Boom! Shake the Wiggle

After a few too many weeks of winter and cold and grey, a day filled with sunshine was exactly what the doctor ordered. While Mila jibber-jabbered in the back seat, Alexis called out over the roar of the open sunroof, "Mama turn on some good music!"

Her definition of "good music" and my definition of "good music" are miles apart, but I knew what she meant. I quickly scanned through some saved albums on my Amazon Music app and found something I knew would make her happy.

Jason Derulo. Wiggle.

It's a ridiculous song that's just this side of awful, but it's the kind of silly that makes little girls happy. Alexis cheered through the first few notes then threw herself into the song. She sang along and danced and jammed, Mila giggling at her silliness as I smiled through a most spectacular moment.

As the song faded, Alexis gushed, "I love that song. It reminds me of summer." She continued to tell me how it's the song that she sang with her friends last summer and wasn't last summer great? It was great. The song reminds her of her friends, going to Kennywood, dancing, and FRIENDS! All of her friends sing the song, too.

"It makes me feel all warm squishy inside," Alexis said. Squishy is good, by the way. Very good.

She went on to ask me if I have a song that reminds me of summer quite like that. I went on to tell her that OF COURSE I do. It's DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince's Boom! Shake the Room. It reminds me of living in Spain. While it wasn't summer, it was sort of like a summer break since I didn't really care if I went to classes or not (Long story short, I attended high school in Spain, but I had already graduated in the U.S. Thus, school was a very optional activity.). That song is about being carefree and dancing and literally being responsible for absolutely nothing.

It represents the very last days of being responsible for absolutely nothing.

Alexis has a few more years to collect more songs that take her back to the days of carefree summers. Here's to hoping there are some good ones in there.

Comments

[Angie W.]

I know what you mean about songs that take you back. I'm dating myself, but every time I hear Tears for Fears "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" I am instantly transported to the summer between my sophomore and junior year when I worked a Parks & Rec crew planting flowers in the city of Aurora, Colorado's parks and public spaces. One of my co-workers was also a high school student and had a baby blue convertible he would drive me home in. Top down, music blasting, cute guy...ahh the memories!