Teena Marie's music was a part of the soundtrack of my middle and high school life..."young love why you wanna go old on me now?"...but one recent memory I have of her music was perhaps my husband's introduction to my habit of singing at a moments notice prompted by a word, a phrase, a sight. a taste, a sound whatever...in this case it was the first strings of "Casanova Brown" coming from the radio.
We were on the last leg of a trip from New Orleans, in Georgia but not in "Atlanta" but close enough to get the local radio station. I was the passenger on this trip, the one who was supposed to keep the driver awake and alert. Instead I had finally succumb to sleep after doing the head wagging nod dance for a number of miles. I'm sure my husband was looking at me from the corner of his eyes, rolling them at me since I had promised I would stay awake, when suddenly, I awoke singing in my full 2nd alto voice "My baby's fine. He always keeps me guessing, but never leaves me guessing, about his love." and proceeded to sing every note, every "shubby dooby doo", even holding the long note in the middle until the last phrase "Over before the love turns to hate, let it end and let's still be friends." and then the pause and finally "shu doo doo doo doo oo oooooo!". I remember being wide awake after my "performance". Music has that effect on me. It's medicinal and therapeutic, it makes me feel better when I'm sick, makes me happy when I'm sad, keeps me company when I'm lonely, makes me happier when I'm already overjoyed and awakens me from a deep not supposed to be sleeping long road trip induced sleep. Tina Marie's songs have done all of that for me. Thankfully, she shared herself with us through her music such that even though she is physically gone, she will live on, on the radio, forever and ever...Amen. RIP Lady Tee!
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