THE WORDS & MEMORIES ORBIT

A life, on the record.

Songs that bring you back. People who stay with you. Wander through Nick’s writing, one memory at a time.

53 storiesNEWEST MEMORIES FIRST

52 to 52Dec 21, 2017DAY 0

The Little Drummer Boy Peace On Earth

I have shared my birthday every year with the Christmas season that they have become synonymous and I am truly okay with that. It’s nice to feel like my birthday happens amidst the happiest time of the…

52 to 52Dec 20, 2017DAY 2

The Songs of 52nd Street

In the summer of 1979, we moved from my childhood home to a new place. We went from where my soul soared to where I felt like a captive bird. Physically, I wasn’t alone there; I had two parents who fought…

52 to 52Dec 19, 2017DAY 1

You’re The Best Thing

I am lucky enough to say I got to marry my best friend three years ago on this day. I don’t know how it happened, and I can only wish that any of you reading this can say the same thing, but somehow I found…

52 to 52Dec 18, 2017DAY 3

Fight The Main Event / Woman In Love

This post is more about the artist than about the song. It’s truly impossible to pick a favorite song by Barbra Joan Streisand. She is one of, if not THE, greatest talents of our lifetime. Her voice is…

52 to 52Dec 17, 2017DAY 4

Born This Way

Enter another powerhouse mega-talent, Lady Gaga. Love her or hate her, you cannot dispute the amount of talent inside that tiny, strange little Mother Monster’s body. I had the privilege of seeing her…

52 to 52Dec 16, 2017DAY 5

Gravity

This song by this amazing, contemporary singer/songwriter just truly speaks for itself. We’ve all heard Sara Bareilles’ mega hits all over the radio and even now on Broadway, but Gravity is, to me, not just…

52 to 52Dec 15, 2017DAY 6

Somebody Told Me

Like a jarring bolt of lightning one day in 2004 the walls cracked open and a new new-wave sensation broke through called the Killers. It was as if pop culture was finally ready to have good music back on…

52 to 52Dec 14, 2017DAY 7

Makin’ It / Take Me Home

First of all, YOU’RE WELCOME. Watching David from An American Werewolf In London dance around like a gaytard is your gift for the holidays, from me! For the 'DUH' moment of the day, I love disco. And…

52 to 52Dec 13, 2017DAY 8

Waiting For A Star To Fall

There’s something beautiful and innocent about this song and many other pop ballads like it from 1988. I love so much of the music from ’87-’89 (aka the VH1 era) because it reminds me of a tumultuous time…

52 to 52Dec 12, 2017DAY 9

Something About You

This song brings me to a new era in my life, when I lived in Aurora’s basement apartment, where I found work in Rockville Centre and where my life would change forever. Such a short period of time made such…

52 to 52Dec 11, 2017DAY 10

Better Off Alone

Here’s an interesting combination: thumping house music with limited lyrics asking repeatedly, “do you think you’re better off alone?” At the time, it was a question I had been asking myself over and over…

52 to 52Dec 10, 2017DAY 11

The Look Of Love

Talk about one of the most definitive songs of the 1980s. When you do, surely ABC’s The Look Of Love will come to mind. Poppy, bouncy and upbeat, this is a song that will always make me feel better the…

52 to 52Dec 9, 2017DAY 12

Only The Lonely / Suddenly Last Summer

Some songs aren’t favorited for anything more than just the way they make me feel. Even after all these years. MTV-era darling Martha Davis had the kind of voice that stays with you. The lyrics don’t…

52 to 52Dec 8, 2017DAY 13

I’m Coming Out

Late in 1979, disco was in its final death throes. But some artists, and perhaps their producers, weren’t quite ready to surrender the flag just yet. Some disco divas were able to slip their dance hits onto…

52 to 52Dec 7, 2017DAY 14

Someday We’ll Know / You Get What You Give

I like when an obscure song like Someday We’ll Know ends up on my lists. It makes me feel good to share something that means a lot to me with anyone who’ll listen. In fact, it’s good enough a song that…