Remembering Jeanne Marie (Music Review 10/3/2011)

Scroll down and you will find my weekly Scenes'n'Soundwaves 100 for this week.    As a departure from the usual reviewing of new music, I wanted to talk about an old friend.   One who I lost for good suddenly this past Sunday.    A woman who looked out for everyone over the last few decades.  And one, who I lost touch with but was lucky to have found via Facebook recently.

Jeanne Marie Ahrens had a love for music, and that is what I'll mainly talk about below.   But she loved her cats and spoke out against animal abuse, always offered to help out friends, loved watching friends, neighbors and family members' kids (even though she never had any herself).   Not bad for someone who has had a rough life, with any ailment and illness you could throw her way.   Constantly in and out of hospitals, all of her life.    Yet she made it to fifty with still a great heart.   Despite not having seen her in twenty-five years, it has really affected me, and I just feel a need to talk and share the good times, albeit brief as they were, that we experienced.      Jeanne and I discovered a lot of new music back in the day and we really shared it with each other--way before Napster or ITunes.

You have to go back to Saturday, November 12, 1983, when I was admitted in the hospital to have some minor surgery done.   I was hanging out in my hospital room when a thin-looking girl (who looked younger than her 22 years) came in and introduced herself.     It didn't take that long before a friendship was born.    You see, I was a music fan and had brought my mix tapes of current songs (mostly taped off the radio) that I make each month.   As it turned out, she did the same thing, albeit a lot more frequently.  There I was, in her hospital room, checking out the current music of the day.

A few days later, when I got home, I contacted her, and for the next two months, we were like peas in a pod.    We'd get together at my mom's place in Roselle Park (where I was still living), and her folks' place in South Orange.    She made me a VHS tape of music videos from MTV.   We got to nightclubs, most frequently The Lighthouse out in Lake Hopatcong to check out the bands playing there, as well as what the DJ was playing.     And when we were separated, we would constantly call each other up, usually during the show Friday Night Videos, which ran on NBC late night.     The music would aldo be simulcast on local radio station WAPP.    When a song I wanted to tape came on, she'd call and alert me, and I'd have my tape recorder ready.    Often she'd leave messages on my answering machine containing snips of songs.    She would go to bat for you, and it would make you want to reciprocate in return.

Between mid-November of 1983 and mid-January 1984 she loved a lot of the songs of the day.   Often, we'd play them constantly, over and over.    She would make it known that she'd love them.    I wanted to share a few of them here; this is only a partial list:


KC, "Give It Up"

This was KC of KC & the Sunshine Band, and was sort of a comeback song for him, reaching number 20 in early 1984.   But as far back as November, 1983 we heard this song,  and Jeanne loved it, playing it over and over.   She called up radio stations to play it, even though some of them hadn't even added the song to their playlist yet!

Ray Parker, Jr, "I Can't Get Over Loving You"

A year after his first big solo hit "The Other Woman", and several months before "Ghostbusters", Parker came out with this mid-tempo torch song.     She loved this song immediately, and again, we'd hear it several times in succession.

Cyndi Lauper, "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"

As you may expect, she identified with song right away.    In fact, the first few times we heard it, she exclaimed, "I want that to be my theme song".   I think she definitely got her wish.     The follow-up, "Time After Time" I also identified with her as well, which she also loved.

The Romantics, "Talking In Your Sleep"

Jeanne was a big fan of this band, and this song, their biggest (#3 peak) from their album "In Heat" was one of her favorites.


Duran Duran, "New Moon on Monday"

The British band, at their peak in popularity, was also a favorite of Jeanne's.   From the band's "Seven and the Ragged Tiger" set, this peaked at #10 during this time period, and was a frequent song left on my answering machine.

"Strip", Adam Ant

Adam Ant had some major chart entries earlier in the year ("Goody Two Shoes", "Desperate But Not Serious"), but the first song from his upcoming album, featured this one, which she immediately embraced.

