Sunday, February 22, 2009

Question Of The Week

Music has always been a big part of my life and Blake's, too. It's one of many things that brought us together - our love of certain bands and an almost identical CD collection. It's taken a back seat to a few very important concerns....3 to be exact....meaning, Carter, Jack and Lainey. But, we do sneak away for a concert here and there or even a weekend festival in Aspen should time allow. Regardless of how much we're seeing live and in front of us, music triggers all sorts of memories for me and I'm instantly taken back to a time connected with whichever song I'm listening to.

For example:

"Come On Eileen" by Dexy's Midnight Runners....19 years old, 2nd year at LSU, with Millie at the ever famous and now closed down Greek bar, Murphy's, next to campus....dollar calls...the entire place dancing...soaking wet wood planks on the floors from spilled drinks...I can almost smell the heinous Jim Beam right now.

"Crush" by Dave Matthews....25 years old, driving with Blake and Millie to just about anywhere, but Hula Hut is what I think of......after recently moving to Austin....crazy in love with this guy named Blake whom I've known since we were 11 years old....and have re-met and can't think of spending a minute away from...where will this go?

"100 Years" by Five For Fighting.....32 years old, strapped to a surgery table prepped for a cesarean section and waiting anxiously to meet our new baby.....starting to feel a bit nauseous from the drugs....and this song comes on. Blake and I are in tears because we had already spoken several times about how much we loved it and felt it reminded us of Jack.....and now here it is playing in the delivery room.

So....

***What are significant memory-triggering songs for you?

15 comments:

Shannon said...

November Rain. High school makeout sessions. :)

Moni said...

"1999" by Prince...dazzling jazz routine at the 4th grade talent show, spring 1985. Casey should remember this one....

"The Way You Look Tonight" by Tony Bennett...our wedding song, dancing on the lanai in Waikiki at sunset overlooking Diamond Head...there were a million tourists watching, too, but I just saw David.

Anything by Dave Matthews...SMU frat parties, the smell of beer from the keg in the air, loving my new Steve Madden loafers (you all had them), and then to Whataburger for taquitos at three in the morning.

I'm sure there are millions more...everytime I hear a song, I always tell Dave it reminds me of something....I love that about music. It can instantly transport you :)

FROGGITY! said...

You ask the BEST questions! Music is really really important.

Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Tears for Fears) reminds me of Right after hubby and I met during my second year of law school... one of the best years of my life.

The Beatles, Rubber Soul Album. Reminds me of my Childhood. Love it.

Heaven by Los Lonely Boys, our honeymoon.

Steely Dan anything reminds me of Charleston during hazy summer nights ... ahhhh.

Anonymous said...

"I've been watching You" by Rodney Adkins...song Ryan and I feel in love with when we found out we were going to have a baby boy!

"I could not ask for more" Edwin McCain...our wedding song.

The Big Chill CD...my parents played it all the time!! Love it!!!

Hewey Lewis and the news "Hip to be square"...my first tape in my brand new tape recorder!!

Jeannette Pucella said...

This is so true... in fact I've always wanted to write about this very topic...and I think of the very same thing when I hear "Come on Eileen!" Murphys!! Ahg! Good memories though, here is another one of mine:

Freebird
1994 I'm still in my teenage rebellion stage, this time I am running away from home to the East Coast. Nineteen years old behind the wheel of my lime green VW bug convertible, flying down the highway headed for the East Coast from Louisiana. As I pass out of the city limits, Freebird comes on the radio. I feel invincible! I'm rockin out singing, "I'm as free as a bird now, and this bird you'll never change!" When my car suddenly lurches and makes a horrible rattling noise. I realize something is seriously wrong as a loud bumping begins to threaten to shake my little bug apart. I pull over in the middle of nowhere and see that one of my tires has exploded and the rim is now bent, the hubcap is about two miles back in the middle of the highway. You could just hear Freebird winding down and disappearing into the silence of a deserted, old Louisiana highway as I walked to the nearest exit to find a phone, (this was BC, "before cell"
I called my Dad for help, and no one ever knew of my near escape. However, not so long after I was on a Greyhound bus once again heading East.

Allyson and Dave said...

The Sweetest Thing

My husband is a serious U2 fan. I never liked them before I met him. On our first date he was playing one of thier cd's when he picked me up. I told him that I did not really care for them but there was one song I liked. He would not let me tell him what it was. He wanted to guess. So he played The Sweetest Thing. And that was the one song I liked. We joked all night that the song was about us because it said "a blue eyed boy meets a brown eyed girl" He has blue eyes and I have brown eyes. 5 1/2 years later we danced to that song at our wedding. And the line about the blue eyed boy and brown eyed girl was on our wedding invitation.

starnes family said...

