Thanks, Dad.

I swear, my father raised me to be an old soul. I don't know that it was intentional, but he had to realize there'd be repercussions to pumping a 7-year-old full of Oldies 104. It was bound to shape my highly impressionable mind in some way. Funny thing is, I didn't realize it until now.

So before I dive right in, I'll say that I saw Jersey Boys, directed by Clint Eastwood, tonight. This won't be a film review, simply because I feel a bit too biased towards the material and I don't want to shove my opinion down your throat. I loved it; if you like The Four Seasons, you should see this. If you can, see the Broadway show first. But this is accessible and affordable; I'm talking serious bang for your buck, folks. I'm 95% certain I was the youngest person in the theater, which got me thinking about how I came to love The Four Seasons.

Before I continue, yes, this is more of a personal post than my usual. There's a life lesson to be had here and I'm going to talk about it. 


In the car, my dad and I sung. When I was really little, before I understood how to hold a conversation, there was always music to fill the silence. I would make mix tapes with him in the kitchen, then we would sing along. Usually they were half 90s, half 60s. And he was always Frankie Valli and that's how we bonded.

As I got older, different music started trickling into rotation: doo wop, disco, r&b, funk. Unfortunately, this was happening as I was becoming a teenager; a weird, angsty, raccoon-eyed teenager. I shopped at Hot Topic. I thought safety pins were a fashion statement. I tried shoplifting and vandalizing, key word "tried." I was a rebel and I didn't have time for Dad's old tunes anymore. As soon as we got in the car, my headphones went on and a wall went up. I shut the door on one of the biggest things that united us. 

But if he put on The Four Seasons, he got my attention no matter what. The wall broke down; that music always brought us together. And seeing it come to life in front of me made me realize I owe all of my love for the decade to Dan Caputi Jr. I wouldn't be the person I am today if not for those CDs.   

And for reading this, you my dear friend, get a special reward! Enjoy my favorite song from the movie, "Who Loves You." I'm such a sucker for their choreography.



   

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