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Babe I'm Gonna Leave You
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
1969

I liked thinking about this theme.  Or, I mean, I liked where it took my train of thought AS I thought about it.  I was going to go with a song title that was specifically art-related.  Then I thought of arty album art.  Then I thought of you teaching Art.  Which led me to think about me taking Art classes.

In Grade 10 I was just starting to dress a little...differently...subtle things like flowers and butterflies in my hair or a short skirt layered over a long, flowy one.  I took Art class in grades 8, 9, and 10--the latter of the three was open to both grade 10 and 11.  The grade elevens kind of congregated together, but the grade tens were split into smaller factions.  I've mentioned my friend Kristy, but I don't think I ever told you about her best friend Alison (because there hasn't been a reason to, really, but I want to add depth to my story here, haha).  Alison was very...nice.  Very sweet.  Like a character (maybe a cheerleader) on a CW show set at a your average surburban high school.  I felt awkward around her...too loud, too animated...I felt tacky or gauche.  Kristy and Alison headed all the school clubs and committees...they ran for student council...they wore sweater vests and Boca sweatshirts.  The first day of school I sat at their table.  At the last seat right on the corner.  Needless to say I felt awkward and continued to feel awkward every class that followed.  

BUT, at the half-empty table behind me, a girl sat by herself.  I thought she was so cool, so different.  She was a for real artist and, like Led Zeppelin, she had a kind of mystique (see how I'm working in a reference to my song there?).  I would admire her work from my table and got up the nerve to talk to her (like say more than, "Your drawing is awesome").  Eventually I gravitated toward her table.  She had dark Robert Plant hair and wore velvet jackets paired with faded Led Zeppelin t-shirts.  She carried drawing pencils in her one-of-a-kind vintage purse.  She talked about Botticelli, Tam-Tams and shopping on Mont-Royal street (I convinced my Dad to take me there a couple of weekends later and thought it was the most wonderful place I had ever been).  She wasn't like everyone else and, more importantly, she was completely comfortable with that fact.  That made me think that maybe it wasn't that there was something wrong with me because I felt awkward around the Kristys and Alisons...maybe I was different and that was okay. 

I didn't really listen to Led Zeppelin until later...when I was in University.  But, when I did start listening to them, my love was fierce.  I love this song in particular...and this is one of the rare times that the lyrics do not factor in at all, as they so often do (for me).  There's something about the combination of the quiet, acoustic guitar parts of the song and the loud, pounding drum parts--like the Alisons and Stephanies can co-exist and everything turns out just fine.  BUT, I must admit that I'm partial to those loud moments--when I just give myself over to the music and can't resist a thoroughly satisfying headbang.