#AtoZ 2022 Theme Reveal!

2022 A to Z 2 Minutes

Today’s the day set for bloggers’ theme reveals, so here’s mine.

As you may know, I released my 10th novel late last year. The Summer of Princess Diana is a slightly fictionalized recount of the summer I spent as an au pair in Switzerland in 1981. For much of that summer, music played a major role in my life, and my closest friend the radio station kept me in touch with a lot of the songs that were popular in the US.

When I choose a theme, I try to make sure I can cover all the letters, especially those tricky ones – Q, X, and Z. Although I usually have to get creative (remember last year? X for PawtuXet Village and Z for HaZard Rock?), I was able to find a song for each of our alphabet’s 26. Pretty much.

So, by now you’ve guessed it – for this year, my A to Z theme is 1981 SONGS TO REMEMBER. If you were around then (I was 23!), and even if you weren’t, I think you’ll enjoy listening – and watching! Some of the videos are classic. After all, the video channel MTV launched in 1981, and that began music videos 24 hours a day. In 1981, as you’ll see, some of the videos were artistic, some were cheaply produced, some, especially if the singer is still around (I’m thinking of my “L” day) are just wonderful to see. Certainly in some cases, the videos I watched in consideration of which song to match to which letter were too politically incorrect or downright offensive! Those were different times, for sure. I don’t mean to offend anyone with these posts, so please view with an open mind, or just close your eyes and listen.

The Blogging from A to Z Challenge kicks off on Friday, April 1 (no foolin’) and continues every day in April except Sundays.

Note: This post, and all of the A to Z posts for April, have been written and pre-scheduled as of March 3. I write to escape the harsh realities of everyday life, and these posts have helped me to forget, even for just a short time, the horrors of war, the destruction in Ukraine. I have no idea what the world will look like on April 1 – or even on March 7, four days from today. But life continues and we could all use a distraction. These posts might bring a smile or a fond memory – I hope so. ☮️

Published by Martha Reynolds

I am the bestselling author of nine novels, including the Swiss Chocolate trilogy and VILLA DEL SOL, which won the 2018 Book Award in Literary Fiction from the Independent Publishers of New England. My newest series includes the books A JINGLE VALLEY WEDDING, APRIL IN GALWAY, and ALL’S WELL IN JINGLE VALLEY. Find my books online at Amazon, locally at Stillwater Books (Pawtucket, Rhode Island) and Ink Fish Books (Warren, Rhode Island).

Published

41 thoughts on “#AtoZ 2022 Theme Reveal!”

  10. Ha ha! I guess I’ll have to bow out of participating in this challenge this year, since I never listened to any 1980s music. (I’ve never been interested in currently popular music, getting absorbed instead by folk music and music of the 1600s, 1700s, and 1800s.)

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      1. Aha! I didn’t understand that. Maybe I’ll do something about those old tunes – some of them have most bawdy titles (courtesy of Charles II, who apparently was quite the patron of bawdy bar-room bards).

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  12. Hooray! I’m looking forward to this. I was 7 for most of 1981 and it was when I first really started paying attention to popular music. So I’m sure there will be a lot of nostalgia for me.

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      1. Not sure if this is on your list, and I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone else, but possibly the weirdest number one song of all time peaked in June 1981.

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  14. Just so you know, it was the combination of finding no books on water that were suitable for young children and your posting the A-Z challenge 6 years ago that got me stated on writing A is for Aquifer. I enjoy your annual exercise and your theme this year makes perfect sense! My friend in Germany is doing a project asking for environmental themed songs to commemorate the 50 years since Silent Spring was published. And last night I heard my favorite spring music— frogs singing. I look forward to April and reading your offerings this year Martha!
    Ann

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  18. I think your posts will be great. I was 30 in 1981 with a baby and one on the way so I might need reminding what was going on at the time apart from attending to the needs of little ones.

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    2. We are almost in synch, Linda Curry; I was 29, with a one-year-old boy and another born in 1982.

      Music was and is a big part of our lives, Martha. This will be a fun A-Z.

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