Such good stories! Can't wait to hear more.

Shannon....heinous!

Jeannette....was that second attempt to the east coast the one Millie and I were supposed to join you on? To the trailer on the beach? Still wish I had gone!

Monica....yes, do remember the talent show! And, I've stood right there on Waikiki beach and enjoyed the view of Diamond Head. What an amazing place to get married.

KD Lost.....LOVE Steely Dan! Reminds me of my super crazy days in college.

Carrie....The Big Chill soundtrack and the subsequent one are two of my favorite CD's ever. Have no idea where they are....need to buy again.

Allyson....sweet! Cute idea to include it on your invitation, too.

Forgot another....just about all Dave Matthews takes me back to Jazz Fest in New Orleans. One of the best times of my life.

Britney said...

Dave Matthews - High School all the way!

Dixie Chicks - driving down the tollway after a mixed conversation with then fiance', pregnant with Trysten, and knowing I was having a baby, with or without help!

John Legend - Ordinary People...
'04'05 were rough years and this song hit home for the hubby (to be) and I!

Anything by Nora Jones... lazy days in bed with the hubby, before he was the "hubby"!

Kenney Chesney - The Woman With You... reminds me of the lake, snuggling up with the hubby in '06!

Lenny Kravitz - It Ain't Over Till Its Over... again, SO the hubby and I's songs!

Louie Armstrong - What a Wonderful World... a million different memories flood my mind when I hear this song, all centered around my mom. This was her Favorite song, EVER! Last time I saw her dance to it was at my first wedding with my ex. It was played at her funeral.

Anything by Steve Starnes! He can take you back to any memory you want with his songs about our family and friends!

Anonymous said...

Anything by Debbie Gibson - elementary school talent show, can't remember the name of the song.

Mark Knopfler And Emmylou Harris - This Is Us - totally makes me think of David and me - remember listening to it on our drives from TX to NC.

The entire Dido CD got me through our long distance relationship and everytime I hear a song from that I can flashback to crying to sleep miss him so bad, or falling asleep while talking to him on the phone.

That awful song Strawberry Wine from Deana Carter makes me think of the summer I lost my virginity.

Huey Lewis - I'm a huge fan and his songs take me back to sorority days and concerts at Wolftrap in DC

merrilee said...

"The Way you look tonight". . .can't remember the artiist--it was the first song Darin and I danced to at our wedding.
"The Scientist" by Coldplay--Darin asked my mom if she could play it on the piano, simply from hearing it. She was actually able to repeat most of the song that way--AMAZING!!
"I don't want to cry" by Mariah Carey--Carrie, you remember.. .my 10th grade boyfriend, Zach, had just broken-up with me and I was devastated!!! Wow--I was pretty dramatic.

Malinda said...

Anything off the American Graffiti Album or The Baby Elephant Walk reminds me of every weekend as a kid. My Dad would play those two albums every weekend morning on a huge cabinet stereo we had in the living room. I would wake up and that would be the first thing I heard. My favorite was Love Potion #9. I still know the words.

Fast forward to High School and the album Chicago 17 brings back tons of memories. Every single song. I went to the the concert in March of 1987 with a group of friends (Phillip included) and we started dating the very next week.

Anonymous said...

College - Tribe Called Quest - any song from them reminds me of playing Super Sprint with TJ and baby Josie in my first college apartment

High School - Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit - life was so tragic as a Plano teen in the late 90s

Middle/Elementary School - ANYTHING Casey listened to was cool enough for me. Greatest album memory has to be Faith by George Michael. Reminds me of the life-size poster that we may or may not have practiced our kissing on!!!

Moni said...

Caroline....I remember Casey's obsession with George Michael in high school. Hilarious. She was also obsessed with Honda Accords!

Merrilee...that was our wedding song, too. There are MANY versions...we danced to Tony Bennett!

Anonymous said...

Mer, I just peed my pants. That was the most hilarious (not for you) time! It was pathetic...but I know your heart was broken. The funniest part was you singing along to it in your crying, cracked voice...it wasn't pretty...sorry...not good at all...I hope you have improved...

If the shoe FITZ said...

I know I am little late on this...but I just heard money, mony by billy idol on the radio. this reminds me of high school dances. we thought we were so cool b/c we got to sing at the top of our lungs...hey mther f-er get laid get fckd!