasant and beautiful voices in music if you ask me.

Manuela by Jacques Herb

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This song was from before I was born but I have heard it very often after that :). Also in Dutch, I think the arrangement of the song is very beautiful and the story that (and how) it tells. It is about a boy and his girlfriend, they drive in his car and he has an accident. Then she (Manuela) dies and he feels very guilty. A love song with a bad ending. Beautiful and a huge hit in the Netherlands.

We belong to the night by Ellen Foley

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Ellen Foley, also the singer of Meat Loaf, is a great singer with equally good songs. Her voice is distinctive, I don't understand why she didn't make it big. I will never forget the album cover, a close-up photo of Ellen on a black and white cover... Beautiful woman :)

I could go on for hours about songs from my youth, but then it would be a very long post. But as you can see, music was instilled in me from birth and I have developed a very broad taste, which I personally find very nice. Although most of you will not understand the Dutch songs, take it from me, they are great songs :)

Have a nice day,
Peter