The A-to-Z parties

A long time ago, when we were free birds (before we got married, that is!), my friends and I created a great concept for a get-together. We called it the A-to-Z party. We all loved music and we also loved to have a good time. So, the idea was - play a song each by our favourite musicians, starting from the letter A, and try and see how far we could reach down the alphabet before we forgot which letter came next!

Having taken up the onus of organising the first A-Z bash, I had to choose bands/songs that were popular among my pals – our beloved nectar would flow down more smoothly when one’s favourite songs were being played! Second, I had to ensure that the selection was kept ready, that one song followed another with no gaps. Finally, I had to ensure that my music system was in tip-top condition. The party would go on rather long – there were a lot of alphabets to cover!

The evening arrived. News of this shindig had spread and we had a lot of friends coming in. When we were all settled — everyone in a comfortable position on the sofa, the divan or the floor — I commenced the evening’s audio presentation. For my first track, I had selected an all-round winner – Hell’s Bells by AC/DC.

This was a sure-shot party starter and I could see happy nods all around. Black Sabbath’s Paranoid – a 100% rocking song – came next and feet began tapping the ground. C and D stood for CCR and Deep Purple respectively and, by then, couple of my friends were on the floor, swaying to the music. Eagles’ Hotel California saw everyone singing along at the top of their voices, much to the annoyance of my neighbours!

One song followed another. November Rain gave way to Heart’s Alone. Nazareth’s Love Hurts came a few songs later. The A-Z party was about songs that we collectively loved.

And so it went, one band following another down the alphabet. I might have repeated some songs, taken requests and played another band with the same letter – but no one objected. We were all enjoying ourselves far too much.

Frankly, I don’t think we crossed the letter S by the time the ambrosia ran out and the party ended, but again no one cared. It was by far the best get-together we had ever had!

A few more of these parties happened before life intervened and the winds of change blew us hither and thither. With that, the A-Z party died.

Now, to all you music-loving party-goers out there – I encourage you to have the A-Z bash. I guarantee it will be a runaway success. Of course, this concept has been patented, but I might just let you use the same – for a song!