Mandy Moore

I have to say... I am a pretty big Mandy Moore fan. I love her music (from the awful cheesy pop to the beautiful, vintage-like folk/rock/pop), I have watched, and love, almost all her movies, I like to see what fashions she is wearing or what color her hair is, and I always wish I knew her in real life because I feel like we could be friends.

She seems like a pretty down to earth and cool person.

But anyway... somehow Mandy Moore's name came up today. (Maybe because we were listening to Ryan Adams on I-tunes...) And so I decided to check out her website: Mandy Moore Official Website. I was glad I did. Looking at Mandy Moore and listening to her sing reminds me of a lot of memories in my life. Mandy and I are close in age, so her music has been right there with me in all these years since she first came into my radio.

And I don't know if everyone does this... but I do... I associate certain music and certain songs with certain things in my life. Big things like... mine and my first high school boyfriend's song (Aerosmith's I Don't Want to Miss a Thing) or a song that reminded me of my mom because she used to sing it all the time (Que Sera Sera... Doris Day). And even strange, little things... like hearing Coldplay's Fix You in the bathroom at a movie theatre in Grand Rapids and just staring at myself in the mirror wallowing in the sadness that I had that had been amplified by the sound of that amazing song...

But back to Mandy Moore... her songs have been there with me for a long time, and I have to say... a lot of them remind me of things. Let's look at a few memories, song by song:

Candy: Makes me think of working out in my room in college. I had a burned cd from my I-tunes that I did dance aerobics to, and "Candy" was on there. Also, it makes me think of Center Stage. I love watching that movie when I need to have fun or feel better.

Walk Me Home: This song was on a compilation CD that I got with my high school year book one year, and so it always reminds me of sitting and looking at all the cute boys in that year book! haha

I Wanna Be With You: This song is about a guy. A guy that I thought I just adored back when I was younger. I love the memory associated with my secret crush, because it is so common, yet so romantic and sweet and innocent... unrequited love because one person is simply too nervous to ever admit their feelings... It's sad and beautiful in a poetic sort of way...

Cry: This, and any other song from A Walk to Remember, always bring back memories. This one reminds me of singing with my sister. We love the soundtrack for "A Walk to Remember," and we love to sing along. The one that really gets me though is Only Hope. This song brings back so many things. Love. Spirituality. Performances. The movie, of course. But I think the most amazing thing about "Only Hope," is that I sing it to myself a lot. I didn't really think about that until I started writing this post, but I really do sing that song a lot when I am doing chores, showering, driving, sitting... I even sing it in my head a lot! Interesting...

Coverage (The Entire Album): I remember loving this CD even though it seemed that critics didn't. I didn't care. I loved it. I liked it's quirky-ness. It seems like a CD I would have liked to have made, maybe with different songs, but with a similar spirit. This CD has a lot of memories associated with it because it was listened to a lot. I remember listening to it most two or three years after it came out, while I was driving back and forth to my student teaching assignment. I liked to listen to it because like I said, I liked it's spirit, I connected myself to it and so forth and I felt that it would give me good energy for my days as a student teacher. I think it worked.

My favorites on here... ummm.... it's hard, but probably "The Whole of the Moon," "I Feel the Earth Move" (I love Carole King!), "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters", "Moonshadow," and "Have a Little Faith in Me."

Extraordinary: This song came out the year I graduated college. Perfect, right? Do I even need to explain the connection here. "And now I'm ready to be extraordinary..."

Everblue: This song is gorgeous. I think it will someday remind me of my life here in the house, sitting at my laptop, writing my blog. It already reminds me of spinning records, sipping coffee, cigarette smoke and incense smoke swirling in the air, painting, the smell of patchouli and coffee and my candles from Great Lakes Candle Company (which are the best candles in the world by the way...) I just love it.

And there's more, but it's hard to describe it all... no matter how clearly I can see it in my mind. Funny how that is...

But anyway... check out Mandy Moore's Website. She's a good egg I think.

Perhaps we will meet one day. I sure hope so. Peace and Love to you, Mandy Moore. You are beautiful.