Earworm

Published on 03/10/2024.

Music has always been an essential part of my life. I wrote last week about how opera influenced my childhood, but it is popular music that has truly been instrumental in my romantic life, allowing the love shared with my beautiful wife, Julie to deepen over our 40 years together.

In my opinion, music is the heartbeat of any relationship. It doesn’t matter if it is the slow sway of a romantic ballad or the high energy of a pop number; dancing together strengthens the bond between couples. Moving to the rhythm creates a unique emotional and physical connection.

Here is the story of my musical journey with Julie through the last five decades, dancing our way to lasting love with the songs that defined the eras.

1970s: Disco and Soul Grooves

The 1970s were a time of disco balls, platform shoes, and big rhythms. Whilst most of my mates stood awkwardly around the edges of the room, playing air guitar to the rock songs of the day, I was busy shimmying to soulful songs on the dancefloor. Couples of the time found themselves getting lost in the smooth grooves of Barry White or throwing shapes to the Bee Gees. For Julie and me, songs like How Deep Is Your Love and Donna Summer’s Love to Love You Baby became the anthems of our romance.

Meeting Julie at school changed everything. I was not one of those guys who waited around till the end of the night for a slow dance. I became a 7 p.m. dancer, showing off my moves whilst everyone else was still warming up. We connected emotionally through timeless tracks, and the magic of those early disco nights laid the foundation for our lifetime of dancing together.

I wanted to keep my dance moves fresh, however, so that meant hitting every school disco in my hometown of Cannock as well as making regular trips to the all-nighters at Wigan Casino. The latter is where my love of Northern soul was born, and yes, I was one of the fellows dancing till the bitter end to Time Will Pass You By from Tobi Legend. In 1978, I even went with friends to enter a dance competition at the Blackpool Mecca. I am proud to say I won! My prize? A replica of the flip comb used by John Travolta in Grease. I think I must have broken it within a week from constantly flicking it open and shut.

1980s: Power Ballads and Sultry Synthpop

Ah, the ’80! an era of synthesisers, drum machines, and, of course, power ballads. If there was a song that encapsulated the decade for Julie and me, it was Chris de Burgh’s The Lady in Red. It was released in 1986, the year we married, and the song became a forever favourite for us. Every time it plays, it takes me back to that day, and I can not help but feel like the luckiest man alive to have Julie by my side.

Julie and I loved dancing at the Top of the World in Stafford and Snoopy’s in Cannock – owned by my friend’s father, local legend Alan Murray. Let me tell you that the nights there did not feel complete without a bit of Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance with Somebody. Not only that, but we perfected our routine to Lambada, involving sultry moves that not many couples dared to take on. That did not matter to us; it just meant more room on the dancefloor!

The ’80s were also a time of big change for us. Near the end of the decade, our first child, Jennifer was born. She also took to dancing like a fish to water and went on to win several ballroom dancing trophies. Julie and I even learned a little bit of ballroom ourselves so we could join her at presentations and show off some new moves of our own. That being said, I doubt either of us are expecting a call from Strictly Come Dancing or Dancing with the Stars any time soon.

1990s: R&B Slow Jams and Pop Hits

Aside from the heavy tones of grunge or the bold sounds of Britpop that would soon emanate from our children’s bedrooms, this was a decade all about smooth R&B slow jams: Boyz II Men’s I’ll Make Love to You, TLC’s Red Light Special, and many more. Julie and I savoured all of those intimate moments on the dancefloor that only deepened our connection.

The ’90s were not just about the slow, sexy songs though. There was also the fun of emerging pop acts like Britney Spears and The Backstreet Boys. My kids think they have strong memories of the latter, but I remember Julie and I laughing like teenagers again to I Want It that Way when the song originally came out.

Speaking of the kids, the ’90s were also the time when our son, Lewis arrived. He definitely inherited our love for dancing. Even as a little blonde two-year-old, he would take centre stage on holiday, stealing the show with his moves to Boom Boom Boom by The Outhere Brothers. The kid had moves!

2000s: Pop and Hip Hop Infusion

The new millennium brought an exciting mix of pop and hip hop. From Usher’s Yeah!, Beyoncé’s Crazy in Love, and Snoop Dogg’s Signs – which I am constantly reminded by my children that I used to play in my car – the decade was a celebration of wild dance moves and high energy.

There were also a lot of tender musical moments, with beautiful ballads from singer-songwriters like Alicia Keys’ If I Ain’t Got You and John Legend’s Ordinary People. Such types of songs captured the highs and lows of relationships with such powerful emotion, reflecting our journey as a couple. The music helped us keep moving forward together.

We danced anywhere and everywhere we could, from the newly rebranded Silks nightclub to holidays and parties. With each song, we created more shared memories – occasionally embarrassing our children in carefree style along the way.

2010s: EDM, Indie Pop, and More Emotional Ballads

In the 2010s, electronic dance music (EDM) became a global phenomenon. Big festivals were not exactly our scene, but Julie and I still appreciated the energy of tracks like Calvin Harris’s Feel So Close and Avicii’s Wake Me Up.

Our hearts in this era really belonged to the big emotional ballads that swept the globe, especially songs like Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud and Adele’s Someone Like You. I did not fully understand Julie’s love of the London songstress till we saw her perform whilst we were living in New Zealand. It rained for almost the entire concert, but like a trooper, Adele was in good spirits the entire time, her raw emotion resonating throughout the stadium the entire time and allowing Julie and I to reflect on our long journey together.

2020s: Nostalgia in the New

We are only halfway through the decade so far, but Julie and I have enjoyed a lot of nostalgic sounds infused into modern beats. Dua Lipa’s Levitating and The Weeknd’s Blinding Lights harken back to some of our fondest memories of the ’80s and ’90s.

That being said, there are still fresh ballads to enjoy, such as Olivia Rodrigo’s Drivers License, bringing a new emotional depth to our dancing. Whether it is a retro-style groove or savouring the quieter moments, the music keeps up connected after all of this time.

Final Thoughts

The decades have come and gone, from disco in the ’70s to today’s fusion of the vintage and the modern, but dancing to the hits of each decade has been and will always be a constant in my relationship with my wife, Julie. Whether it is a slow dance or a faster bop, music allows us to express our love, connect emotionally, and create lasting memories.

The beautiful Julie and I may not be the perfect couple, but the one thing for sure is that music and dancing have been how we have kept the spark alive. As long as we have the music, we will dance through the rest of our lives, hand in hand, as we have for the past five decades. Here is to much more to come!

---

About the Author

---