My dear dad, who died in February, bought be my first vinyl record, Dynamite '78, a compilation album featuring artists such as Ferrets, Sherbert and Hush.
I wanted the album for two reasons: Dance Little Lady by Tina Charles and What I Did for Love by Marcia Hines.
It was, as the album suggested, 1978. I was seven. These songs, especially the latter one by Marcia, were not exactly the theme song from Bluey.
Marcia's gentle-but-strong rendition of the classic love song for whatever reason had me captivated. Her version was sometimes quiet. But also soaring and triumphant. Just. Wow.
And it was also a peak time for Marcia - she had been crowned Australia's Queen of Pop in 1976, 1977 and 1978 and was a regular on Countdown, always looking gorgeous.
Being Queen of Pop remains the highlight of her long career, she reckons, on the phone from Sydney, ahead of her performance on Friday at the Canberra Theatre Centre.
"Anyone who says getting an award is silly? That's because they never got one," she said.
Obviously, at 71, she's still a queen. It's six years since she last performed in Canberra, this time bringing her Still Shining tour to the national capital.
She could put her feet up "but why?". "This is what I do. Touring is what I do," she said.
Marcia first arrived in Australia from the US in 1970 to join the cast of Hair at just 16. She became a star in her adopted country, releasing 22 albums and selling 2.6 million copies.
The Still Shining tour is about remembering all her hits, from Fire and Rain to What I Did For Love to From The Inside.
She says some diehard fans follow her from concert to concert and she can sometimes see them crying in the audience when she sings their favourite songs.
It triggers a time, a place, a memory.
"I just hope people come and have a good time and enjoy the songs we've put together," she said.
And she welcomes her interaction with her fans. When she's home, she's home. But she knows when she goes out someone is probably going to say hi in the supermarket.
"I mean, why wouldn't you welcome that?," she said.
"It would like being mean to a two-year-old with its arms outstretched looking for a hug. Fans are like that two-year-old. It's silly not to be kind to a fan."
Still stunning, Marcia says she walks, stretches and boxes and is a pescatarian (they eat fish but not meat). And she doesn't drink. "I've never been drunk in my life," she said.
Her guilty pleasure is op shops. Her favourite find?
"Oh, there's been so many," she said.
"You know what they say, 'One man's trash is another man's treasure'.
"And I do not, I repeat do not, need any more clothes - but I need more clothes!"
(So I duly direct her to the Braddon Vinnies for a rummage when she's in town.)
Marcia was one of the original judges on Australian Idol and returned to the show this year.
And no matter the argy-bargy on the show, she is a big fan of her fellow judge, radio star Kyle Sandilands.
"I love him. He's my boy," she said.
"Kyle's got my back and I've got his. I think since he's had [son] Otto, he's changed a lot, he's become softer. We all do when we have children."
Marcia's only child, Deni, also a much-loved singer, now lives in Thailand with her husband and "fur babies". Deni is also about to release a new album.
"Deni wanted to be a coroner when she was young but that's a lot of study, so she didn't. Deni's followed her dreams in the end and become a very fine musician," Marcia said.
Just like her mum.
- Tickets to Marcia Hines' show at the Canberra Theatre Centre on Thursday at 7.30pm are available here.
