I remember summer break
When you made me the mixed tape
Hisses that I grew to know
That segued from Poison to Skid Row
And how it caught that little laugh
The penny on the phonograph
The Scorpions ‘Still Lovin’ You’
Was it too good to be true?
I saw you kissing Candy Spritz
That same night that the tape would split
You begged me please to take you back
Said you loved me and that was that
I knew that we were meant to be
When Steve Perry sang ‘Faithfully’
So I taped the tape back together
But discerned the tape’s split forever
My faith renewed as I heard
The band Extreme sing ‘More Than Words’
Then came that day you seemed so distant
As if I was nonexistent
Was this something I could beat
With ‘Home Sweet Home’ played on repeat?
Though I was forced to concede
The tape played just at quarter speed
The end was nigh, I could not cavil
Then the tape became unraveled
And if my memory’s correct
I think it broke the whole tape deck
30 years I scarce remember
Those years that we spent together
Though back in my mem’ry I’ll go
Those songs play on the radio
And briefly think of your soft lips
And still expect to hear the skips.
Thank you to Phil Taylor for reminding me of a time when I used to listen to mixed tapes.
Glorious Results Of A Misspent Youth 
Mixed Tapes were raped by Apple Itunes
This is true!! Good point. Another innocence lost.
The beauty of music. Each song brings back a time and a place doesn’t it? And yes, the tape mixes. It seemed that the best mixes were either borrowed and not given back, or got caught in the tape machine. As a side, I see the bass player from Extreme from time to time in town. He’s been over a few times for a beer!
Yes, it is funny how music can evoke memories. That’s pretty cool about the Extreme bass player. Living in L.A. we see a lot of the old rock stars hanging about, as you know. It’s always cool to see them anyway.
We don’t get a whole lot of celebrities in our neck of the woods. It’d be great to see someone like Slash knocking down a beer now and then. The only rock celebrity that I’ve had a chance to play with was Jonathan Richman and that was years ago.
Yes, I’ve seen Slash a couple of times. There was a band of high end rock studio musicians who used to have a residency at a club and they just did a lot of 70s covers and there were always a lot of rock stars hanging out. It’s cool to see them but not like I have much to show for it other than memories.
I remember standing next to my radio with the tape primed, ready to hit record if I heard the first strains of a song I wanted. Ahhh… memories, indeed.
Oh, yeah, that’s pretty cool. Waiting to hear your fave songs on the radio. I did most of my recording off my albums so then I could just be all proud of the way it was recorded and how the songs played off each other, but waiting for the song you wanted, did that too sometimes. Pretty cool!
Think I still got my mixed tapes somewhere! Then sometimes would record a song on top of it too! Darn! Down the memory lane we go!
Oh yes, recording over the songs, having the tape break, get stuck in the tape deck, sometimes breaking the entire tape deck, the warped tapes…yeah…good times!!
.. And if the batteries’ dying in the player, surely it’s playing at quarter speed!
Me (being impractical as I am) and tapes never mixed. I estimate my efforts with tapes cost me at least three car stereo’s and my mind (because they hissed so very much it got on my nerves). It is thus that I hated tapes. Bloody good verse about them though!
Wow, I’m glad you threw in that last line. I really thought you were going to tell me that you were know in the loony bin and it was all my fault!!
Do you know the day I gave all those old tapes to the charity shop was a really good day. CD’s had just come out and spending a small fortune I went out and replaced the lot with CD’s save for one it took me years to find – a Jacque Brel album. Only spotted it a year or so back in a French supermarket so all is well again.
A French supermarket you say? A bit like finding a really obscure album next to a can of beans in Walmart. A good find nonetheless.
Those damn cassette tapes! It was a love/hate relationship!! 🙂
Much like the one expressed in this poem!!
Exactly! 🙂
I still have some cassettes somewhere. Not sure. I know I still have lots of vinyl – YES, ELP, Jethro Tull….. I switched off around 1985 😦
Oh yeah, I just about the time I switched off as well. Most of my vinyl is still laying around at my sister’s place. Not a bad idea seeing as she has no children.
