I came of age attending a fairly conservative Southern Baptist Church. It wasn't crazy conservative with book burnings and snake dances. These were honest, salt-of-the-earth folks for whom I had and still have tremendous respect. However, wearing jeans in the sanctuary was discouraged, profanity was verboten, and listening to "that rock and roll music" would earn you a sideways glance from Sister Patty and her fervent prayers for your beleaguered soul.
For most of my time there I flew under the radar listening to country and classical music because everybody knows there are absolutely no eyebrow-raising double entendres in country music lyrics. Obviously, somewhere along the way, a switch got flipped because here I am 35 years later cranking out a little rock and roll blog.
One day after services, I was cruising around in the 'Stang with other teens from the church and one of them starts looking through my collection of cassettes. The cover art of one caught his attention and he took a closer look. His jaw dropped and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. "No way!", and he handed it to the girl in the back seat. There was an audible gasp from the rear.
"Wayne! You listen to Whitesnake?"
"Yeah. It's a really cool album! Wanna hear it?"
They looked at me in shock and awe, like they'd just discovered my identity as a leader in the secretive Teens for Rock rebellion.
The cassette that sparked such wonderment and reverence from them was Whitsnake's 1987 self-titled album, Whitesnake. Then (and now) my favorite track was track #4, "Here I Go Again". Then (and now) my favorite passage was, "I don't know where I'm going, but I sure know where I've been." The statement is prosaically simple, but it's also lyrically profound.
Then (as 17-year-old me), it meant I might not have it all figured out, but I knew Mom and Dad raised me right. Plus I had enough naivety to think I could handle anything life chucked at me. Now (as 52-year-old me), it means I still don't have it all figured out. Plus I've "done seen some shit". But I now have the advantage of 5 decades of life experience to draw on if I decide it's time for a course correction.
And the video is still cool 35 years later.
"Here I Go Again" - Whitesnake
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