
A musical phenomenon has taken place between my oldest son and I and that is an undeniable love of Led Zeppelin. I would not call myself an aficionado of Classic Rock and I haven't always had an affinity for Robert Plant's sultry voice.
I do have a slight history with the band thanks to my brother who is 4 years older than me. He exposed me to all kinds of music when I was an impressionable preteen. He would come and find me in the house and invite me to "mellow out" in his room. He would put on Houses of the Holy and we would lay around and drink Dr. Pepper while jamming out to
D'yer Mak'er on his stereo. I was 14 and looked forward to those times with my big brother. We'd listen to Pink Floyd or The Doors and play air guitar.
Sometimes my Mom would force him to give me a ride places in his red Honda Prelude. He would blast Ramble On and scream "Wanna die?" right in my face. He would then floor it and take quick turns or get air off of railroad tracks while Led Zeppelin blasted out the windows in an attempt to torture me. It was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time.
Fast Forward 14 years and I had let Led Zeppelin fall by the wayside. It wasn't until I was pregnant with G that I started to appreciate them again. You see, I didn't crave any particular food when I was pregnant. No, I kid you not, I craved Led Zeppelin. It was insane. If they came on the radio I would lose my mind with excitement. "Turn it up!" I would yell and transcend to a happy place as the music spilled around me. I was obsessed and couldn't get enough. My husband was confused by my new found love for them but supported me on my quest for all things Led Zeppelin.
Now, G is almost 5 years old and he is crazy for Zeppelin. Just this morning as I drove him to school and the radio was on Scan (our CD player has gone kaput, it's radio tunes for us these days) when Whole Lotta Love came on. "Turn it up Mom!!" he shouted to me with excitement. I did just that and we rocked out as we made our way to his school. I looked in the rearview mirror and his eyes were closed, his head was swaying back and forth, and his hands fervently strummed an air guitar. He was in Classic Rock heaven.
It's a strange and mysterious force that takes over us.
I may never understand it.