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Name that tune in three stoplights or less

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By Melanie Zimmermann | Hickory Daily Record

Published: September 24, 2008

I love to sing in my car, when I clean house and when I walk on the treadmill. It is great therapy. And there hasn't been a song written that I won't try to sing. "Try" is the operative word.

I live in a house full of musicians. Some sing, some play instruments. Some do both. The closest I can come to them is naming that tune.

I love music. It evokes emotion, gives encouragement and soothes the savage beast. It makes me feel better. Trust me, I need a lot of soothing at the end of the day.

I sing in my car in the mornings on my way to work. Sometimes it is to the radio and sometimes to a tape. This week, it is Tom Petty. Last week, it was Styx. I tried John Denver, who I love, but just couldn't swing it. He hits notes that if I could even hit, would shatter the car windows next to me.

If I have a presentation to make, I listen to Rob Zombie or Alice Cooper to get the inner intimidator motivated. Of course, I don't actually intimidate people. I just need the inner motivation to be able to give myself courage so they won't intimidate me.

I sing while I clean house. I have my trusty MP3 player and ear buds. Usually, I listen to the oldies station because I know most of the words. If you heard me, you wouldn't be able to tell what I was singing. But in my head, I am outsinging Whitney Houston.

In the evenings, I walk on the treadmill to maintain this girlish figure - don't laugh. For this, I listen to Progressive Metal. I started out with Shockopera's "Ghosts of White Chapel" and then moved on to Vanden Plas, which is my favorite. The lead singer, Andy Kuntz, has a voice that will bring you to tears, in a good way.

The CD "Christ 0" is approximately three miles long. It has fast-paced and slow-paced songs so I can keep my heart rate up and cool down when I need to. I have also increased my endurance because when I sing, I have to control my breathing. I have lost 21 pounds listening to this CD.

Remember, if you see some crazy woman sitting at the traffic light, singing to her heart's content, smile. Karen Carpenter wasn't kidding when she sang, "Sing, Sing a song, Sing out loud, Sing out strong."

Do you sing in your car? I want to know. E-mail me at mzimmerman@hickoryrecord.com.