Dancing Round The Table - A Journey Through Childhood Dreams and Timeless Tunes

Some songs are more than just melodies—they’re snapshots of the moments, dreams, and feelings that define who we are. Dancing Round The Table is my tribute to the music that shaped my childhood and the dreams that came along for the ride.

The title and chorus lyric, “Dancing round the table,” come from a memory that’s as vivid today as it was back then: my brother and I dancing (or maybe just running) around our dining room table to The Housemartins’ Now That's What I Call Quite Good. That album was a big part of my childhood, and it did more than get us moving—it sparked my imagination. For a while, I was sold on the idea of becoming a farmer. A short lived dream. It turns out farming isn't all feeding calves and driving combine harvesters.

Still, the music—and the memories it inspired—stuck with me. This song is full of those kinds of moments: songs that still fill me with nostalgia and remind me of the kid I used to be.

The Albums That Started It All

The day this musical journey started

The first album I ever owned was McFly’s Wonderland. I still remember getting the CD and playing it on repeat. Every track takes me back, but “The Ballad of Paul K” always stood out. At the time, I didn’t have a clue what it was actually about, but something about the melody and feel of the song stuck with me.

McFly pops up again in Dancing Round The Table with a nod to “Obviously.” That song has a different significance—it takes me back to 13-year-old Lawrence, who once recorded a cover of it for a crush. Let’s just say my attempt at being charming fell flat... 13-year-old Lawrence "Rizz" was not the one.

Classics and Comforts

Another lyric in the song, “Opus 85 when I go to sleep,” is a direct shoutout to Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E Minor, Op. 85. To this day, it’s my favorite piece of classical music. For a long time, it was the soundtrack to my evenings, spinning on my CD player as I drifted off to sleep.

And then there’s “Twinkle twinkle Galaxy,” a line that combines two big childhood loves. First, there’s the nursery rhyme “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” which I’m sure most toddlers adored. Then there’s Galaxy FM, the radio station I used to listen to religiously before it became Capital FM. It’s funny how something so simple can feel so significant in hindsight.

The Soundtrack of Growing Up

Verse 2 takes a deep dive into the music that defined my younger years. One standout was Pop Jr, a 2005 album filled with tracks that would make a rainy sunday afternoon feel more like a vibrant sunny day. Full of bangers like “Is This the Way to Amarillo” and “Das Kleine Krokodil,” but my personal favorites were “One Step Closer” by S Club 8 and Eiffel 65’s “Blue (Da Ba Dee).” Those were the tracks I had on loop on the CD player OR on my portible DvD player (which I thought was SO cool).

Misheard Lyrics and Childhood Innocence

One of my favorite parts of Dancing Round The Table is the line, “Unaware of meaning, I just like the tune.” It’s a nod to how we all probably listened to music as kids—more about the sound and less about the lyrics. For me, this was best captured by The Housemartins’ “5 Get Over Excited.” As a kid who loved all things farming, I was sure the lyrics said, “farm, farm, farm.” It wasn’t until years later that I realized it was actually “fun, fun, fun,” and the song had nothing to do with combine harvesters or cows.

Looking Back, Moving Forward

For me, Dancing Round The Table isn’t just a song; it’s a reflection of how music has shaped my life. It’s about those childhood dreams—some silly, some serious—and the songs that made them feel real. Even as those dreams faded or changed, the music stayed, and it’s just as meaningful to me now as it was back then.

What about you? Are there songs that instantly take you back to your childhood? Whether they remind you of family road trips, bedroom dance parties, or even your own misheard lyrics, I’d love to hear about them. Let me know in the comments, and let’s celebrate the music that made us who we are.