Everyone has certain songs that remind them of certain times in their life or songs that bring back certain memories.
Here are the songs that we thought of while we had Alfie with us in the hospital, songs that seemed to have some relevance to our situation or to Alfie himself and a brief explanation why. Some of them were played at his funeral and so will forever be.... Alfie's Songs.
Don McLean - Wonderful Baby
To be honest, I had never heard this song before we lost Alfie. We had been listening to an album with the next song that I will talk about on, and this was on the same album. My boyfriend J suggested that I listened to it but I wasn't bothered at the time. He later played the track and as soon as I heard it tears streamed down my face. I couldn't listen to it again for a couple of days but this ended up being the song that was played at Alfie's funeral as everyone gathered in the room where the service was to be held.
The second it started to play my other kids, Alfie's brothers and sister also started to cry, we had done pretty well up until that moment but it set us all off in good style, if you listen to the song or read the lyrics I'm sure you'll understand why.
Don McLean - Vincent
There are a couple of reasons that this will forever be Alfie's song. One being that on the night that Alfie was born, 2.05am Monday March 3rd 2003, after being passed straight to me from birth, I passed him over to my boyfriend who was distraught at what had happened. This was the first time he had held his long awaited child and under such strained circumstances this was a very emotional time for him. He held him, and he cried and he walked him around the delivery room talking to him. He told him how much he was loved and wanted but that we knew we had to accept what had happened, as he was talking to Alfie he took him to the window to show him where he would have lived and to tell him how much he would have loved to have taken him outside when he was older and show him off to the world and do all the things that daddies do with their kids. As he was at the window he noticed that the sky was full of glistening stars and he showed them to Alfie, this made him think of this song as the first line is, starry starry night, in fact a lot of people actually think that this is the title of the song.
The main reason we chose this song was that there is a line in there that just seemed to sum everything up. We were in the delivery room absolutely stunned and wondering why this had had to happen to our beautiful baby and the thought of the song was still there and J my boyfriend said, "Just like the song says, This world was not meant for one as beautiful as you" It seemed to encapsulate everything that we were thinking and to this day that line makes my eyes well up, I will never be able to listen to this song without thinking of Alfie again, but now I think that's a good thing.
As much as I had always liked the song Vincent and knew that it was about the artist Vincent Van Gogh, I never knew that one of his paintings was actually of a starry starry night.
Chris Howson who performed the service at Alfie's funeral brought us a book about Vincent Van Gogh after he had been researching the subject when we had told him that we would like the song played at the funeral.
Chris had read up about the whole thing and linked the words, the story, the picture and the song up beautifully, the service he gave us was perfect and we will be forever grateful, the picture here is Vincent's starry starry night.
Scott Bakula - Somewhere In The Night
This has just always been a long time favourite of mine and when we heard it for the first time after everything had happened it just seemed to fit. Not particularly all of the words but the sentiment, you know how it is, the man, the feeling, the song.
Anyone who knows me knows what Scott Bakula means to me and how he and the programme that he starred in, Quantum Leap had a huge effect on me and that he and that programme are responsible for J and myself being together in the first place. Hence our son's middle name, Alfie Sam.
Alfie
I have known that this next song existed for a long time but never thought about it until just yesterday, I am adding this at a later date than I put the rest of this site together. It is now 21st June 2003, 3 months after we lost Alfie. I sat yesterday and actually listened to the song for the first time. I downloaded the lyrics and they just seemed to fit so well. They actually brought a tear to my eye whilst reading them. I have found several versions of the song by different people, I suppose everyone will have their own favourite. To be honest I thought it would be the Cilla Black version but it's not, I much prefer the Barbra Streisand one, I will get laughed at so much for saying that but it's true. My mum will be saying * I told you so! * lol. There's a few versions on here to listen to, maybe your fave will be different to mine.
What's it all about, Alfie?
Is it just for the moment we live?
What's it all about when you sort it out, Alfie?
Are we meant to take more than we give
or are we meant to be kind?
And if only fools are kind, Alfie,
then I guess it's wise to be cruel.
And if life belongs only to the strong, Alfie,
what will you lend on an old golden rule?
As sure as I believe there's a heaven above, Alfie,
I know there's something much more,
something even non-believers can believe in.
I believe in love, Alfie.
Without true love we just exist, Alfie.
Until you find the love you've missed you're nothing, Alfie.
When you walk let your heart lead the way
and you'll find love any day, Alfie, Alfie.
There are countless versions of this song available, here are just a few, click the picture to hear that particular artist's version.
