The Engleson Files

Oh yes, on January 1st, 1984, I can remember this day as if it were yesterday. Why? Well, this was the day the enigmatic band Van Halen released their supermega-blockbuster single Jump. Now, first of all, let me clarify: I was never a Van Halen fan and certainly was not awed by this particular song, but if you were around during this time it was impossible to ignore the force this song had. Anyways, I am not sure where you were on this day, but I was in Honolulu, Hawaii and can remember very vividly hearing this song every ten seconds while driving in our rented Lincoln Continental - smooth ride, baby! This was our family’s second time going to Hawaii (take a guess when our first was) and I made up my mind from the get-go to buy myself a bear hat while in Honolulu. I am not exactly sure why I was so afflicted for this style of hat, but before we left for Hawaii I made up my mind that I was going to own one and nothing was going to stop me. So, on this day of January 1st, 1984, while cruising in our Lincoln Continental with my grandparents and listening to Jump on the radio, I found my beloved bear hat at a souvenir shop hanging from a large wooden pole next to the parrot hats. I wore that hat proudly for the rest of our vacation and for many years after, and everytime I hear the song Jump by Van Halen this is what comes to my mind. So, that is where I was - where were you??

Alright, Uncle Sam aside, I am going to try a new category here on The Engleson Files, but there is a catch for all you loyal viewers. The Category will be called - Where Were You? - and the concept around it will be as follows: I will present to you a song and detail a memory of where I was and what I was doing during that time; the catch is that I will be expecting stories from all of you in return. The beautiful thing about music is its ability to make time stand still and cement memories of your time here on this planet - and it is my hope to hear all of your stories! So, I will give this a whirl and see if anything sticks, but please remember folks, this category is nothing without you - one line, one sentence, one short paragraph, it doesn’t matter, I just want to hear your stories!

Now, I am going to start with a bit of an obscure song but it is one that has had a very lasting effect in my memory; the song is In the Year 2525 by Zager and Evans, and simply put, this song scared the crap out of me as a young child. I have very vivid memories listening to this song while driving to and fro in our family Volvo and I can remember being scared by its haunting tone and, even though I was too young to fully understand its meaning, I definitely got a sense of doom from the lyrics. Now, this song scared me so much that I began to have nightmares about it and I can remember one in particular that re-occurred many times during my childhood. The dream went something like this: I was walking down the street I lived on in Penticton at dusk and, for some reason, was carrying two bags packed-full of garbage; the streets were quiet and no one else was in sight. Then, way off in the distance (coming from the West) I heard the horrible sounds of a large monster screaming at the top of his lungs, and then suddenly from over a mountaintop King Kong emerged and started trampling over everything in his sight. I knew he was coming after me and I ran to my house in terror, but it was locked and no one was home. Screaming, I ran down the block to the Flinstones house and hid underneath their large stone couch. Fred and Wilma were home but were hiding in their bedroom - believe me when I say there were no Yabba-dabba-do’s on this night! - everyone was in sheer panic. As I hid underneath their couch, I could feel the tremendous footprints of King Kong getting closer and I knew he was very close to finding me - and then as I braced myself for King Kong’s arrival the song In the Year 2525 began to play over the Fred’s stereo (which was smokin’ by the way) and I began to scream…It was usually around this time that I woke up and Mom and Dad had to come running into my bedroom to calm me down. I had this dream many times as a young child but usually got no further into it once the song began. Even as I listen to it now I instinctively look for the Flinstones house and pray that King Kong is not coming to find me.

So, that’s where I was, where were you?