Songs of Manoj
My cousin Manoj used to be almost as big a fan of music & good rock n'roll songs as I am. I am not sure about his case now, now he is just bigger than me (in size). Anyway, since I rarely get to see him, since he moved back to the UK and then to the USA (where he lives a pretty sedate life in Raleigh, North Carolina) and I rarely hear from him, I can't be sure what his opinions are on music at the moment. He used to love pretty much the same kinda music as me - we went through our share of pop songs when we were kids, rocked out to 80's hair metal bands and then some during our teens and just before he left, a few grunge bands. We share a passion for some songs that will always remind me of the great times we had as kids & teens (he is three years older but three times stupider). Let me share some of the top songs that remind me of the fun we had together as cousin and as the best of friends.
Ride The Wind by Poison - this was a riding song for us, Manoj was in love with his Kawasaki Bajaj bike on which we would roam the streets of Ernakulam and Cochin. Going out for fast food and cokes, to the movies, to the 5 or 6 music stores we used to frequent, to anywhere we felt like it. Poison were one of our favourite bands to play on his or my stereo and sing along to. We freaked out to the band's Flesh & Blood LP. And this song was one we used to love to sing while we were riding on the bike.
Cherry Pie by Warrant - We both thought that there was no one on the planet cooler than Jani Lane, lead singer for Warrant. I had introduced Manoj to Warrant after I listened to their debut album and we loved their singles. This is a rocker.
Janie's Got A Gun by Aerosmith - The best song by the Beantown bad boys Aerosmith, was a song we loved to play at night while riding in a car. And try as we might we couldn't duplicate the moans that Steven Tyler could make!!??
When The Children Cry by White Lion - One of the greatest songs of the 1980's is this gem from White Lion of their 1988 release. This song was a favourite of all my cousins who listened to English music and we played it at night with the lights off and sang along to the lyrics. I remember one of my aunt's naming it the "song with the guy who sounds like he is crying and not singings"
500 Miles by The Proclaimers - Manoj lived in Scotland for a few years after he left from India in 1994. But even before that we had a Scottish band's hit single as one of our favourite songs. This was another song we sang as we rode on the bike, alternating the "Ta ra ra ta" lines. I love this song a lot.
All I Want Is Everything by Def Leppard - This song is a more recent addition to the list. When Manoj came back for a visit in 1999, we both drove in a car to Palghat to attend his cousin's (but not mine) wedding. All the way back and forth he played this song, atleast 50 times on the car stereo. And he turned to me and said that if he died before me, I was to play this song at his funeral. Now, we come from a hindu family (read that hypocrites for whom rituals mean more than the actual person's feelings & wishes) so I told him that if I did that, I would be banned from society and hounded like a paraiah by the rest of our members of our joint family. But he insisted and so I gave in and promised him. I hope I die before you, Manoj!
Pinch Me by the Barenaked Ladies - During that same visit, he gave me a cd of selections that he had made. It contained this gem of a song that I play in my head when I take the bus ride home from work. It can have huge meaning to some of us, great lyrics and funny band. Cool bass and drums.
Song for the day - "500 Miles" - THE PROCLAIMERS
Ride The Wind by Poison - this was a riding song for us, Manoj was in love with his Kawasaki Bajaj bike on which we would roam the streets of Ernakulam and Cochin. Going out for fast food and cokes, to the movies, to the 5 or 6 music stores we used to frequent, to anywhere we felt like it. Poison were one of our favourite bands to play on his or my stereo and sing along to. We freaked out to the band's Flesh & Blood LP. And this song was one we used to love to sing while we were riding on the bike.
Cherry Pie by Warrant - We both thought that there was no one on the planet cooler than Jani Lane, lead singer for Warrant. I had introduced Manoj to Warrant after I listened to their debut album and we loved their singles. This is a rocker.
Janie's Got A Gun by Aerosmith - The best song by the Beantown bad boys Aerosmith, was a song we loved to play at night while riding in a car. And try as we might we couldn't duplicate the moans that Steven Tyler could make!!??
When The Children Cry by White Lion - One of the greatest songs of the 1980's is this gem from White Lion of their 1988 release. This song was a favourite of all my cousins who listened to English music and we played it at night with the lights off and sang along to the lyrics. I remember one of my aunt's naming it the "song with the guy who sounds like he is crying and not singings"
500 Miles by The Proclaimers - Manoj lived in Scotland for a few years after he left from India in 1994. But even before that we had a Scottish band's hit single as one of our favourite songs. This was another song we sang as we rode on the bike, alternating the "Ta ra ra ta" lines. I love this song a lot.
All I Want Is Everything by Def Leppard - This song is a more recent addition to the list. When Manoj came back for a visit in 1999, we both drove in a car to Palghat to attend his cousin's (but not mine) wedding. All the way back and forth he played this song, atleast 50 times on the car stereo. And he turned to me and said that if he died before me, I was to play this song at his funeral. Now, we come from a hindu family (read that hypocrites for whom rituals mean more than the actual person's feelings & wishes) so I told him that if I did that, I would be banned from society and hounded like a paraiah by the rest of our members of our joint family. But he insisted and so I gave in and promised him. I hope I die before you, Manoj!
Pinch Me by the Barenaked Ladies - During that same visit, he gave me a cd of selections that he had made. It contained this gem of a song that I play in my head when I take the bus ride home from work. It can have huge meaning to some of us, great lyrics and funny band. Cool bass and drums.
Song for the day - "500 Miles" - THE PROCLAIMERS
posted by Roshan @ 6:48 PM
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