Sometimes moments are just so perfect, there’s nothing to do but be grateful and nostalgic for the current moment. I just listened to Benito Skinner and Mary Beth Barone’s Ride: Melodrama + Non-fiction Books (I didn’t make it that far because I had no choice but to immediately listen to Melodrama and reminisce. Everything is perfect. The album art by Sam McKennis, insane.

It was 2017, I ran straight to Target to get my very own Melodrama Deluxe CD. I popped it in the CD player*, and holy cannoli I’ve never been the same. I’d never heard anything like it.

I didn’t think it could get better.

*This was the summer before I got my permit, so I was driving a lot. Only thing was, I was with my mom or dad constantly and they insisted I focus on driving and not jam out, which in retrospect makes complete sense, but as an over anxious angsty teen, I reluctantly listened. In a way, that made the album better, I could only fully enjoy it when carefree in the passenger seat, which is how I imagine Ella would want it, excitedly looking through a sunroof at the possibilities and feeling an explosion of excitement.

The pure euphoria of listening to Melodrama in a car*, wowza!

I didn’t think it could get better.

*Long story short, the car I put the Melodrama CD in was my grandma’s-became my mom’s interm-then I got my lisence and it was mine until it died. It wasn’t just any car, it was a 2005 Lime Green VW Convertible Bug.

It was perfect, the daffodil, the glove compartment that fell out, my (at least) 4 flat tires, the busted speakers,

I can’t even put into words what it felt like just having gotten my lisence and listening to Green Light, I felt free and powerful and confident, three feelings that were foreign to me.

My car was there through it all, iconic

After all I was the first victim of the Chastain Park Car Break Ins and Window Smashers, only my window wasn’t smashed because my car only locked every once and a while so the thieves spared me but took my purse which held all of my tips from Menchies. I definitely learned a lesson! Side note: a few days later I found my purse in a bush, it was fine, just a little muddy and missing all of my belongings except for an emergency tampon. I was glad, mad, and confused. It wasn’t a crazy expensive purse but it was a Longchamp tote, so it was worth something. I couldn’t understand why they did that, what fools.

Listening to Melodrama was a euphoric experience, partly due to my busted speakers, the bass was pretty intense, which made me finally listen to the music and not just the lyrics. I think Melodrama, and my faulty speakers, really changed how I listen to and appreciate music.