“If I had not kissed anyone, or danced with anyone, or had a reason to cry, the music made me feel as if I had gone through all that anyway.”

“I was thrilled by discovery, crushed by disappointment, and mortified by any misplaced enthusiasm. I declared allegiance, took a position, and always had a view, not noticing that girls were bemused and boys found me boring. Was a girl not supposed to feel so strongly, let alone want so much to possess and know something for her own sake?”

“Being a woman seemed to mean listening to the music boys liked and neither dancing nor singing along.”

“There are times when we need the rocket fuel of singing and dancing to power us through an act of blind faith. Falling in love is one of those times, when we need to move into a phase of enchantment with enough force so that when things cool and the air clears, we are locked into that person, that love. We fall in love and we sing as we walk down the street; we turn up the music and dance.”

“This is the starting point of dance: something -- the music, the steps, your partner -- holds you but you also have to hold it and, to achieve the necessary tension, hold yourself against it.”

“I got to know [teen music] as we absorb music in passing but can remember only its seriousness and weight.”

“[My mother] believed we could each change the world, but what convinced me this was possible was music.”