Mellow Out

Today I unpacked a box I brought from Bintulu. It contained an old but functioning phonograph and about 50 record albums. I couldn't yet play the records because there's no replacement for the old broken needle. But in today's world of the Internet, that's no real problem really because you can just type any title song in the album on You Tube and then listen to Olivia's renditions over many live performances throughout the years. To see her singing live was beyond my wildest dreams back in 1975. Now with You tube I'm catching up with her( after so many years!)
As a young man back then, I found much solace in the vocals of Olivia Newton-John, the British- born Australian singer, especially her hit song 'Have You Never Been Mellow'. I must have played the song a hundred times over from 1975 to 1976. I was a highly spirited teacher back then busy preparing lesson plans till the wee hours and working hard the following day for the routine classroom teaching, afternoon extra-curricular activities and weekend social gatherings. At times when I returned from work, I would throw up my shoes and lay back to listen her voice on the vinyl record. Her high-pitched voice seemed soulful and distant. It carried a message that bespoke of my youth. We'll face the times in our lives when in our hurried steps to achieve, we forget to turn to the person closest or next to us in terms of 'letting them be strong'. For all you know, they may be a guide or mentor 'to take your hand' so to speak.
I'll always treasure the album as a testimony to my youthful days, and the song 'Have You Never Been Mellow' as the song that has given me much happiness and comfort deep inside over the years.

Inside cover of Olivia's iconic album 'Grease' with John Travolta, written and produced by Barry Gibb in 1978.