Music can always take us back to a moment in time.
So true!
Marissa, I think I never got a tape mix in my life!! I did get a cd mix with Christmas songs from a colleague once. Do you think I could still get one? I’ll settle for an UBS stick 🙂
Oh gosh, unfortunately, the days of the mixed tape, I think, are long gone…although I did just read an article that they are trying to bring the media back, but who knows? A mixed CD is just as well, I think, although in my opinion, it loses a bit of the personal touch!
And background noise!! I remember recording from the radio once and HOW BAD it sounded later 😀
Oh Marissa, how many people did you just take back a decade, or two, or three, or more….. well done!
Thank you so much Colleen…yeah, think it was 3!! (but who’s counting??)
😉 No, the rest of them are playing some old songs on Youtube and thinking of younger lips….. 😉
What does it say about me that I still call any type of music we can play at will “tapes?”
I do the same sort of thing. I think I call them albums. Or worse yet DVDs!!
“More Than Words”! I used to sit by the radio during the “requests” shows and try to will whatever boy/boys I had a crush on, to dedicate that song to me! “This one’s going out to Kimberley tonight”.
Oh, how cool is that?!
You just get better and better. Here’s one from Steve Perry and Journey I love: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHt7W2ZY1bc
I’m on my iPhone right now. I’ll have to check it out when I’m on the computer. The iPhone’s do terrible w youtube!
I only post these to get you off your iPhone, you know. Not.
Yes, well it’s not quite what you think. i try not to go on the computer too much late at night because of family time and also because I heard it makes you wakeful. Instead I just peer at the iPhone so that my blogs don’t pile up. I know it may seem as distracting, but I don’t get as sucked in by the iPhone. Anyway, it’s early now and I’m at work where I really don’t care about being sucked in by the computer and, yes, Lights, what an awesome song!
Another fantastic ending. I like how the “skips” could be read to two ways: the actual skips, and heart skipping a beat.
So funny because, completely intended it be read two ways, for me, actual skips in tape and the fact that the relationship was never perfect! But hey, I love it when readers get something out of my poems that are even more than I intended.
That’s funny, but I see what you mean; half of writing is the interpretation. And now the ending reads three ways for me. Again, good work!
I still have mine buried somewhere in the deep dark world.of Sheldon once be
Are they unraveling?
We won’t get spooled again, Marissa. Unfortunately, in some cases! I would make mixtapes and give them to my friends as little presents, no romance involved, just me wanted to spread my musical cheer …
MB! Gong Hey
Miss you!
Yes, actually for me, mix tapes didn’t have the romantic connotations as they seem to have grown now. Still lots of fun!!
The good old tape days. ..I even had the 8 track experience where they were eaten by tape deck..kids these days don’t know what they are missing. Alas, the bittersweet memories of Rock n Roll 🙂
Oh yes, absolutely! Vaguely remember those 8 tracks too!!
Those were the days! (laughs) I mean about cassette tapes. I had lots of them before I jumped over to CDs.
So did I…(though I suppose that’s obvious, based on the blog!!)
Hahaha. You got me there!
Ohhhhhh, have you ever brought me down memory lane with this one! The mixed tapes! In fact I just received one (one to all my siblings too) and all of us are scrambling …. Who still has a tape deck? I do. LOL Really I do! Cassette tapes. Wow, my friend, you really are taking me down memory lane ….. ahhhhh, those were the days!!! Love, Amy
Wow, that’s crazy. I had a phonograph for the longest time but tape players just tended to die on me because the tapes always got stuck in the spinners and sometimes it was just impossible to free them. Can’t believe yours endured!! Glad you enjoyed the poem.
I did, Marissa. Yup still have a dual tape deck. Is that not nuts or what? Never use it either. It came in handy for the cassette I just received though. GRIN!!!
