“Never My Love” — The 5th Dimension

The first CD my mother ever gave me was The 5th Dimension’s Greatest Hits on Earth.  She gifted me with the album in seventh grade, circa 1992.  At the time, my nose was huge, skin was pizza-esque, ego was super fragile.  Feel-good music, though, helped me cope because I could listen in the comfort of my own home.  No one else had to know that I was more interested in oldies than the latest from Guns N’ Roses.

Mom knew my taste so well.  How could I not love this music? First off, they were totally right naming it the best on the planet and I love people who are confident.  They own their superiority and deserve it.  No auto-tune magic required.

More importantly, though, I’m a musician and wanna-be singer and The 5th Dimension produced music that is so creative, so chock full of harmony that you can’t help but sing along at the top of your lungs.  In the car. In the shower. On the streets.  Sure, you’ll get looks from the jealous passersby but it’ll be from admiration of those beautiful lyrics and envy of your singing.  Or at least that’s what I tell myself in the mirror every morning.

Currently, my favorite song on this album (which I still own in its original, scratched up form) is Never My Love.  Marilyn McCoo sings her heart out and if you’re not a little weepy by the end of it, I wonder if you were really listening.

The theme is simple: If you have doubts about my love, toss ’em out because I’m not leaving.

You ask me if there’ll come a time

When I grow tired of you

Never my love

Never my love

But it’s not just that I won’t get bored. It’s that I *need* you.

What makes you think love will end

When you know that my whole life depends

On you

As cheesy as it sounds, this is true love to me.  And listening to such glorious poetry allowed me to escape from a rather tough time in my personal life. Now the 5th Dimension helps me escape the drudgery of housework and also provides a great way to embarrass my children who rarely allow me to sing.

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