i remember the first time my mom bought me a cd. we went to target with my step-sister {who bought the allure cd, btw} and i didn’t know much about popular music. but while i was at music camp, someone told me i reminded them of taylor hanson, some boy in a band with his brothers. so i asked the guy in the electronics department if they had the hanson cd.
and this is what he gave me.
i awkwardly laughed and said “no, this is not them. they are brothers from oklahoma.” and the guy shoved the cd in my hand and went on his business. i remember staring at the front of the cd, wondering if my mom would be okay with buying me a cd of girl-boys.
lucky for me, she did.
and that was the moment i was introduced to the band that would influence my personality/life more than any other band.
today is hanson day. fifteen years ago today, middle of nowhere was released and the governor of oklahoma declared today “hanson day” in tulsa.
here’s to the hanson fans who remember albertane… and the minute the curtain dropped during “gimme some lovin.”
here’s to that first christmas with “snowed in” and every christmas since that wouldn’t be complete without “everybody knows the claus.”
here’s to the way blue, green and red will never be a random color combination.
here’s to the first time “with you in your dreams” hit close to home.
here’s to the support we have given dr. pepper over the years.
here’s to the summer we listened to “if only” a lot.
here’s to watching your favorite band have their hearts broken and feel misunderstood and wishing you could fight for them.
here’s to the underneath acoustic tour, showing us more clearly than before how talented our favorite band is.
here’s to promoting the heck out of “underneath.”
here’s to that first time you met them.
here’s to whatever happened then but i don’t remember because they didn’t come to the northwest and it made me really angry.
here’s to the walk and the walks and the early stages of TOMS… knowing that we were walking side-by-side {LITERALLY} with our favorite band, using our strength in numbers to change lives.
here’s to shout it out. the “thinkin bout something” dance. the colors. the art.
here’s to knowing every freaking “ooh” and “yeah” and “c’mon” from every freaking recording of every freaking hanson song.
and mostly, here’s to the 3 boys from tulsa who helped us become who we are today.
and finally.
here’s to another 15 years. {and another after that and that}
thank you.
thank you.
thank you.Â
{though i grew up thinking i was gonna marry zac, maybe you can see who is my favorite… and yes that bottom right picture is framed in my room.}