Lisa Tichenor
January 2023

Much of my relationship with Willie included music.  When he was leaving for college, after waiting a year because of his treatment, I asked him to leave me a list of his fifteen favorite songs by fifteen different artists.  Although Willie did not get to it before he left, my husband Mac organized Willie, Taylor, and himself to each give me their list for Christmas that year.  Willie titled his “15X15.

  1. Smooth Criminal by Michael Jackson - As a baby/toddler, whenever Willie would fall and cry, I picked him up and danced and sang this song with him.  However, the words I used were, “Willie has a boo-boo, has a boo-boo, has a boo-boo, Willie.”  Worked every time…

  2. Baby Beluga by Raffi - This was the first song Willie learned the words to, and we played it in the car constantly.  Now I play it in the car with Taylor’s son, Michael.

  3. Under the Sea by Samuel E. Wright (Soundtrack Version) - Willie was 3 when the Little Mermaid came out.  He loved it but was terrified by the Sea Witch - I had to take him out to the lobby in the movie theater.  He conquered his fear by listening to the sound track over and over.

  4. Rocky Mountain Way by Joe Walsh - we were driving out to my grandparents’ ranch in west Texas and stopped at a truck stop for gas.  I told him he could buy one thing, and he chose a cassette tape, The Best of Joe Walsh.  We drove west into an intensely beautiful orange sunset singing “Rocky Mountain Way” at the top of our lungs.

  5. America by Rita Moreno, George Chakiris, and the West Side Story Chorus - This West Side Story song served to annoy him, which I considered a success. Every time the subject of Puerto Rico came up, I would go into the intro of this song and the family would scatter.

  6. Black Dog by Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin was my all-time favorite band for much of my life.  Whenever we listened to it, Willie loved to get right up in my face and sing, “Big legged women ain’t got no soul!”

  7. Macarena by Los del Río – This song is such a memory of Willie and Taylor’s middle school experience, including Cotillion dance lessons.  When their great-grandmother was staying a few days for Christmas, the boys and their cousins performed it for her.  Every time they had their backs to her, Willie would moon her.  I got a picture. :)

  8. Hole in My Soul by Aerosmith - One year, I decided the boys should have a clothing allowance each semester over which they had complete control.  The first semester, Taylor bought a leather jacket and a camera lens.  Willie bought the complete works of Aerosmith.

  9. Vivaldi’s Four Seasons by Vivaldi - One summer, we traveled to Paris and got tickets to a chamber music performance of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons at San Chapele in Notre Dame.  It was hot and Willie didn’t want to go, but we insisted.  It transformed his musical awareness.  From that point on, he borrowed from Taylor’s extensive classical collection to listen to as he went to sleep.

  10. Since U Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson - Willie was quite taken with the local talent of Kelly Clarkson and her amazing success.  He loved her voice and would blast this song and sing along, matching her note and volume.

  11. All Over You by Live - We sang together the first line of the song but would change it to “Our love is like Walter” as a shout out to his beloved cousin.

  12. Power in the Blood by Barbara Mandrell - Willie loved an old Barbara Mandrell collection of gospel songs I had.  One day, when I was sitting with him during a blood transfusion, he broke into this song to make me laugh.

  13. Break My Heart I’ll Burn Down Your House by CloverStreet - CloverStreet performed this song for the first time when I was in the audience, and I had not heard it before.  “If you want to pretend this never happened then I’ll pretend that I’m not burning down your house.”  When Willie came to this line in the song, he looked at me and I burst out laughing, then he gave me a slow wink, just like he always did at some point when he was on stage, ever since he was a little boy. 

  14. Blessed Be Your Name by Matt Redman- This became the musical prayer of the friends who surrounded Willie in his final days and has been sung in his memory thereafter. 

  15. Soco Amaretto Lime by Brand New - CloverStreet decided to cover this song in the Highland Park High School Literary Festival talent competition.  When they won best original song, they had to clear up with the judges that they were playing a cover, a Brand New song that was not their own.  I think that made the win even more fun for them.