While writing and procrastinating over the last few weeks, I've been listening to various flavors of 977music.com. And tonight, I'm trying out Classic Rock.

And tonight, I wondered when Bruce Springsteen became Classic Rock. And when Don Henley became Classic Rock. I can see how Pete Townshend qualifies as Classic Rock, but... 'Let My Love Open The Door' is from 1980.

1980 isn't that long ago. It doesn't seem long enough ago to classify it as 'Classic Rock'. But then, in the 1980s, Classic Rock was considered music from the 1960s. So maybe it is Classic Rock now.

But it doesn't sit well with me. 1960s Rock mixed with 1980s Rock just doesn't seem natural to me.

And yet I like the station.

Clearly, music has aged more than I have.

One of the songs that will always be with me is Happy Together, by the Turtles. It is a good song, but it is more than just a good song - it is a major part of the soundtrack of my life. This was a song that I grew up with, from the backseat of a 1969 Barracuda and a 1978 Dodge Power Wagon. It was simply a song that my father and I liked - it was his favorite song, and it carried with it a sense of closeness with him. We never were, actually, happy together - but no matter what was happening, when the song played somewhere we would look at each other and smile. We could be in the middle of yelling, and we'd end up singing along despite ourselves. It was like a magic circle for us.

It was his favorite song. And it was impossible for him to be angry when he heard it.

Had I thought about it, I would have played it more often when he was alive.