Morning Reflection: The Song You Had to Wait For

You're Never Too Old to Rock and Roll

I can still picture that old Bush transistor radio sitting on a stool outside, with my cup of tea beside me. I would turn the dial slowly, listening for a familiar voice or a tune, then move the antenna, hoping to get a clearer signal. Sometimes the music came through beautifully. At other times, all I got was crackle. But I wasn't going anywhere. I had a song I was hoping to hear, and I was prepared to wait for it.

That song was "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" by Jerry Lee Lewis. When those opening notes finally came through, I would sit up and forget all about the wait. It was worth every bit of fiddling with the radio.

I never imagined that a few years later, at eighteen or nineteen, I would be singing that very song on stage at the Anglo-Indian Club in Allahabad, guitar in hand. The boy who had once waited patiently by the radio was now performing it himself.

I went on to play with some of the best bands in Allahabad and sang dozens of songs. I was also a great Elvis Presley fan and performed plenty of his numbers. There was even a running joke that I would end up becoming a "band-baaja-wala"!

People danced to all the songs we played, but when "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" began, the excitement went up several notches. There was more energy, more dancing and plenty of screaming. It was quite something to watch.

The song has stayed with me all these years. Decades later, I sang it with the band at both my daughters' weddings in Dubai. The reaction was much the same on both occasions. Before long, everyone was on the dance floor. I gave it everything I had, and thankfully, my back held up! I've always believed you're never too old to rock and roll.

There was something else about those days. If you wanted to learn the lyrics of a song, you had to listen carefully and write them down. Getting every word right could take days. And if there was a disagreement about a line, there was no Google to settle the matter. You simply had to argue it out!

Today, I can find almost any song, any singer, from any year, along with the lyrics, in seconds. I can play the same song ten times in a row if I wish, and sometimes I do. I wouldn't want to give up that convenience.

Yet no song I play today quite gives me the feeling I got when "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" came through that old Bush radio. Perhaps it was the excitement of being young, but I suspect it was also the anticipation. I knew exactly what I was waiting for, and when those notes finally came through, it felt like an occasion.

We have made life wonderfully convenient. Music, like almost everything else, is available at the touch of a button. But perhaps there is a small price to pay when we no longer have to look forward to things. We get what we want immediately, but sometimes miss the pleasure of waiting for it.

If I could go back for just one morning, I'd do exactly what I used to do. Make a cup of tea, take the Bush radio outside, put it on the stool and tune in. And if Jerry Lee Lewis came on, I'd turn up the volume. Some neighbours might not appreciate it, but I doubt I'd be too concerned!

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