It was somewhere around the time of this show that I realized I was experiencing my first big crush. She lived not too far away from my house, the sister of one of my friends. I was fifth grade, she was sixth; we rode the same bus to school. I never tried to strike up a conversation, and I tend to doubt I tried to show off/act cool around her when I visited my friend (I certainly didn’t mention anything about it to him, either—he would have razzed me mercilessly). But as painfully awkward and shy around girls as I was, it wouldn’t be shocking to discover she knew nonetheless. If she was aware, I couldn’t detect any indication of mutual interest.
Every time I heard “My Eyes Adored You” that spring, I couldn’t help but think about my situation, despite (more likely, because of) our ages being reversed from that in the song. And as an eventual #1 song (it’s near the beginning of its climb here, at #28), it was on the radio plenty! Apparently I still remember, at least every once in a while.
The crush didn’t go on overly long—some number of months, I imagine. That fall she moved up to junior high, which was there in Walton, while I carried on at the elementary school in Verona. Did that make a difference? Got me. Who knows why feelings rise and then subside, especially at age eleven?
The Music of My Life 