Dirty Dancing

Dirty Dancing is on GO! right now.
I'm watching it even thought I've seen this movie more than any other movie...ever!
I have it on DVD, I could watch it whenever I want, but it's on TV so I feel compelled.
It's a long time since I've last seen it, and to be honest, I'm surprised by the power this movie still has over me.
I was at teacher's college when it hit the big screen.
It was the end of my first year.
I was a poor student and didn't go to the movies often but my boyfriend at the time heard about it and told me I had to see this movie.
So we went...and I loved it...
Loved it!
The dancing, the music, Patrick Swayze...
It had me at, "I carried a watermelon."
I bought the soundtrack "Dirty Dancing" and then the second soundtrack "More Dirty Dancing", both on vinyl of course.

I listened to them all the time.
All
The
Time

So many memories are coming back, like a slideshow, or an old movie.
And now I find it's the music more than anything that yanks me right back to my college self.

iPods weren't invented and I didn't even have a Walkman.
If I listened to music, my housmates listened to it, too.
Fortunately they were huge Dirty Dancing fans as well.
We listened to it on the boxy black stereo in the lounge.
We'd put our portable tape players on the window sill and listen to it outside while we washed our cars or picnicked in the back yard.
We played it at our parties.
We played it at pre-ball drinks.
We played it at our 21sts.
We danced to it at night clubs.
It was the soundtrack to much of my college years.

I saw the musical a few years ago and could say most of the lines along with actors.
I could definitely sing all of the songs, every word.
I love to play the instrumentals on the piano.
I think my Dirty Dancing obsession was second only to my Diana obsession (which I happened to blog about yesterday).

Right before the movie started tonight I was watching a show on ABC about music...

"Music plays the body like an instrument." (Music Instinct: science and Song)
And so it does.

Hungry Eyes...
She's Like the Wind (which Patrick Swayze sings...he could dance AND sing!)...
I've Had The Time of My Life...

And that song was our song.
Mine and my first college boyfriend's.
Everybody knew it.
When it came on all of our friends would look at us knowingly.
I can still see his brown eyes staring into mine on the dance floor while he sang...
"And I owe it all to you."
My heart is pounding now just thinking about it.

Music plays the body like an instrument.