"Heaven", Bryan Adams

Probably the song that I associate with her the most.   Adams had several hits earlier in the year from his "Straight From the Heart" LP, and this one was his first new one since.    Originally, it was from the soundtrack of the movie "A Night In Heaven", released in December 1983.     It would later be included on his "Reckless" album and the song itself would be #1 in the spring of 1985.     Jeanne and I had a fun time with his name because his last name and Ant's first name were similar.    So, Jeanne would constantly refer to the Canadian artist as "Bryan Ant" (and "Adam Adams").

"Caught In the Game", Survivor

Survivor had a huge hit the year before with "Eye of the Tiger" and this was the band's first new release since then.    The song appeared on her mix tape, but I had a hard time trying to tape it myself; I'd always miss it when they played it on WAPP.    It wasn't a big pop hit, so it made it hard to find.    Jeanne called me up to tell me it's coming up, and on when my radio and tape player and finally got my song.

"The Authority Song", John (Cougar) Mellencamp

This song was not a single at the time, just an album cut from his "Uh-Huh" set which had just been released (The first single was "Tumblin' Down" which was getting pop airplay at the time).     But album rock stations played the heck out of this one, which eventually became the third single well into 1984.   Jeanne would always recite the chorus line of the song, and you have to wonder if she took that to heart in later life, as she contantly spoke up for what was right.    Also, as the album was the artist's first to feature his real surname (he was referred to up until this point as simply "John Cougar"), when pressed to name the title of the album, Jeanne would call its title "Mellencamp Uh-Huh"!

There were several other recording that were "our songs" as well.     To this day, I think of them as such.  All of the songs posted on my Facebook wall this week were those we shared together.

Despite our friendship, Jeanne didn't want anything more.    Shortly before we met, she had broken off an engagement, and as it turned out, she never married.      Things became unraveled early in 1984 when her close friend at the time, Cheryl, was interested in me.   We started to date, and for whatever reason, Jeanne wasn't happy at all.   I wasn't sure if it was because I came between the two of them, or whether Cheryl came between me and her, but sparks flew.   Eventually, I put both of them in the past, and went into sort of a depression for a time thereafter.   I moved out of my mom's place into my own apartment in Budd Lake in May of 1984.

I would see Jeanne Marie twice after our friendship, and music was in the forefront of both of those again.    I ran into her in May 1985 at Sam Goody's record store in the Livingston Mall.    She was checking out the new Tom Petty & the Heartbreaker's song "Don't Come Around Here No More".  We said hello, talked, but moved on.

In September 1986, The Romantics were playing at the local nightclub, Obsessions, on Sussex Turnpike in Randolph.  Who would I run into?   None other than Jeanne, with a new friend.   It was fitting that the show featured the Detroit-based new wavers as it was a band that we both liked in our "heyday".    It was a great time reconnecting, and afterwards went to the nearby Roxbury Diner.     Jeanne gave me her phone number, but for some reason I never called her.    I would not ever see her again.

Still, we exchanged Christmas cards from 1983 all the way thru 1992, and then it stopped.   I was involved with a new set of friends, and just simply moved on.      Then, during the Christmas season of 2004, I got a card out of the blue.   There was no return address on it, but it was from Jeanne Marie.   Apparently she had found me on classmates.com, and wrote me to say she was on there as well.     But as there was no return address, I had no way to contact her (and I didn't want to pay any fees for Classmates, either).  

Finally, it was early this year that I got a Facebook message from Jeannemarie (she apparently spelled her name as one word now instead of two).    She recalled how we met in the hospital and that we were friends, and she didn't know what had happened after that.    Jeanne also said that if it was OK with my wife (I had gotten married in 2007), that I can friend her.    Well, Barbara doesn't have any problem with that stuff (just as well, since I think about 75% of my Facebook friends are female!), so we became friends one more time.

