At the beginning of a work week, I usually need more than coffee to get me moving. In fact, any time I’m required to do something constructive before 10 a.m., caffeine alone doesn’t suffice. But I have a secret weapon and her name is Aretha. Ms. Aretha Franklin, to be exact.

I got to have a little “Respect.” (Just a little bit.) And all I have to do is hear the first few bars to remember I have it, at least from myself. I consider “Respect” my theme song. Silly? Maybe. But it works.

The idea of a personal theme song certainly isn’t new, but I hadn’t thought of it until the Ally McBeal episode in which Ally’s therapist, Dr. Tracy Clark (played by Tracey Ullman), advises her to get her own theme song. That piece of advice actually worked for me — it’s one of my favorite memories of Ally. Besides this, of course:

If you watched the show, you may recall that Ally's theme song was “Tell Him” by The Exciters. (Does anyone know the story behind this music video? It's weird.) That song pretty much summed up what Ally wanted out of life: a man to love. … continue reading