Kiss on my List

It was about this time during my senior year in high school that I met my old buddy Ben.

Ben (not his real name) was a transfer into my high school. He billed himself as the "New Kid in Town."

But it's not the venerable Eagles tune that reminds me of ol' Ben. 

The other day, I heard the 1981 Hall and Oates song "Kiss on my List" on my Sirius/XM. When I hear that melody, it brings a smile to my face. In those days, it was one of Ben's faves. 

One of the things I remember about Ben and the recording is that, as much as he liked it, he definitely did NOT know the words. When he would come on the radio, he'd get this impish grin on his face and start dancing around, pointing and mumbling sounds that would remind you of syllables. And, occasionally, he would actually remember a word or two.

I'll demonstrate. Here are a couple lines of lyrics as they appear in the song

When they insist on knowing my bliss
I tell them this
When they wanna know what the reason is
I only smile when I lie, then I tell them why

For Ben, it would go something like this. 

Mmmm ay sss on mmm my ssss
I tell mmm sss
Um ay umm o the reason is
Um smile um um I, um um why

As I typed that whole routine, it brought a smile to my face again. Taking a moment to think about an old friend and those fun, carefree days.

Unfortunately, things weren't always so merry. 

Ben started having some personal issues and, whenever he was around, I noted he was sometimes acting erratically. By the late 90s, he dropped out of my life completely. 

I often wonder where he is. And how he is doing. Sometimes, I've done internet searches for him. I pray for the best. I sure hope Ben got his life back on track. 

When I hear the song as I did the other day, it reminds me of simpler times - like those ballplayin' days I told you about a few weeks ago. 

You might think of friends from the days of your youth. You might remember one or two that drifted from you. Now and then, something reminds you of the fun times you experienced.

That's what happens to me when I hear that tune. Whenever I hear it, you might say, I have Ben on my list.

JG