How My ‘Musical Ride’ Began

Late in the summer of 1997, I discovered the band that would change my life forever. I was eleven and three quarters and about to start my last year of elementary school. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect, as I was just beginning to feel more self conscious as I approached adolescence. My brother’s friend had brought over the ‘Middle of Nowhere’ cassette tape, so he was the first one to become a fan, but that didn’t last. The more I heard ‘MMMBop,’ the more it grew on me. I remember unconsciously tapping along my feet in my brother’s room. By the fall, I had to get my hands on the CD, and I finally received it as a birthday gift. Something came over me when I sat and listened to that orange disc from start to finish. That album transformed the way I felt about music. It became my joy, my comfort, and my best friend. It gave me the courage to walk the halls of my school with shaky confidence.

Hanson inspired me to write more. I was encouraged by all they had accomplished at such a young age. When I had days where I was frustrated with the words I came up and wanted to throw them out, I thought of them and kept going. I may have given up writing years ago if three boys from Tulsa, Oklahoma hadn’t come along to show me the value of pursuing your passion and following your dreams.

I’ll never forget listening to ‘Weird’ and feeling a little less lonely and that maybe I wasn’t the only young girl who felt out of place in her world. Hanson helped me to embrace my disability and made me feel accepted as I was, even if they didn’t know me. Their songs were the first I felt could have came straight from my own heart. Over the past 15 years, that has never changed. When I hear the songs from ‘Middle of Nowhere’ today, it’s as though I’m eleven years old again, if only for a moment. Thank you Hanson, for creating some of my most beautiful memories with your music. Thank you for teaching me that music has the power to change your life.