Inheritance Tracks

As part of my job, I spend a good bit of time on the phone with my co-workers in our UK office. I think anytime you spend that much time even on the phone with folks, non-work-related conversations tend to start up. I have learned all kinds of new things about the UK that I didn't know - like for instance, even though it rains a lot there, thunderstorms are extremely rare. They say that lightning is so rare that it makes the news when it happens. They are amazed that we have thunderstorms so often and that we don't think much about them.

Someone once said that Americans and the English are separated by a common language, and I find that we often have to stop each other in the middle of a conversation when one us drops a colloquialism that the other doesn't understand. This happened the other day when the conversation turned to a certain piece of music and one of the Brits said, "That's one of my inheritance tracks."

"OK - hold the phone - what the heck is an inheritance track? Sounds like one of those peerage things yall have over there." (They love it when I say "yall" - I always have to throw a few redneckisms at them - like "what yall fixing to do?" when I ask about the next steps in our project, but I digress.)

Anyhow - apparently a show called "Saturday Live" on BBC radio asks a variety of people they interview for their inheritance tracks - two pieces of music - the first is one they "inherited" from their family - a song from their childhood which stuck with them, and the second is one they would pass on to their children. Here are some examples from the BBC radio website.

So - last night as I was returning from having dinner with Laura and picking up Scout from Cheryl's house, making the drive over the mountain and through the tunnel, I tried to come up with my inheritance tracks. I cranked up the iPod and found both of them already on there:

1. "Twist and Shout" by the Beatles. While I do have lots of memories of listening to the Grand Ole Opry with mom and dad, and in later life have come to appreciate real country music, I can't say that it really spoke to me back then. On the other hand, I do remember loving my older (by 13 years) brother's collection of 45s. The Beatles, the Box Tops, the Four Tops, The Temptations - these were the sounds of my childhood. "She Loves You" was probably the first song I ever sang (I loved the "yeah, yeah, yeah" part) but "Twist and Shout" was the best - it was fun to dance to.

2. "Tapestry" (the whole album) by Carole King. I'm going to cheat a bit on this one - because I cannot just pick just one song. This could actually be both of my inheritance tracks - because it was one I first came to love as a tween, but has stuck with me through the years. (I have it on vinyl, cassette, cd and iTunes now!) It is also one that I have passed on to a number of girls over the years - it is my favorite high school graduation gift (along with a little cash kicker - you know that's what they really want) for girls - I think it is a timeless collection of chic music.

Ok - so let's hear from everyone - what are your inheritance tracks? Leave a note or post on your blog!