Although we didn't have any intense discussions (which now, I have come to regret), she was a regular poster on my wall, especially on my music posts.    Looking at her wall, I came to realize that she had come a long way.    She championed animal-rights causes, looked out for children, and looked to help anyone who wound up in her path.     There was only one mutual Facebook friend (Bob Groder, who I had a good friendship during that time as well...we all hung out on several occasions back during that time period), but came to find out that many others knew her, or had a friend that did.     She had come of age over the past quarter of a century.

As I mentioned earlier, my deepest regret was not to talk more to her and maybe even get together once again.    I figured, there would indeed come a moment where we could have worked something out, but I never got the chance.    Her illness came on too suddenly.    As for her last two posts on my wall?    On September 18, when I posted a picture of the new Meadowlands stadium getting ready to tailgate, she wondered "You tailgate at 8:30 in the morning?".  I told her, it was actually 8 AM!.  

Her last comment?    You knew it had to be about music, right?    On September 20, in response to all the Facebook changes going on, I posted the song "Too Much Information", the 1993 song from our old friends Duran Duran.   Her remark:  "Celebrating 20 years as a band".     I had to correct her in that it was actually THIRTY years, and that we're getting that old!    

Well, she never got there, just less than two weeks later, he made her way up to Heaven.    God bless her.


CURRENTS:   Most of Jeanne's "likes" and comments to my music posts were for 80's music, so it is apparent she isn't into the current stuff.   As a result, it was hard to add a bit of her flavor to my music list.    Still, two songs on my chart are in reaction to Jeanne Marie.    They are "Coming Down" by Dum Dum Girls making a record jump from #73 to #11.   I don't know if Jeanne ever heard the song, but give the current cirumstances, it's just a somber-sounding record that if you're going to grieve, it's a good one to crank up the sound and sulk for six minutes!   But it's also a great song.

The other?   The new one from Duran Duran, "Leave A Light On", at #82.   Very fitting, I think.    Jeanne, you left us way too early, but I'm glad we did get to reconnect.    I will always leave a light on for you....


Scenes 'n' Soundwaves 100 for week of October 3, 2011.

This Week	Last Week	ARTIST-Title	Weeks on List
1	3	FLORENCE + THE MACHINE "What the Water Gave Me"  Album: Ceremonials	7
2	2	The Kooks - Junk of the Heart	13
3	5	Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside - I Swear	7
4	1	Fitz and the Tantrums - Pickin' Up the Pieces	10
5	6	Death Cab For Cutie - Stay Young Go Dancing	9
6	4	Wilco - I Might	11
7	8	Rachel Allyn - Lovely Lily	7
8	9	The Big Troubles - Bite Yr Tongue	8
9	7	Michelle Branch - Loud Music	13
10	11	Anna Calvi - Blackout	8
11	73	TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:   DUM DUM GIRLS "Coming Down" Album: Only In Dreams	2
12	14	Bush - The Sound of Winter	9
13	12	Plan B- Love Goes Down	15
14	10	Red Hot Chili Peppers - The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie	12
15	13	Best Coast - Something In The Way	16
16	16	SuperHeavy - Miracle Worker	11
17	17	Thom Sebastian & the Hounds of Winter - Not Broken	6
18	20	Cage the Elephant - Aberdeen	6
19	25	Imelda May - Mayhem	6
20	28	Best Coast - Our Deal	4

