Nana's Music

For this assignment, I knew immediately that my Nana was the one I wanted to interview. Nana is my mother's mother, who was born, raised, and started a beautiful family in Spartanburg County. I knew that I wanted to hear from her for a few reasons: I assumed we would have very different perspectives on music, not only because of our generational difference, but because my music taste was influenced so heavily by my dad from the Midwest. I also wanted the opportunity to learn more about her childhood. She's such a caring mother and grandmother – she's so focused on taking care of all of us that we rarely ever have the chance to talk about her life.

For a smooth introduction, I asked her one of the more basic questions: what kind of music did you listen to when you were younger?

Nana: I listened to rock and roll. Ol' time rock and roll.

Me: So the very beginning of rock and roll!

Nana: Yes, in the '60's. And I loved it so much, I still listen to it today.

I asked her how she listened to the music she liked – whether through a device, or if she had to chance to listen to live music more often. 

By a radio. We had an AM radio, and my mama set it in the window and I would sit out on my front porch, in the glider, and I would listen to music, and that's how I became familiar with it. Just sitting in the glider on the front porch, listening to music. Started out with the Beatles. Paul, John, Ringo, and George. ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ – I’ll never forget – I thought that was the coolest song that ever was. ‘Cause I was born in the ‘50’s, so I was probably… maybe 8, 9, 10, something like that… but I just always loved music, I mean, I would just sit on the porch and listen to that ol’ radio.

 

We both smiled as she told me about this memory. The music from this time period is clearly very special to her, so I asked her the role that music played in her daily life. 

Nana: It always lifted my spirits. Music’s good for the soul. It can make you happy, it can make you sad, it can make you forget… I mean, you know music plays a big part in a person’s life whether they realize it or not. It really does. And I like a good variety of music; I like the old country music, I like gospel music – upbeat gospel music – and the old but gold, and I like easy listening music. If I’m by myself I like to listen to Cher […] and I always like Barbra Streisand, I liked… I can’t think of her name… Selene Dion! I love Selene Dion. I love Michael Bolton... you know, there’s just a lot of them I like.”

Me: It sounds diverse!

Nana: Yeah, I mean, you know, I’m not just stuck on one type of music. Hey, you can pace your day by listening to different kinds of music. And you can set your mood – are you gonna have a happy day today? Well, listen to happy music. […] See, back then, it was a radio; now, all I have to do is say, ‘Alexa, play So and So’, and hey!

We both agreed on how easy the technology makes it to listen to the music we like. I asked her if she preferred the modern technology over the ol' radio. 

Nana: I do. I do. You know, the technology now, it’s just unbelievable. It’s just unbelievable! You know I’m old school, we had to learn how to write our name […] in cursive, you know; we had to learn how to tell time with a watch. See, y’all don’t have to learn all that! That was our schooling! You know? So, it’s just, you know. What this world has come to, it’s amazing.” 

Me: You never would have expected it, either. 

We got on the topic of technology in general, and it made her think about what some of our family members would think if they were here to see it all. 

Nana: It’s amazing. I used to remember, my daddy would say – we’d ride by a car lot, these big car lots that’d have all these new cars everywhere. My daddy would say, ‘I wonder who’s gonna buy all these cars. And, plus, where is all these people going?’ I can’t imagine now, if they were living, what they would think about the technology. Even with your Papa, Lydia, we didn’t have FaceBook and everything when Papa was living. All that’s just come about. And, Lord, he would have loved it. 

Me: You think so?

Nana: Oh, I know he would have! Because we did have a caller ID, when he passed away, and if we left and come home, he would hit that button and so-and-so would say ‘Hey man, give me a call!’ I mean, you know, that was technology to him! For him to pick up a phone and look at a person and talk to them, I mean, who would think? What would he think? So, yeah, it’s amazing.

The church played a big role in the lives of both my Nana and Papa. The church was a very special space for the both of them, and they offered their presence and their skills to the community for many, many years. I asked Nana if her life in church had an impact on her taste in music. 

Nana: Oh, yeah, I love gospel music. You can sit in church – and I’m a Baptist – and I feel like your music sets the tone for what kind of service you’re going to have.

Me: That's so true!

Nana: But that’s just me again! You know. I mean, you put a group of people up there singing and praising the Lord, you’re gonna have a good day. You’re gonna have a good service. You’re just gonna have a good service. And it’s gonna set the pace for your preacher to get up and preach, too. I mean, you know. Hey, can you imagine the choirs that the Lord has in heaven? That’s what you gonna do up there! If you going to Heaven, you going to praise the Lord, and sing, and praise Him. So, you know, music is a part of everything. Everything. It just is, it’s a part of everything.

Me: That's a beautiful way to put it.  

Nana: Mhmm. I remember, right after, you know, Papa died, there was a song I loved, I loved the song; and it was, the name of it was ‘I Know a Man Who Can’. And I would lay in there in bed, and I was so heartbroken, and I’d say, ‘Alexa, play me that song.’ And the next thing I know, I’d go to sleep. You know, God just soothed my soul. Music has, it has more of an impact on you than you’ll every know. You know? I don’t know. It’s hard to put in words, but it does. It has a big impact – you can be riding down the road and be mad at somebody, or have road rage, and a good song will come on the radio – next thing you know you dancing and singing with it, you know, forgot about all that other stuff! It wasn’t necessary! So, see, you don’t realize what an impact it has on you, you know, until you get to working with it. […] You know. But… anyway. What else?”

I always enjoy listening to Nana's stories about my Papa. He passed when I was very young, and I don't have many clear memories of our time together. But I always remember how great of a grandfather he was, and how much he loved and cared for his family. I asked Nana if she and Pops had a special song. 

Nana: Me and him liked the same kind of music. […] ‘Your Precious Love.’ That was our song. ‘Your precious love means more to me than anything.’ You know.

Me: I'll have to find it.

Nana: Mhm. If I had my phone with me, I’d play it. But, it’s a beautiful song. And it’s been around forever. But, now, he liked so much music, he loved The Platters, and, you know. But, we just, like I said, we had the same taste in music, so we liked it all. And beach music, we loved beach music. You know, that was the ‘go’ thing, the beach music. 

Me: [I forgot] that was around the same time.  

Nana: Yeah, yeah. The beach music, the old but gold... you know, any of that. 

So, with all said and done, I wrapped up the interview while Nana went to grab her phone. She found her and Pops' song on YouTube – the exact version that they loved, which I've attached above – and we listened to it together. It was an incredibly sweet song, and a very touching listen. We both teared up as we talked more about Papa and our time with him. 

We sat and talked about our family, living and passed, for another half-hour or so. It was so refreshing to take time out of the day to learn about my family history from all of Nana's memories. So, I'm very grateful for this project, and the opportunity it gave me to connect with my family in more ways than one.