There’s nothing like a song to ignite a memory – especially of the romantic kind. Some of those memories can make us smile and go, ‘Ahhh’, some can make us grin and go, ‘Oohh’ and some can make us grimace and go, ‘Eeek!’
So here are the Romaniacs’ Ahhh, Oohh, Eeek songs and the stories behind them.
Would love to know what yours are …
Debbie – My first love was when I was 15 – Madness ‘It Must Be Love’. As an adult it has to be Whitney Houston’s ‘I Will Always Love You’ for me … It was an ex and mine’s main tune and even now, I know it’s the case for both of us. However, on a lighter note, one of my more recent men – I’ll keep him anonymous but Celia knows about him 😉 dedicated One Direction’s ‘That’s What Makes You Beautiful’ and said it reminds him of me …
Madness : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmezIIrFQmY
Celia – I had the longest and probably the most spectacular kiss of my life to Andy Kim’s ‘Rock Me Gently’ at a school disco in the seventies – it still makes my knees go weak! My sad one is the one we had at my husband David’s funeral – he bought it for me for the message in it, and he wasn’t one for the romantic gesture usually – Nickel Creek, ‘When You Come Back Down’, and my upbeat one for now that’s for me and Ray is Mamas & Papas ‘It’s Getting Better’.
Andy Kim http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ym3RlvVR9M
Vanessa – 1990. A small indie nightclub resembling a cave, with damp walls and flooded toilets. Me, an art student – hennaed hair, pierced nose, DM’s. My boyfriend had just confessed to having a long-term girlfriend back home before passing out in a corner. My favourite song at the time – the ever romantic Sheriff Fatman by Carter USM – came on and a boy from my art college wandered over and shouted over the music in my ear,
‘You shouldn’t be with that idiot – you should be with me.’
I looked at the idiot passed out in the corner with the girlfriend back home and back at the boy from the college with bright blue eyes and gorgeous smile. He was right. When he leaned in for a kiss, I kissed him back and we walked away together. Ten years later I married him.
Carter USM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JZSFW6oM58
Catherine – My song is ‘Save The Last Dance’ by The Drifters. We chose it as our first dance when we got married! It’s all because of the phrase ‘I love you oh so much.’ In my accent (Thanet/East London/Southampton) my OH thought I said, ‘I love you all so much!’ So now we always say this and in the song, it sounds like they’re singing my version!
The Drifters http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpCr4JTDiOs
Jan – My song would be ‘You’re The Best Thing’ by The Style Council, for three reasons. 1) It happened to be the song Mr B and I danced to at a mutual friend’s birthday party, having not seen each other since we were teenagers. 2) Unbeknown to me at the time, Mr B was, and still is, a HUGE fan of all things Paul Weller, as am I, having now been converted. 3) We danced to this song at our wedding – an immense relief to me, given that a cheeky Mr B, complete with deadpan expression, had been winding me up that he had secretly requested Chas n Dave’s ‘Gertcha’.
The Style Council http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HMAVU1k7kg
Lucie – My song is Adele ‘Make You Feel My Love’ – that was the first dance for me and my husband on our wedding day. Another song I love is Luther Vandross, ‘Never too Much’ – again this makes me think of my lovely husband.
Adele http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0put0_a–Ng
Laura – Mine and Gajitman’s is ‘Love Is All Around’, Wet, Wet, Wet – it’s strange because I’m not the biggest fan of the song and it had already had its time in the charts when we latched onto it, but there was something about it that appealed to us. Partly, it was down to Garry’s humour – in the song, (at 3:03) Marty sings ‘Hey!’, but Garry, not known for his natural singing voice, replaced this with what I can only describe as a grunt. It was one of those ‘you had to be there moments’, but it made me laugh and that will be how I forever hear the song. We had it as our first dance at our wedding bash, grunt et al. Now, if that’s not romantic …
Wet, Wet, Wet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fP0JpmquU0A
I’ve just watched it and confess, I had a little smile and a tiny tear of happiness.
When I was 21, I went to a fancy-dress party with my then boyfriend. The theme was The London Underground. I went as Russell Square (I had lots of rustling sweet wrappers stuck to a large square piece of card) and my chap went as Cockfosters, in costume, carrying a can of that Australian amber nectar. When Simply Red’s ‘If You Don’t Know Me By Now’ came on, he couldn’t get out of his chicken suit fast enough. He hopped around for a while, one leg in and one leg out of his chicken suit. I think we managed to dance to the last half of the song.
Simply Red http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTcu7MCtuTs
Sue – I’m going back to my teens and discos, dancing with a lad named Leslie who looked like Midge Ure from Ultravox and although I don’t think it was Vienna we danced to, it is this song that reminds me of him, his long green parker, sta press trousers and scooter.
The Romaniacs 