When I was a kid, growing up in Beaumont, Texas, I slept with the radio on all night. And it was always tuned into the dominant top 40 station in the Golden Triangle, KAYC 1450 AM--an excellent station at the time. I was so fortunate as a kid. This was during the period of radio that I think was the richest of all: 1969-1976 (pre-disco). Decades before the era of the Ipod, you could turn on KAYC at any time, day or night, and hear the most diverse playlist. In those days, you could hear (on a Top 40 station, mind you) a Santana song, then Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, then Aretha Franklin, then Charlie Rich, then Led Zeppelin, then The Supremes, then Clapton, then James Taylor, then maybe an old early Beatles song--and this could happen all in the same hour! It was phenomenal.
During this golden age of pop music, the rule nationwide for Top 40 was that a song had to be a great song--it didn't matter at all what style it was--as long as it resonated with the American public. Every week I couldn't wait to listen to Casey Kasem's American Top 40 to see what new cool tunes and styles were coming out. Back in those great days, virtually all the songs that made that list were at least pretty good songs. Most of them were excellent. And there was so much variety of style. It kept radio so interesting.
Radio stinks now. Sorry. Everything's sterilized, homogenized and pasteurized--and it all sounds the same. Thanks to the suits in the music business (emphasis) there will never again be the kind of free market for good songs like there were back in the day. No one wants to take those risks anymore--at least as far as radio goes. That's why I'm strictly an Ipod guy now.
Variety is the spice of life. In marriage, this is no exception. Over the course of a lifelong relationship, a few surprises are vital to the health of a flourishing relationship. Create a variety of exciting experiences for the one you love that are out of the ordinary. It's so easy to fall into predictable and dull routines, even in happy marriages--and then wonder what's going on elsewhere. That can be dangerous.
During this golden age of pop music, the rule nationwide for Top 40 was that a song had to be a great song--it didn't matter at all what style it was--as long as it resonated with the American public. Every week I couldn't wait to listen to Casey Kasem's American Top 40 to see what new cool tunes and styles were coming out. Back in those great days, virtually all the songs that made that list were at least pretty good songs. Most of them were excellent. And there was so much variety of style. It kept radio so interesting.
Radio stinks now. Sorry. Everything's sterilized, homogenized and pasteurized--and it all sounds the same. Thanks to the suits in the music business (emphasis) there will never again be the kind of free market for good songs like there were back in the day. No one wants to take those risks anymore--at least as far as radio goes. That's why I'm strictly an Ipod guy now.
Variety is the spice of life. In marriage, this is no exception. Over the course of a lifelong relationship, a few surprises are vital to the health of a flourishing relationship. Create a variety of exciting experiences for the one you love that are out of the ordinary. It's so easy to fall into predictable and dull routines, even in happy marriages--and then wonder what's going on elsewhere. That can be dangerous.
Don't let your marriage go the way of the glory days of Top 40 radio. Instead, protect it. Nurture that variety. Try something different together. Drive somewhere new for a change. Go for some surprises. Keep your spouse guessing about what super nice thing you might do next for them. Keep them guessing. If you do, your marriage is bound to be a big hit. It might even go to number one.
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