Dad’s Music To Grill By
My Mixtape’s A Masterpiece is a weekly feature in which a guest compiles a playlist around some theme. This week, Jackie Jardine assembles 12 songs that accompanied her father during his summer grilling duties. Read Jackie’s thoughts on each song and listen along to the Spotify playlist on top and/or the YouTube playlist at the bottom of the post.
If you’re an elder millennial like myself, you’ll recognize this mixtape as an ode to “Dad Rock.” And if you’re a really lucky elder millennial like myself, your parents took you to see some of their concerts. But the sweltering summers of yesteryear prove one thing true: some of the best concerts were in our backyard with Dad at the grill.
1) “We Didn’t Start The Fire” by Billy Joel
The compendium of notable world events in the roughly 40 years of Billy Joel’s life to the time it was was written, “We Didn’t Start The Fire” has major significance for the Jardine household. The first memory this one evokes is my parents discovering my baby sister’s inclination to dance to it, moving her feet so fast you’d think the floor was indeed lava. She was probably about 4 years old. But ironically, there were also many a BBQ begun without realizing we were out of propane. There’s my dad with the 5-disc CD tray loaded, Billy Joel blasting and meats at the ready…with no fire to be had.
2) “La Grange” by ZZ Top
After a Jardine-typical rage out over the empty gas and a quick trip to the Acme for a refill, it’s GRILLING TIME, baby. Which means we’re ready for “La Grange” and some…Heavy. Brothel. Blues. The badass Boomer stranglehold “La Grange” has on many a soundtrack, playlist, or mix cannot be overstated. Still, nothing pairs better with some Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce than this ZZ Top mega hit and Dad’s single can of Coors light.
3) “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” by Journey
Oh yeah, it’s all on. The corn cobs are bubbling. The steaks are sizzling. And Steve Perry is wailing a rock epic for the ages. Love, loss, and—unrelated to grilling—a music video that’s unintentionally hilarious. Journey didn’t have to go that hard for a breakup song. But they did. And many a grill master thanks them for it.
4) “The Heart Of Rock And Roll” by Huey Lewis & The News
I can’t tell you how I got from Billy Joel to Patrick Bateman in just 4 tracks. But honestly, Huey’s Sports album slaps, as the kids say. Speaking of kids, I’d imagine this is when we’d start running condiments up and down the stairs to the backyard where dad was manning his station.
5) “Ramblin’ Man” by The Allman Brothers
“Well, my father was a gambler down in Georgia.” No, not really. Philly guy, born and raised. But I’d like to think there’s an alternate universe Dad out there who’s an outlaw down south. At this point, Mom is likely screaming down the stairs that the corn is ready, but Dad can’t hear her.
6) “Roadhouse Blues” by The Doors
My sister and I are playing a game of shout-down-the-lane between my mom in the kitchen and dad in the backyard. It’s kinda funny that we each took a favorite artist from dad’s catalogue of music for our own. My sister’s love is for The Doors. I’m more partial to Led Zeppelin—which I’d gladly include here. But that would have to be part of a “Dad’s Highway Driving” mixtape. Now…back to the grill.
7) “Jack & Diane” by John Mellencamp
Burgers and dogs are done. Time to throw on the chicken breasts—the ones that have been marinating in the Italian dressing overnight. Aww yeah, topped with the bacon and American cheese. Mom has come down to the backyard. My sister and I are testing the gravitational limits of our swing set, while mom is telling us to “hold on to sixteen as long as you can.” But we’re like ages 12 and 7, respectively.
8) “The Joker” by Steve Miller Band
“Dad, what’s a midnight toker?” Definitely just one precocious question of many regarding adult lyrics fielded by my parents over the years; though I don’t recall their answer to this one. Well call me Maurice, cause I’m toking right now. And that grilled chicken from my core memories is sounding really good right about now.
9) “Lido Shuffle” by Boz Scaggs
I’m fairly certain I thought this was “Little” shuffle, when I was young, not “Lido Shuffle” Makes much more sense now, in a proto-yacht rock kinda way. The grilling is wrapping up for the evening, but have yourself a burger and beer and maybe one for the road, Lido
10) “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Did I imagine “Free Bird” playing with Dad at the grill? At nine minutes and change, there’s no way something wasn’t burned. Unless it was that one time during the hottest summer block party the Northeast had in decades? He had to grill in batches all afternoon. It was just too much work for too many people. That day was a scorcher—no doubt those burgers were mixed with sweat and Heinz 57. At this point on Dad’s Grilling Timeline, both my sister and I were old enough to buy beer.
11) “Jessica” by The Allman Brothers
Yes, the Allman Brothers are on here twice. And truthfully, “Jessica” should’ve been waaaaaayyyy earlier on this mix. But since it took me forever to remember the title of this wordless southern jam and who made it, be thankful it made the list at all. “Jessica” sounds like the summers of my childhood. BBQ in the backyard, kickball in the street intermittent with passing cars from the neighborhood, and a bounty of freeze pops bought in bulk. I’d always call grape.
12) “Locomotive Breath” by Jethro Tull
The leftovers are in the fridge and the dishes are done…except the grilling utensils. Those were always a bitch to clean. Bits of crispy meat congealed with BBQ sauce. It was a task that always grossed me out. But I suppose it was better than cleaning the grill itself. That task is dreaded by dads universally, I suspect. I certainly heard a few choice phrases being shouted from outside—muffled by choice grilling music, of course.
