When our troops came home from the Pacific and Europe in 1946 in the wake of a world war, they came home to their sweethearts and new-found loves, got married, and made babies – millions of babies. Some 70 million of us were born in the Baby Boom spanning 1946-64 – with GEN X swiftly following from 1965-80. We came out of delivery rooms kicking and screaming and we’ve been doing it ever since.
Boomers have always been about change. We’ve never been satisfied with the status quo. We have been, to some degree, the most diverse generation in American history. Depending upon the year you were born, your adolescent memories may vary. Those of us born immediately after the war remember the fabulous 1950s, the music, the style, and the attitude – cigarette packs rolled up in shirt sleeves, leather jackets, the greaser look, poodle cuts, Pompadours, bobby socks, and the incredible music of the times. It was a uniquely American sound embraced by the world.
Seems every era has brought iconic times – especially the 1950s. It can be safely said the generation gap began developing after World War II. People of all ages were embracing the euphoria of the “American Dream.” Onward and upward. We were on the rise and headed for world dominance. Home ownership. Growing suburban communities. World class education. Plenty of jobs and careers for everyone. Baby boomers came along with the same dreams in mind. We sought opportunities and went after prosperity with a vengeance.
I was born in the middle of the Baby Boom in 1956. I suspect the journey for me was considerably different than those of you who came before me. Most of you born in the early 1960s can probably say the same thing. When I was coming of age, we weren’t listening to Buddy Holly, Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and Pat Boone. We were into Elton John, The Beatles, Chicago, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gay, Led Zeppelin, The Stones, The Bee Gees, Jim Croce, Harry Chapin, and The Eagles. The list of great performers was endless from our AM radios.
Pop music group “Chicago” seems to stand out most in my mind. Where I grew up in Maryland, we had Teen Club on Friday nights to keep us out of trouble and off the streets. We would collect in school auditoriums around the area where schoolteachers and parents would be standing at the exits to make sure we didn’t leave prematurely. We would dance to the music of the era, swap lies, brag about our cars, and feast on what they had on hand for the hungry masses.
When I think of slow dancing and embracing the opposite sex, I think of “Colour My World” performed by Chicago long about 1970, which was a song written by American musician James Pankow, a founding member of Chicago. The late Terry Kath sang lead vocal while Walter Parazaider performed the buttery smooth and intoxicating flute solo. It was a song perfectly written and performed for young lovers long on testosterone with a lot of memories to make and our whole lives ahead of us. The future was ours to hold.
“Colour My World” was the first really significant hit by Chicago that escaped its patented woodwind and brass sound. The music of Chicago was very much alive and long on energy. It was a notorious slow dance song at high school social events and proms where we all said, “They’re playing our song!!!” Young marrieds played it at weddings and on one-year anniversaries.
Whenever I am listening to Satellite radio and this song comes across the airwaves, I think of those first romantic embraces and the feeling of holding a girl for the first time. I watch my 15 year-old son coming of age and wonder what it is like to be him – 50 years later.,
Boomer Journey... 