21	18	Avi Buffalo - How Come	15
22	23	Macy Gray - Kissed It	8
23	24	The Jayhawks - She Walks In So Many Ways	10
24	15	Lykke Li - Rich Kids Blues	11
25	21	The Airborne Toxic Event - All I Ever Wanted	9
26	29	Oberhofer - Gotta Go	6
27	32	Mister Heavenly - Mister Heavenly	8
28	35	Surfer Blood- Swim	9
29	36	Dom - Happy Birthday Party	4
30	19	Fitz and the Tantrums - Don't Gotta Work It Out	11
31	27	Maroon 5 f. Christina Aguilera - Moves Like Jagger	12
32	31	Trevor Hall - Brand New Day	11
33	39	Cults - Go Outside	7
34	26	The Antlers - Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out	10
35	22	Los Lonely Boys - 16 Monkeys	12
36	40	The Drums - Money	7
37	43	Man Man - Knuckle Down	5
38	67	MOVER OF THE WEEK:   OMNIA "What's Become of Us?" Album: The Jailbird EP	2
39	37	Grouplove - Colours	11
40	47	Adele - I'll Be Waiting	4
41	38	Adele - Someone Like You	24
42	44	Lady Gaga - You and I	6
43	30	Fleet Foxes - Grown Ocean	21
44	34	Adele - Set Fire To the Rain	14
45	49	Carolina Liar - Drown	5
46	56	Sarah Jean - Hometown	3
47	33	Brilliant Colors - Value Lines	13
48	41	PJ Harvey - Let England Shake	12
49	65	Stephen Malkus and the Jicks - Tigers	3
50	42	Rachel Allyn - Say Hello To Goodbye	19
51	50	Bell X1 - 4 Minute Mile	5
52	55	Coldplay - Paradise	4
53	52	Little Dragon - Shuffle a Dream	6
54	62	Snow Patrol - Called Out In the Dark	4
55	59	Needtobreathe - Drive All Night	5
56	51	Thompson Square - I Got You	6
57	53	Mutemath - Blood Pressure	9
58	45	Foster the People - Helena Beat	13
59	48	Incubus - Promises, Promises	12
60	61	Kate Voegele - Sandcastles	5
61	64	Washed Out - Eyes Be Closed	4
62	60	Kelly Clarkson - Mr. Know It All	5
63	46	Evanescence - What You Want	7
64	58	Foster the People - Pumped Up Kicks	37
65	70	Scars on 45 - Heart on Fire	3
66	72	Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman - It Begins Tonight	4
67	69	Gillian Welch - The Way It Goes	6
68	75	Paul Czekaj - My Home New Jersey	3
69	79	Omnia - Grace	2
70	80	Rachel Platten - 1,000 Ships	2
71	57	The Rosebuds - Second Bird of Paradise	9
72	54	Katy Perry - Last Friday Night	17
73	66	O.A.R.- Heaven	10
74	76	White Denim - Drug	6
75	82	Tony Bennett & Amy Winehouse - Body and Soul	2
76	68	Florence + the Machine - You Got the Love	21
77	78	Sublime with Rome - Take It Or Leave It	4
78	89	Beirut - Santa Fe	2
79	91	St. Vincent - Cruel	2
80	63	Haley Reinhart - House of the Rising Sun	8
81	74	Adele - Rolling In the Deep	43
82	----	TOP DEBUT:   DURAN DURAN "Leave A Light On" Album: All You Need Is Now	1
83	----	Ellie Goulding - Lights	1
84	84	Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - If I Had a Gun	2
85	71	Zac Brown Band f Jimmy Buffet - Knee Deep	22
86	88	Foo Fighters - Walk	17
87	----	Fruit Bats - Tangle and Ray	1
88	85	Blue October - The Chills	4
89	90	Parachute - Kiss Me Slowly	2
90	100	Blitzen Trapper - Love the Way You Walk Away	2
91	----	Daughtry - Crawling Back to You	1
92	77	Lady Antebellum - Just A Kiss	8
93	95	Teddybears - Rocket Scientist	2
94	99	Ryan Adams - Lucky Now
95	----	Dawes - Time Spent in Los Angeles	1
96	81	Rihanna - Cheers	4
97	98	The Horrors - Still Life	2
98	93	My Morning Jacket - Holdin' On to Black Metal	20
99	87	Adele - Rumour Has It	24
100	96	Kenny Chesney f. Grace Potter - You & Tequila	18