It was the Summer of 1995. Hootie and The Blowfish were climbing up the charts, and posters for the movies Rob Roy and The Usual Suspects were plastered all over the walls of the Paris Metro. I know this, because I spent that summer in Paris “Studying”.
My dorm roommate Spencer and I would often go to the UNESCO youth hostel to hang out with some of the other foreigners. While Spencer was busy picking up on all the young women at the hostel, I would hang out with the guy managing it in the evenings. He was an Algerian named Nordene.
Nordene was learning the guitar and had a few songs that he loved to play. He was not particularly fond of his own voice, so he would recruit me for some vocals. I am no Freddy Mercury, but when I try, I can actually carry a tune. Well at least Nordene thought I could, so I accommodated his wishes by singing out his favorite songs.
One tune, in particular, I am assuming was Nordene’s favorite, because he played it all the damn time. I never really cared for that song, but I must admit that it was fun to belt out “What a feeling” from the movie Flashdance. It also would light everybody up at the hostel when we played it. On the rare occasion that I hear this song, I think of the UNESCO in Paris. I still know most of the lyrics too. Enjoy!
