Soundtrack To My Travels

 

 

Close your eyes. Clear your mind. Now think of one of your favourite travel memories. Got one? Chances are that your memory is linked in some way to it’s own soundtrack. It could be waves crashing against a shore, or wildlife chattering in a canopy of trees. Or it could be a conversation, laughter, or maybe a song. In fact, the soundtrack to my travels is mainly made up of songs. Some of them are terrible songs mind you, yet still inextricably linked to a memorable moment in time. Here, in no particular order are the tunes that make my own personal playlist of travel memories. The soundtrack to my travels.

Rhythm Is A Dancer – Snap

Let me set the scene. 14 year old me. Curled up in the middle of a dancefloor. A single spotlight shines as I start to unfold to the opening beat. And was I destined to be the weekly winner of the Haven Holidays KP Disco Junior Disco Dancing competition? You bet your dancing shoes I was. I swanned around Hayle in Cornwall, clutching my rosette and certificate as if I were a prima ballerina clutching a bouquet of roses. Was I destined to be the overall 1992 season winner of the Haven Holidays KP Disco Junior Disco Dancing competition? No. No, I was not. Hayle was the scene of my greatest triumph, and a crushing defeat.

 

 

Despacito – Luis Fonsi ft Daddy Yankee

You know the one. It was all over the place in 2017 and 2018. No-one knew the words, only that the translation was possibly a bit saucy, but everyone sang along anyway. And Despacito found it’s place in this list by being played everywhere during our 2018 tour of Costa Rica. Lounging by the pool? Despacito. Evening cocktails? Despacito. Eating rice and beans in the middle of a rainforest? Despacito. Even the howler monkeys that woke us up at 5am were screeching in time to Fonsi’s ridiculously catchy riff.

 

 

Ai Seu Te Pego – Michel Teló

Loosely translated as “If I Catch You”, this is another Latin love song which reminds me of hot, sunny days. Very hot sunny days in fact. The type of hot sunny days typical of July on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast. Where it’s 40°C during the day, and not much cooler at night. Where it was too hot to sit outside during the evening, so we huddled into the freezing cold air conditioned inside bars. This song will always take me back to that fun but uncomfortable fortnight we celebrated Ma and Pa Lee’s ruby wedding anniversary.

(A close contender from this holiday was Pitbull’s Give Me Everything, also played on loop at the Voyage Belek Pool Bar)

 

 

All You Need is Love – The Beatles

Whilst any Beatles song will obviously transport me to The Cavern, All You Need Is Love always reminds me of Las Vegas. We had tickets for Cirque De Soleil’s Love at the Mirage and on arrival, were upgraded from our cheap balcony seats to the front row. Which meant we could see – and feel – every bead of sweat pouring from the performers as they twisted and twirled to a soundtrack of Beatles classics. After the performance, we exited the auditorium amongst a sea of people all singing All You Need Is Love.

 

 

Express Yourself – Madonna

In 1989, two exciting things happened. Ma and Pa Lee took me on my first holiday abroad. And Madonna released Like a Prayer. Which is how I found myself inside Barcelona’s famous El Corte Inglés department store, clutching a handful of pesetas, and exchanging them with a shy “gracias” for a cassette version of Like A Prayer. And then I had a moment of panic. What if it was all in Spanish? I’d never be able to learn the words. The fact there was a song called “Spanish Eyes” on Side 2 did not allay my fears. I fumbled for my Walkman, and almost cried with relief to hear Madonna sing “Life is a mystery”. In English. Still one of my favourite albums of all time.

 

 

Stay – Shakespears Sister

Back to 14 year old me. 1992 was a stellar year for musical memories. It was also the year of the school ski trip. An 18-hour coach trip across Europe to Andalo in Northern Italy. I still had my Walkman. And one cassette. Now 21. It kicked off with Bohemian Rhapsody, and ended four sides later with Diana Ross belting out When You Tell Me That You Love Me. But the song that got played and rewound and played again was Stay. Such a great video too; I always wanted to be that mascara-smeared, crotch-thrusting, slightly stumbly angel of death.

 

 

I’m Always Here – Jimi Jamison

AKA The Baywatch Theme Song. To be fair, so many songs bring back memories of this girls holiday to Magaluf in 2004. Belting out Chasing Rainbows at the end of the night in Alex’s. Overly energetic U Can’t Touch This moves that ended with a foot encased in plaster and a wheelchair. But nothing can beat the slow-motion running routine triggered by hearing those first few notes. It made pushing that wheelchair up Magaluf’s infamous strip that bit easier.

 

 

My Number One – Helena Paparizou

No holiday in Greece is complete without a round or two of Zorba the Greek. With or without the smashing of crockery. But in Crete, in 2005, no holiday was complete without their Eurovision winning entry blasting out of every bar. It was my first time flying solo, to meet my parents who were already on holiday out there. The Filia hotel had become a second home to us over the past couple of years. As I blearily made my way to the hotel after a 5am arrival, without any sleep, I was greeted with a bottle of Mythos and a blast of Helena.

A close contender from a previous Crete holiday was Red Hot Chilli Peppers “By The Way”. Pa Lee happily singing along with the karaoke, with a cocktail umbrella behind his ear and a straw as a radio mike. That was the night something in my dinner disagreed with me. Thanks for cleaning up Ma Lee. Sorry I fell asleep on the balcony.

 

 

Like I Love You – Justin Timberlake

I’ve written before about that time I went on a blind date to Disneyland Paris. As you do. And although the date wasn’t successful, you can’t say the lad didn’t try hard. He had popped a Christmas present in the glovebox on picking me up from the train station. It was Justin Timberlake’s first solo album, Justified. I don’t remember ever expressing a love for JT in our MSN conversations, but maybe I did. He had a portable CD player. Which came on our 13 hour coach trip from Middlesbrough to Paris. An earbud each. To listen to this one CD on repeat. For 13 hours. No, I do NOT want to Rock Your Body. And maybe I will Cry Me A River.

 

 

Gangsta’s Paradise – Coolio

Possibly the most random music memory/destination combo on this list. Fourteen years after it’s release, Mr Fletche and I did not expect this 90s number one to be the soundtrack to our Maldives honeymoon. We would be sipping a cold bottle of Tiger beer, or a potent cocktail to soft chill-out tunes. And then Coolio would make his appearance. We would shuffle bare-footed between villa and beach. And there he would be again, warbling about walking through the valley of the shadow of death. As we were served dinner by our ever-smiling waiter, we half expected Michelle Pfeiffer to bring our dessert. We never got to the bottom of why Coolio was such a hit on Meeru.

 

 

I’ve enjoyed my trip down musical memory lane. Remember, we don’t choose these tunes, the tunes choose us. What song brings back fond travel memories for you? And if you want to join in with some of my memories, here are all those bangers in one Spotify playlist. Don’t blame me when you can’t stop singing Ai Se Eu Te Pego.