Summer Rain

Hands up if you remember who Belinda Carlisle is.

When I was a kiddo in Primary School, I loved Belinda Carlisle. That was the period when I discovered pop music and would glue my ear to the radio, blasting 98.7FM (yes, the very station that I abhor now, almost 20, gasps, years later). I had no money to buy cassette tapes (remember those plastic things that had black tape wound around it? And which would supposedly play Satanic music if you flip the tape the other way round?) and could only rely on the radio for my music fix.

Every night, I would plant myself next to the radio with a blank tape in the recording mode. Now, the next maneuver requires agility and speed. Once a song that I like is played, my fingers would jump to that red button and press it instantly. Continue doing this for a few nights in a row and voila! A mix tape is born.

One of the songs that made it to my amateur mix tape was Belinda Carlisle’s Heaven is a place on Earth. Even saying the name of the song out loud gives me goosebumps. It was the perfect song for an imaginative 12-year-old trying desperately to be cool. My friends and I even choreographed a dance around that song for a school performance. I mean, how hip were we?

That song was my first step onto the road of infatuation for Belinda Carlisle’s music. She had red hair, a great voice and she sang cool songs.

Imagine, to my surprise, years later, I am lying down on the bench in the Sista’s BodyPump class in the gym and Summer Rain starts playing. An almost exotic song, my toes start tapping and I am singing along to the opening verse and chorus, surprising myself. The singing and tapping doesn’t last long though – it is only a matter of minutes before I succumb to the intense muscular fatigue and eventually flop off the bench unceremoniously with no feeling in my arms. That song is a toughie. And I love it.

I will leave you now to your own nostalgia and a couple of Belinda Carlisle songs that I still love, even after all these years (check out the retro outfits!). A good song is a good song, time will not erode its beauty.

Summer Rain

I Get Weak

Heaven is a Place on Earth