be young, be foolish, be happy

let's get something straight first:

the shag is a form of swing dancing that evolved from the jitterbug and jump blues of the big band jazz era and originated along the strands between myrtle beach, south carolina, and wilmington, north carolina, during the 1940s. tt is most often associated with beach music, a genre of rhythm-and-blues-based songs that lend themselves to this dance form.

in the dance the upper body and hips hardly move as the legs do convoluted kicks and fancy footwork. the man is the center of attention and the woman's steps are either mirror steps of the man's or a sort of marking time while he does spins and other gyrations.

the shag is the state dance of north carolina and south carolina, and is still popular amongst residents of both states. -wikipedia.org

so when i talk about shagging, i'm not referring to sexing. or austin powersing. or carpeting. shag is just another part of growing up in south carolina that some people don't understand - like yelling "go cocks!" in public, or hating black people. ok, so that second one is something i don't understand either, but i digress.

in college, tailgating for carolina football games often involved some sort of drunken attempt at shag dancing. my uncles had a tailgating spot near williams-brice stadium with a bunch of other filthy rich people, and there would always be a beach music band playing live music. beautiful carolina girls. shag dancing. *sigh*

anywho, there has also been shag dancing at every wedding i've been to... at least at those that took place south of maryland.

having said that, here's my (beach music infused) playlist for thursday, jan. 10:

1. the platters - with this ring
2. the tams - be young, be foolish, be happy
3. dean jackson - love makes the world go 'round
4. the embers - i love beach music
5. mel & tim - backfield in motion
6. the fantastic shakers - myrtle beach days
7. the foundations - build me up, buttercup
8. general johnson & the chairmen of the board - carolina girls
9. mel & tim - good guys only win in the movies
10. band of oz - shaggin'