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Songs and memories


I was watching random things while washing dishes, and one of them stopped me: Call Me (Weird) Al At first, I thought it was the joke—how he softballs it in there and how excited the audience is when they realize what’s happening—but as he kept going, it was clear there was something else. I missed playing this song. It was one of the more fun Pep Band songs, and it’s responsible for one of my favorite Pep Band memories.

I’m still figuring out what this site will do for me. At least today, it’s a place to get out a story. Maybe I’ll write more about the band, but for now, I’ll point you to Elmo’s old site.

In the Pep Band, we played about two dozen songs regularly, and we played them a lot. Some of the mellophone parts weren’t the most critical, so we could play around a little, maybe play the written part most of the time but add in some fun lines here and there. I say this because I want to illustrate just how well-worn those tracks were, how easy it was to memorize (at least approximately) your parts.

(A quick aside: Another favorite Pep Band memory, non “Call Me Al” division, is sitting on the Beach Week house porch with Paulson (trumpet) and Rice (baritone), two far more accomplished and talented musicians, and singing our parts to a few songs. Nerrrrrrrds.)

The mellophone part to “You Can Call Me Al” is great. It’s fun, with countermelody and little runs around the main parts. I memorized that one and relished playing it. The Pep Band visited the Ivy League schools (and bands) over Spring Break every year I was in school and at least one year after I graduated. (And sometimes they visited us!) We enjoyed making friends with members of the Princeton University Band, the Columbia University Marching Band, and the Penn Band.

(A second quick aside: Sleeping arrangements were often, hmm, eventful, including that time we slept in a practice room with a motion sensor light and that other time my parents hosted.)

We practiced with the bands beforehand. Sometimes, we had different arrangements. Often, we had different habits. We had to make sure we didn’t embarrass ourselves more than usual at whatever event we were playing for. So, the PUB had the same arrangement of “Call Me Al”, but they had lost the mellophone part long ago. It’s possible we brought music to share or maybe we didn’t. Either way, I knew it.

Charles Pence was the conductor for the PUB. He realized something was different quickly. I can’t find the Unzipped CD recording, so here’s a straight ahead one. The harmonies start around 7 seconds, but the first run happens at 11 seconds. I always enjoyed this part, so I played out a bit. Pence’s eyes lit up. He looked over a few more times during the song; the run after the solo and the counter melody carry to the end. Shout out to arranger Jay Dawson. These flourishes are not in the original nor are they in the many covers YouTube has (correctly) suggested I might want to watch.

I think (hope?) we sent the PUB a scanned version of the mellophone part when we returned from that trip. I bummed around with the PUB in Fall 2007, including blasting this part during the halftime show at Harvard. By then, PUB conductors knew what to expect.

****************

Sometimes, a song will just hit me more strongly than I expect. When this happens, I try to think about my associations with the song. There are a few I can pinpoint, others I have probably misremembered, and some I just can’t nail down.

A few examples come to mind while I’m writing this:

  • At least today, I associate “Go the Distance” with moving to Oregon. I’m pretty sure this memory was formed well before 2018.
  • Loud Happy Car Music was a mix CD by Greg DeLuca that our high school friend group adored. Every song is associated with driving around New Jersey. I still occasionally crank my car speakers up to 11 and listen to Maynard’s version of “Birdland”.
  • I listen to music from Celeste and various Zelda games as background either to keep me motivated or to be a focusing distraction, crowding out the other sounds around me. I know I have strong associations with Celeste, Link to the Past, and Ocarina of Time, but I can’t remember how I got so attached to “Outset Island” that it has become a reliable happy place. I remember enjoying Wind Waker, but I don’t think I’ve had access to a GameCube since I left college.

 Perhaps I’ll come back here with other songs and the memory or idea they spark. Do you have any you want to share?

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