Like you all, I am sure, I find that certain music makes me wish I were in certain countries. Piaf makes me long to be in Paris, but so does my new favorite, Buddha Bar.
While not traveling, what music do you enjoy listening to, that puts you in the mood or helps you pretend you were in some other exotic place (or not so exotic depending on how you feel)?
Thanks~

The soundtrack to "The Talented Mister Ripley" is great for putting one in an Italian state of mind. Ditto the original "Three Tenors" live in Rome. Of course, all the Costes albums do the same for Paris ...

Great question. I listen to many different styles of music depending on my mood. I like to listen to Ottmar Liebert, Govi, Pino Daniele, Alejandro Fernandez, and the Afro Cuban All Stars (to name a few) when I am thinking about traveling to other countries.

I forgot to mention that the soundtrack from L'Auberge Espagnol is also a favorite.

The most evocative music for me is the stuff I've heard on a car radio while driving in another country -- Hawaiian country & western and Mexican radio pop both act like Proust's madeleine to my memory.

My wife thinks I'm crazy (she should know) but I adore having movie soundtracks and themes playing in the car, even better when I/we are driving in the country or landscape where the movie was set. I have whole CDs (don't ask how I got the music) full of western movie themes that I play whenever we're in sagebrush country, other CDs full of tin whistles, pipes and various celeidh material (thanks <i>Local Hero</i that's dyno in Scotland - you get the picture.

I'm currently playing and playing and... the &quot;Gondor&quot; theme from ROTK - the scene where the &quot;Beacons of Minas Tirith&quot; are lit. (Have you seen it? I mean, is that something?) Need to get to New Zealand (and get a pilot's license) pretty soon or I will start behaving like an orc.

Gardyloo, we do too~ I have the Talk To Her (Almodovar) CD in our car..and Amalie as my back-up.
(although I am not listening to it while I drive in Spain or France-I do wish I were~

Merrilee, I loved <i>L'Auberge Espagnol</i>, but don't particularly recall the music. I just looked up the list of songs, however, and it looks pretty good (I'd get it just for the fact that Ry Cooder makes an appearance.)

I've been burning a lot of compilation CDs recently and wanted to put Serge Gainsbourg's &quot;Je T'Aime...Moi Non Plus&quot; on one of them (for a woman I know who loves Paris &amp; music ) I knew it was on the soundtrack to <i>Addicted to Love</i> which I have and, in looking over the songs on it, I discovered two other great songs, the fun uptempo &quot;Ma Fianc&eacute;e, Elle Est Partie&quot; Dany Brillant (would that be &quot;My Fianc&eacute;e, She Is A Partier&quot; or &quot;My Fianc&eacute;e, She Parties&quot;?), and a beautiful song called &quot;S&oacute; Tinha de Ser Com Voc&ecirc;&quot; by Elis &amp; Tom. The soundtrack kicks off with one of the most beautiful songs of the 60s, from La Rive Gauche (aka The Left Banke), &quot;Walk Away Renee.&quot;

My all-time favorite album to put me in a Euromood is Malcolm McLaren's jazz-and-sex-drenched homage to the City of Light, <i>Paris</i>. On it there's a great cover of &quot;Je T'Aime...Moi Non Plus&quot;; references to references to Josephine Baker, Miles Davis, Erik Satie and girls carrying white mice on the Metro; and a touching guest vocal appearance by the lovely Catherine Deneuve. I give it two croissants up!

I said I wouldn't reply to any more threads but this is one I can't resist.
I start with either of the Stan Getz CDs, Serenity or Anniversary, recorded at the Montmartre Club in Copenhagen on July 6, 1987; then Chet Baker's 2 CDs in Tokyo on June 14, 1987 (My Funny Valentine is absolute bliss); Bill Evans is superb at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1968; Oscar Peterson brightens a Summer Night in Munich in 1998 (listen to When Summer Comes for a moving ballad) and Diana Krall's Live in Paris CD from 2001. Of course, Johnny Hartmann and Shirley Horn are travelling companions I'd take anywhere.

&quot;Je T'Aime...Moi Non Plus&quot; That's a great song, Capo; perfect for any compilation!!!!! Isn't that the song Meg Ryan &amp; Kevin Kline argue over at the end of &quot;French Kiss&quot;? In any case, it's on the soundtrack.

