The Soundtrack of My Youth

An intersection of music and memory

Here I am as a child in the home of my Grenadian grandparents.

When I think about the music of my childhood, I remember the Sony record player that lived in my parents’ bedroom. It sat atop a compartment with a clear glass door that housed a radio, a tape deck, and space for vinyl records. Most of those records were religious and my mother’s, but there were some that were mine or that I liked.

To get me out of bed some mornings, my mother would play Cat Steven’s “Morning Has Broken” or Raffi’s “Rise and Shine.” I had almost all of Raffi’s records and knew all his songs — from “Baby Beluga” to “Joshua Giraffe.” I loved Raffi. He’s the first entity that made me a fan of anything. His was my first concert. And his songs were my introduction to the silly, creative, and humorous.

I also loved my Sesame Street record. My parents only allowed me to watch PBS at home, so Sesame Street (along with Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood and 3–2–1 Contact) were massive parts of my childhood. My favorite song on the Sesame Street record was Cookie Monster singing “I Lost My Cookie at the Disco.” You see, he lost his cookie at the disco dancing. Has anyone seen his cookie?

The other song I enjoyed listening to was “We Are the World.” And every time I listened to it, I pictured the singers in my mind because my grandparents in Grenada had a VHS of the…