Clergy are notorious for encouraging others to take care of the important things in their lives — but in practice we are really horrible about taking care of them in our own. We postpone the most basic of life’s tasks, always trying to somehow squeeze them in between Sundays, meetings, and pastoral appointments.

So, I have been doing a lot of “adulting” this month and a half on my sabbatical. It occurs to me that in my seventh decade, I should be pretty good at “adulting” by now. But really, I am not so much an adult as I should be. It may sound a bit ridiculous but I did not realize my inspection sticker and tags on my car had expired until I was pumping gas and noticed a line of cars queuing up in the inspection line!

So, I got that taken care of and have now completed a laundry list of other things! I “new year’s” cleaned my house and reorganized my laundry room. I got a physical (my last was in 2019.) I got my eyes checked and new glasses (last visit was 2016.) I converted my gym membership to “silver sneakers” and have gotten back into the pool. My condo got a checkup too: electric, plumbing, HVAC. I did my 2022 taxes. A few other “adulting” things are still on my to-do list: finally getting around to putting together a will and possibly refinancing my house. (The Fed keeps raising rates!) And I still need to get myself to the dentist.

Born in 1955, I thought it would be fun in 2023 to put together a sabbatical mixtape. A mixtape to play while taking care of all of these “adulting”chores and more. My Spotify playlist includes 55 songs released in 1955 (or thereabouts!): show tunes & pop songs, country songs & folk songs, torch songs & ballads, blues & rock n’ roll, and even a couple of TV theme songs! If I wasn’t able to find the version released in ’55, I found a comparable period rendition, if I could.

It’s remarkable how many of these songs still resonate so many years later. It’s remarkable how memorable the voices are — even vaguely so. No matter how old you are, you will recognize many I am sure: Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Dean Martin. But many will surprise you, as they did me. Remember I was just a baby in 1955!

Click here to download my Spotify playlist “55 for 55“. Or you can sample each song by clicking on the preview below to listen! If you don’t have Spotify, the preview will prompt you to download the app. Or go to your App Store to download on your laptop or smart phone.

• Luck be a Lady, Frank Sinatra
• Oh! What a Beautiful Morning, Gordon Macrae
• A Little Brains, A Little Talent, Gwen Verdon
• Vaya Con Dios, Nat King Cole
• John Henry, Tennessee Earnie Ford
• Gunsmoke, Warren Baker & His Orchestra
• Barbara Allen, The Everly Brothers
• Silver Bell, Chet Atkins & Hank Snow
• Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child, Paul Robeson
• I Gave My Love a Cherry, Tennessee Earnie Ford
• The Cuckoo, Peter, Paul & Mary
• Across the Wide Missouri, The Kingston Trio
• Wayfaring Stranger, Bill Monroe & His Bluegrass Boys
• Greensleeves, The King’s Singers
• Mr. Sandman, The Chordettes
• Whole Lot of Shakin’ Going On, Jerry Lee Lewis
• Alone and Forsaken, Hank Williams & Drifting Cowboys
• Scarborough Fair (Medieval Folk), Adagio Trio
• Jump Down, Spin Around, Harry Belafonte
• In My Diary, Etta James
• Love & Marriage, Frank Sinatra
• Nuttin’ for Christmas, Art Mooney & Barry Gordon
• You Don’t Know What Love Is, Dinah Washington
• Trouble No More, Muddy Waters
• Let There Be Peace, Mahalia Jackson
• C’est La Vie, Sarah Vaughan
• Autumn Leaves, Roger Williams
• The Ballad of Davy Crockett, Louis Armstrong
• Let Me Go, Lover, Joan Webster
• Sincerely, The McGuire Sisters
• Hearts of Stone, The Fontane Sisters
• The Wallflower, Etta James
• Unchained Melody, Sam Cooke
• That Old Feeling, Lena Horne
• Teenage Prayer, Gloria Mann
• Smack Dab in the Middle, The Mills Brothers
• Sixteen Tons, Tennessee Earnie Ford
• Rock Around the Clock, Bill Haley & His Comets
• Memories Are Made of This, Dean Martin
• Maybellene, Chuck Berry
• Love Me or Leave Me, Doris Day
• Learnin’ the Blues, Frank Sinatra & Count Bassie
• The Great Pretender, The Platters
• Cry Me a River, Julie London
• Band of Gold, Don Cherry & Ray Coniff
• Cool Water, Frankie Laine
• Baby, Let’s Play House, Elvis Presley
• Arrivederci Roma, Perry Como
• Tutti Frutti, Little Richard
• Earth Angel, The Penguins
• Only You, The Platters
• Moments to Remember, The Four Lads
• I Hear You Knocking, Fats Domino
• I Like Myself, Gene Kelly
• Silver Threads & Golden Needles, Skeeter Davis

Maybe this mixtape can provide the soundtrack for some of your “adulting” too!

Thus concludes my musical sabbatical interlude. I look forward to seeing you all in Holy Week!

Joani

Uncategorized 1955 Clergy Joani's Sabbatical Postcard Music Podcast The Rev. Joan L. Peacock