The Child Learns To Rock

The title sounds familiar? Well you are right. But if it does not ring any bell for you let me enlighten you with one of the most astounding wonders of my childhood - Michael Learns To Rock.

Also known as MLTR, the band was with Scandinavian roots and it is a Danish band with the original members as : Jascha Richter, Mikkel Lentz, Kåre Wanscher, and Søren Madsen. The band was formed in 1988, okay that's several years before I was born. I just like to add that note. Also, apparently, the Michael in the band's name is referring to the King of Pop, Michael Jackson himself.

Anyway, I think that I first heard their music from my father's old cassette tapes. It was a collection of male rock/ pop music from Ivory records. I guess the first song that made me a fan was definitely "25 Minutes Too Late".

The internet was not really of a means for us back then so I play their music from the tapes and the Compact Discs (CDs) we had at home. Karaoke machines then weren't so easy to assemble and acquire so we have that VCD player which we will connect to the TV set, to the amplifier and play a Karaoke CD so you can sing along. Unlike now, you just type what you want to sing, back then you will just have to choose from the songs recorded on the disc, there were about 18 tracks per CD back then.

And then the MP4 and MP3 eras began. Karaoke CDs have been replaced by those VCDs containing thousands of songs and they came with a little song book where all the songs are listed down.

25 Minutes

Back to the song 25 Minutes, I fell in love with the song with its mellow melody, soft rock vibe and the regretfully painful lyrics. The very intro, that keyboard piece is something that I find irresistibly good. It's like saying "hey there... with these notes, prepare to get your heart broken."

I have always been relating the song to a deep regret to a love lost in a case of too little too late or to the phrase the one that got away.

I think the story this song projects is a really cold one and it's just really heart breaking. To sum it all up and to say it in a few words, let's just imagine.

You found the love of your life, you dived into a relationship with her but then for some reason and because of something stupid you have done or said, you broke up. You spent all those times apart finding out the truth and realizing, that no matter how you turn the world around, it will always be her, the one you will want to spend your life with.

You took all your courage, swallowed every pride that you have and you went to find her, only to find her in a church just got married as you got there. All the pain and the regret converging into a big cloud over your head.

After some time
I've finally made up my mind
She is the girl
And I really want to make her mine
I'm searching everywhere to find her again
To tell her I love her
And I'm sorry about the things I've done

And then the refrain and the chorus together paint a picture that is so clear, it really hurts.

I find her standing in front of the church
The only place in town where I didn't search
She looks so happy in her wedding dress
But she's crying while she's saying this
Boy I've missed your kisses all the time
But this is twenty five minutes too late
Though you travelled so far
Boy, I'm sorry you are twenty five minutes too late

I can't imagine how I would feel, or what I would do if I was ever on that guy's place. I mean, wow, I was so close, yet so late. Life has been changed inside those 25 minutes.

This is also one of the songs that I learned to play in flute. But I suck at that, it goes to say that you know, it blows.

Again, if you really want to feel the song, have a listen to it here, lyrics included for easy sing along :

Paint My Love

Have you ever really loved someone that you can't even imagine how to say it with words? You can't even begin to describe how much you love that someone using the words known to men? Well then, why not paint it?

This is the vibe this song provides. Every single time that I try to shamelessly sing it, with feelings, that's what I feel. A love that is so overwhelming not even Merriam-Webster can define it.

From my youngest years
Till this moment here
I've never seen
Such a lovely queen

From the skies above
To the deepest love
I've never felt
Crazy like this before

Most of the time, love is like that. You'll see someone you have never seen before and with just the appearance of that person, it's enough to induce a crazy state in your damn mind. It was just that intense. Intense!

Paint my love
You should paint my love
It's the picture of a thousand sunsets
It's the freedom of a thousand doves
Baby, you should paint my love

As it was said for the longest time, a picture is worth a thousand words. Use your imagery to try and paint a picture on your mind with the chorus alone. Isn't it so beautiful, you can't describe it? Isn't so freeing that the thought of it blows away all your care in the world? I like that one. I would love to feel that kind of love.

Let's continue the sound trip with the official video of the song, shall we?

Breaking My Heart

Another one of the heartbreak songs from the bag. Okay, now I am noticing a pattern, all the songs I sing on the karaoke are extreme. Extreme heartbreak or head over heels in love. Well maybe that's just the case because that's the reality of it all. When you fall in love, there's no average, there is no "just in the middle" kind of thing. You're all in, it's always all or nothing.

Back in high school, aside from those cutesy slam notes, kids are keeping, my friend and I keep a "song book". Okay what's a slam note? Well it's a notebook. You will ask your friends or classmates then to write on it. There are questions there that your friends need to answer along their personal information, including "likes and dislikes", there is even a space there for them to write their dedication to you. Questions like, what is love, who is your crush, and all those other stuff are there. If you have written M2M on that "who is your crush?" bit then congrats, you're an ultimate s__t. Just kidding.:)

Anyway, "song book" on the other hand is a notebook where we write the whole lyrics of our favorite songs. That's just it a collection of song lyrics. It's like a written playlist or something like that. Again, effort is required to keep a song book like that. You will have to transcribe the lyrics by yourself while listening to the radio, because google isn't the first place we run off to for information back then. So many hours, spent listening to songs and writing down the lyrics on the song book.

And this one was definitely on mine back then. Let me Google some of the lyrics and paste them here for you: (lucky you)

I'm on the floor
Counting one minute more
No one to break the silence

Staring into the night
All alone but that's alright
It's the feeling deep inside I don't like

I don't know about you but I am literally like that when I am heart broken. Word for word. Verbatim.

There is no excuse, my friend
For breaking my heart
Breaking my heart again
This is where our journey ends
You're breaking my heart again

Did you notice? Yeah, he said "again". Over and over again. Dude, how many chances could a guy really give to call it quits? I guess that time, it was just too much and could not be handled anymore so it just has to be the end.

Interesting question though, how many chances should we give before we terminate a romantic relationship? One? Two? Or does it depend to the gravity of the mistake?

Hey there!!!

I would not hold you any longer because this one's went on for too long, I have many more songs from this band that I can, at least I think I can, sing on the karaoke machine. Not that well though, but I know every words to them. By heart. I will just see you again on the next one maybe, since I know that a read that is too long is not fun for both of us. :)

Anyway, see you again and as always,

Cheers!!!

References:

Lead Image : https://time.com/5665650/best-karaoke-songs/

Image 1 : https://tidal.com/browse/artist/8831