Katie Scarlett! I was just thinking I wish I had the soundtrack to &quot;Amelie&quot; that it would be the perfect song to set one in the mood for Paree. I guess the next best thing is to watch the movie!

Oooh, ooh, and there's this new internet cafe near me called Beans &amp; Bubbles (have you tried bubble tea yet? - they say it makes chai latte SO 5 minutes) that was playing the Buddha Bar CD this weekend!

Well, this probably sounds silly, but when I hear certain country-western music, the kind my dad loved, like Johnny Cash or Willie Nelson or Waylon Jennings, I think of South Dakota; it makes me long to be on the prairie in the hot summer evening sunshine, the grass swaying, with the badlands ringing 'round the horizon. Mmmm, I can smell the fresh scent of alfalfa now.

When I hear CCR (Creedence Clearwater Revival) I think of traveling the roads of the U.S., back &amp; forth between South Dakota &amp; Kentucky just as we did when my dad was alive. Ewww, and I can still remember the smell of hours of pig farms in Iowa.

And Loretta Lynn brings me back to Kentucky (I am so happy Jack White of the White Stripes is recording with her).

Anything by Willie Nelson ! !

Rich

Nothing puts me in the mood for driving in Italy more than any Marcella Bella CD or tape - unfortunately, they're wickedly hard to find on either side of the pond.

Although having nothing to do with Europe....I love listening to Carlos Nakai's native American flute music when traveling by car thru Nevada, Arizona and Utah.

Oh no, the High Priestesses are at it again! In love with our beautiful selves, are we? (smile)

p.s. Statia, quite apart from being in love with your lovely beautiful life- do you perchance live in St. Eustacius, N.A.? The reason I ask is that one of the most fascinating places I've ever been in the world was Saba-4 small villages at the top of this volcanic mountain-truly an extraordinary place.

Yes, Airlawgirl, you caught me. I've been a resident of beautiful St. Eustatius for 11 years now. Might I add that I get to Saba every chance I get!

Saba has wonderful people, beautiful scenery, and it's the only place we can go to get away from the hectic pace on our own 8 square mile piece of paradise.

PS - I admire Saba and the clouds over Mt. Scenery out my kitchen window every day.

You know, Statia, I actually climbed Mt. Scenery about two weeks after Queen Beatrix had been at the Guest House where I stayed, and the owner told me that she had climbed it quite quickly (it's a great climb, isn't it?-not quite like climbing Mt. Sinai at dawn though!) do you know the Guest House/hotel I'm speaking of? It's quite nice-I forget the name.

Try Holly Smith (&quot;Light from a Distant Shore&quot and/or Steve McDonald (&quot;Highland Farewell&quot; and others) while driving through the Scottish Highlands, or sitting abck home dreamoing about driving through the Scottish Highlands. Mesmerizing music - especially Holly singing &quot;When you're in love, you're in forever...&quot; I believe their CD's are available on Amazon. Steve also has a Christmas album.

Well, the Queen probably stayed at Queen's Garden Resort (fitting isn't it?) I prefer to stay in Windwardside for convenience sake, but vow to stay in the jacuzzi suite at Queen's Garden for a special occassion one of these days. I've seen it many times with numerous friends on the island and it's just gorgeous.

BTW - My husband has been in a position to meet Queen Beatrix here on Statia and she is such a wonderful, approachable lady. A true gem.

Yes, Mt. Scenery is a great hike and my best time was 45 minutes to the top and back (from Windwardside just outside YIIK). However, DH and I didn't get to enjoy a &quot;thing&quot; on that trip up! So, we like to take it more slowly and enjoy the beauty nowadays.

I'm glad to hear that you had a wonderful experience there. Saba is like no other place in the Caribbean. The landing alone will tell you that!

EXACTLY. That was my next point- LIAT plopping itself down on that runway oh- so- carefully! And the road leading up to the villages- they said it couldn't be built! This was a really long time ago when I was there. 45 min. is quite good going for the Mt.- I believe with a couple of stops, I made in a bit over an hour- but the owner of the Guest House said the Queen had made it in about the same time as you. What is so fascinating are those lilly-white Scottish-Irish descendants on the island, along with the descendents of slaves- I was told that certain people in one or the other villages had never even visited the other 3 villages! Amazing place.

Is anyone else wondering what the queen of Holland and the island of Saba have to do with the original question?