At least it was good for something! Hope you can continue to put it to good use!
Always nice to read a Marissa breed. Beautiful.
Thank you!
This is really cool because I just saw a live music show called “Mixed Tape” here in San Diego – – it totally covered the 80’s timeline, like different events acted out onstage but set to music, i.e. Challenger disaster, Aids, etc. Interesting show and love how you always manage to work a fave artist of mine in your stuff – – big Journey fan.
That does sound interesting and, yes, can’t really make a romantic mix tape without Journey! By the way, is it Mixed or Mix tape? Originally had mixed but then saw others had it as mix so I changed it.
I believe HE needs to hear “Don’t Know What You Got Til It’s Gone” now when he thinks of you. Excellent! 🙂
That one could be on the second tape!
LOL! Yes!
This is awesome! Crazy good. If I was Wayne and Garth I would do the “We’re not worthy” bow. You really should have a bigger and better audience.
BTW, if you don’t already know it, check out the song I posted on my blog today. You’ll love it.
I like this one so much that I’m going to reblog it later today.
Oh wow, Phil, I am blown away and so glad you like it so much! Thank you, thank you!!
Reblogged this on The Phil Factor and commented:
A brilliant and hilarious poem about rock music and heartbreak. If you liked music from 1985-1995 you’ll love this.
Thank you so much Phil! Always an honor to be in such great company! I must repay you…in a good way!!
Tapes. A big part of my growing up. First ever one was the Grease soundtrack. Played it non stop and drove my parents crazy.
I had it on vinyl. The rest of the story is pretty much the same!
It was number one a long time in its day.
You are something else, Marissa. This is great. I’m from before this time, eight-tracks were the deal when I was in school. So ancient, I am!!
I’m glad you like the poem. Yes, 8 tracks were just starting to phase out when I started listening to music. I’m not far behind you! Oh well, what is it they say about being young at heart?
And we are! But I don’t understand Spotify yet and fear I’ll fall behind.
Wow really enjoyed your blog and poetry too. I still have tapes of all sizes including of course, master reel to reels. Vinyl I loved and still do. Album sleeves were to die for. Burbank, know it well, lived there for some time and was there making a record (album) when the earthquake hit., and for the riots, the mud slides, the floods and the fires. Otherwise home was Pasadena. Thanks so much for liking my blog – you popped in recently. I wonder if you went over to Creative Frontier where I am a regular guest blogging about some of my experience sin the music biz? Do go over (links on my blog) and comment. They will appreciate it and I will enormously. You will guess the super-star I just know it! I am a crime/mystery writer now but often pop back to the old life to write some anecdotes – which I think will amuse. I do hope we chat soon. You must have loads of stories too…have a fab weekend. Janex
Thank you for showing me these hidden gems on your site. Truly fascinating, and I always love great rock n’ roll stories! I’m so glad you told me about the Creative Frontiers blog because I don’t think I would have ever found them. With so many bloggers, I usually don’t find much time to scan the links in their blogs but from now on, I’ll try to go over yours regularly!
Marissa, the CF blog is not mine, just a regular spot there but do please pop back now and again – other bloggers there also. I am there every two weeks with all things music related. My blog here is my main one and if you investigate you’ll find loads of stuff to wade through if you are of a mind to that is. I love investigating blogs and try to find new ones and visit older ones as often as I am able. I learn so much too…anyway, I am so glad you visited and thanks so much and do pop back here and over at CF for my two weekly efforts. Have a fab day and enjoy the fruits of your mis-spent youth. 🙂
Right, yes, I understood about CF. Didn’t see a follow button though. Guess I’ll just have to pop on and check it out every so often. And as for enjoying the misspent youth… I always do!
Oh perhaps there isn’t one, I have no idea, I shall ask Martin who is the big boss man. Otherwise popping on here when I post a new piece and you can click on it here….all so techy! Misspent youth – oh the memories and the joy of it all being so fresh and to be that un-jaded (if there is a word)….lol