My Songshine Sounds blog co-host KK published a fun new prompt the other day. She has called it “Where were you? Tuesday“.
The idea is that she presents a song, and we respond with our memories of it. Where we heard it, what we were doing at the time, and so on. For this edition, she has chosen “I won’t do that” by Meatloaf.
I must admit that I was never a Meatloaf fan, but I remember this track from one of those compilation CDs, “Now That’s What I Call Music”. I don’t know if this franchise ever made it outside of the UK, but in the end they made more than a hundred of these things, I think (although I’d long since given up buying them by then).
But in the 2000s, I ripped every CD I owned to MP3, so I was able to look it up this evening. It was Now… #26, released in 2000. At that time, I bought music to wile away my three-hour rail commute up to London and back.
The jobs were only standard 7½ – 8 hour days, but add that commute on top, every day was at least thirteen hours out of the house. Daughter was less than a year old, too, so it felt imperative to get home every night to see her, although Mrs Bump did most of the parenting by far.
And, you know how some jobs are better than others? Well, in 2000 I started probably my best ever job, as an architect for Coutts, a prestigious UK private bank. It was rumoured that Posh and Becks had accounts there, although I don’t know if that was true.
They were good people to work for because, while most companies scrimped, saved and cut corners, for Coutts, their reputation was everything. It was all done properly, the best of the best. That was a good working environment. I met many switched on people there and I was thrilled that these people regarded me in that same category.
So I’m sorry, KK, but I don’t have any specific memories of this track. I remember all those bloody hours, though!
Mister Bump 
3 hours commute daily must have been very tiring. Not to mention how travel has evolved over the years so it must have ben tough those days.
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I read a curious statisticonce that it was quicker to travel in the 1930s (i.e. steam) than in the present day 🤣
I would leave home at around 6:30 AM and return around 7:30 PM – if I were lucky!
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Surely people in 1930s wouldn’t have had many sources to travel actually. 😂
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I think most of the train lines here have been in place since mid-1800s
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In fact one of the reasons we do not have very fast railways now is because the tracks are old, and have too many twists and turns for modern, fast trains such as France’s TGV. There is big controversy here at the moment because they want to build a high-speed north-south line, which involves completely new track, ploughing up ancient woodlands etc.
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That’s a given. Fast trains need more smoother and straight tracks to start with. A big bummer I would say.
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If the country could just go without rail for 5 years while the tracks are revamped…. But of course…
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That song, I would do anything for love but I won’t do that, OMG! I remember listening to it over and over on one of those compilation CD’s too! I think they are up to now that’s what i call music 109 now. Xx
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I bought the very first two of those, on Lp at the time. A few years ago a friend passed about the first thirty volumes on a memory stick.
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