"The Box Tops" According to Girl

The Box Tops according to Girl: Wayne Carson Thompson did it. He wrote "The Letter." If we had a second favorite song (the first, of course, was "Brown-eyed Girl") that we would sing to each other, it was "The Letter."

I imagine that had it been written today, it would have been called "The Text Message." Somehow that just doesn’t sound as cool.

There had been lots of letters, and lots of designer smells and drawings on those envelopes carried by the postman from Grand Rapids to New York. The letters coming the other way were typed and proper. Each letter represented the expression of those great, wonderful lyrics.

When The Boxtops came to New York for a concert, yes, we had to see them. It was a given.

In the middle of the screaming, hysterical, pot smoking crowds, we stood. These were the guys that had been at the top of the charts in 1967 for "The Letter," and had even been nominated for a Grammy for that song. In the middle of the jam-packed crowd, we were standing on the chairs. The long hair, beads, flowers and tie-dyed shirts created a kaleidoscope of fans for the five friends from Memphis, otherwise known as "The Boxtops."

It was a sold out show at Madison Square Garden, much like the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus, a bubblegum kind of pop-rock group.

I’m a little sad for Eddie and Marley (our grandchildren), because they will miss the excitement of sending and receiving letters. They will miss looking in the mailbox. They will not be able to anticipate, with shaking hands, tearing open the envelope that traveled by truck, air, or on the back of the guy in blue. Each word, carefully crafted, lovingly printed, carrying the DNA of a cup of coffee, a can of soda (pop), or a smudge of chocolate from a candy bar. They will not have the chance to tear up and toss something written in haste, or add a silly or stupid comment before sealing and stamping. And they will not be able to rethink what they wrote, as they’re approaching the drop slot of the big blue box.

They will not be able to wrap their letters up in a ribbon; nor put them in a safe place, to pull out and read later, when life gets crazy. How will they be able to remember the soft words written about the warm feelings of new love? They will not be able to share them with their children. Their letters will be on cell phones, once read, deleted forever. How very sad.

However, you can still buy the song. The Box Tops’ CD has five stars and is on Amazon for only $6.25. It is a bargain for a memory. Perhaps I will get it. If I do, I will have it mailed. The guy in blue will bring it to my mailbox just outside the door, and with excited, shaking hands, I will open it and think again of days gone by.