Pop Classics #9 - Back into my childhood

Als ich 9 Jahre alt war, wurde ich dezent "gezwungen" mit der ortsansässigen Kirchengemeinde das Jugendangebot "Zeltlager" anzunehmen - habs gemacht. Es war extrem unangenehm, alles waren älter - hatte Heimweh und keine Ahnung wie ich was machen sollte, wie ich überlebe mit Messdienern und anderen Spacken - Mama Kind eben. ABER - beim Lagerfreuer gab es einen Song, diesen Song aus Frankreich - werd ich nie vergessen - daher mal reinhauen, also als Dance / Disco Sound gibt es wenig bessere oder?

My religious youth discovering music

I was young, I was 9 years old - im my family and all surroundings catholic church was key - way more important/relevant as government and such. I had no clue what, where, why - but I followed the tribe, the ones that told me what to do and where.

During that trip, two weeks away from home I had no fun, i was frustrated, missed mom and dad, my home - did not come along with the other guys, all way older. But what I loved and always will remember was this song by Patrick - it was played all day, I loved it - this was the positive thing from this church youth trip for me.

From Home-Sickness to Disco-Beats

Looking back, it’s fascinating how the mind works. I can still smell the damp tent canvas and the smoke from the campfire, but while the social pressure of being the "small kid" among older boys was suffocating, Patrick Hernandez’s "Born to Be Alive" was my escape hatch.

It was 1979/1980, and the energy of that track was the complete opposite of the rigid, traditional atmosphere of a Catholic youth camp. While the leaders were talking about discipline and faith, the speakers were blasting a message of pure, unadulterated life energy.

The Anchor of Memory

That’s the power of music, isn’t it? It can take a miserable experience—like being stuck in a field with "Messdiener-Spacken"—and give you a golden anchor to hold onto. Every time that iconic guitar riff and the disco beat kick in, I’m not that scared 9-year-old anymore. I’m reminded that we were all, indeed, born to be alive, not just to follow the tribe.

It remains one of the best dance tracks ever produced. The production is so crisp, even decades later. It outlasted the church camp, the homesickness, and most of the other pop culture from that era.

How about you? Do you have that one song that saved a "forced" childhood experience for you? A track that reminds you of a place you didn't want to be, but made it bearable? Drop your musical lifesavers in the comments!