Music and memories
As I was driving home last night - singing along to Billy Joel's 'Keeping The Faith' - I began to think of all of those particular songs and artists which have stood out to me. And by that I mean, analyze those songs which will always be rooted in my memory. Either I distinctly remember the first time I ever heard that particular song and/or artist, or the song itself is wrapped up in some special memory I have.
For instance, I've already mentioned how one of my favorite memories from my childhood is watching my parents dance to 'Pencil Thin Mustache' by Jimmy Buffett during a trip to Hilton Head Island, S.C., back when I was either seven or eight.
And there are other ones. I'll never be able to hear either 'Crazy Love' by Van Morrison or 'I've Been Lonely Too Long' by The Young Rascals without thinking of The Wife. 'Love Shack' by The B-52s is burned into my brain because I remember Russ singing it incredibly loudly in Xon's van back in high school. I can't forget my days with Marc and C Trent at The Washington Street Tavern whenever I hear 'U-Way' by YoungBloodz because they played that song every night.
Music is a powerful form of artistry. It has the power to directly conjure up those memories and experiences you've had, and to make you relive them all over again.
So, for fun on this Friday, I decided to think about a handful of those songs and/or artists who I'll never forget the first time I heard them:
- 'Miss Grace' by The Thymes - This was one of those 1960s R&B/soul/shag/beach songs that my parents absolutely loved and, as a result, heavily influenced my musical likes. I remember a trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C., with some friends of the family, and they had a tape with this particular song on there. I loved it and still do ... though sadly, I can't find it for sale anywhere.
- 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' by Nirvana - I really think you couldn't have not been in either middle school or high school in the early 1990s and not remember where you were the first time you heard this song. I'm not really a big Nirvana fan, but I can tell you I was at a pathetically lame Tutt Middle School dance when I first heard this song.
- 'Dazzey Duks' by Duice - Again, not the best memory I've got for you, but it's always burned in my brain that I was a freshman at Westside-Augusta with Russ at Mandi Echol's house preparing signs for a pep rally. Though this was probably my first experience with Southern bass rap, and I did enjoy that.
- 'Diddy' by Paperboy - Since we're talking about rap ... while The Fat Boys were the first rap group I ever remember hearing, this was the first rap song I heard which blew my mind. After hearing this at possibly the same pep rally I helped prepare signs for, Lee McGill was happy to make a tape for me with this song.
- Tupac - Way too many songs to even process. The first time I heard 'Picture Me Rollin'' or perhaps 'California Love' or maybe 'To Live And Die In L.A.' which ultimately led me to 'Bomb First' ... almost every song I heard is engrained in my memory.
- 'My City of Ruins' by Bruce Springsteen - As I've written before, 9/11 deeply affected me and my outlook on the world, and when I saw Springsteen perform this song during the multi-network telethon just a few nights after the tragic events of that morning, I realized I was watching something I'd never forget. Furthermore, it made me search deeper into Springsteen's vast archive of music.
- 'Bring Me To Life' by Evanescence - And, I'll freely admit, this is one of the weakest songs on the CD. However, Amy Lee's voice and the truly unusual, yet innovative mixture of sounds on the track - first heard while driving on The Loop as I headed toward Commerce - got me hooked. As an aside, I have a second moment involving Amy Lee as I remember seeing 'Broken' on MTV ... though she won't sing this song anymore since she broke up with random dude who sings it with her.
It's an imperfect list, done primarily off the top of my head ... but it's a start. What do you think? What songs stand out in your memory?
For instance, I've already mentioned how one of my favorite memories from my childhood is watching my parents dance to 'Pencil Thin Mustache' by Jimmy Buffett during a trip to Hilton Head Island, S.C., back when I was either seven or eight.
And there are other ones. I'll never be able to hear either 'Crazy Love' by Van Morrison or 'I've Been Lonely Too Long' by The Young Rascals without thinking of The Wife. 'Love Shack' by The B-52s is burned into my brain because I remember Russ singing it incredibly loudly in Xon's van back in high school. I can't forget my days with Marc and C Trent at The Washington Street Tavern whenever I hear 'U-Way' by YoungBloodz because they played that song every night.
Music is a powerful form of artistry. It has the power to directly conjure up those memories and experiences you've had, and to make you relive them all over again.
So, for fun on this Friday, I decided to think about a handful of those songs and/or artists who I'll never forget the first time I heard them:
- 'Miss Grace' by The Thymes - This was one of those 1960s R&B/soul/shag/beach songs that my parents absolutely loved and, as a result, heavily influenced my musical likes. I remember a trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C., with some friends of the family, and they had a tape with this particular song on there. I loved it and still do ... though sadly, I can't find it for sale anywhere.
- 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' by Nirvana - I really think you couldn't have not been in either middle school or high school in the early 1990s and not remember where you were the first time you heard this song. I'm not really a big Nirvana fan, but I can tell you I was at a pathetically lame Tutt Middle School dance when I first heard this song.
- 'Dazzey Duks' by Duice - Again, not the best memory I've got for you, but it's always burned in my brain that I was a freshman at Westside-Augusta with Russ at Mandi Echol's house preparing signs for a pep rally. Though this was probably my first experience with Southern bass rap, and I did enjoy that.
- 'Diddy' by Paperboy - Since we're talking about rap ... while The Fat Boys were the first rap group I ever remember hearing, this was the first rap song I heard which blew my mind. After hearing this at possibly the same pep rally I helped prepare signs for, Lee McGill was happy to make a tape for me with this song.
- Tupac - Way too many songs to even process. The first time I heard 'Picture Me Rollin'' or perhaps 'California Love' or maybe 'To Live And Die In L.A.' which ultimately led me to 'Bomb First' ... almost every song I heard is engrained in my memory.
- 'My City of Ruins' by Bruce Springsteen - As I've written before, 9/11 deeply affected me and my outlook on the world, and when I saw Springsteen perform this song during the multi-network telethon just a few nights after the tragic events of that morning, I realized I was watching something I'd never forget. Furthermore, it made me search deeper into Springsteen's vast archive of music.
- 'Bring Me To Life' by Evanescence - And, I'll freely admit, this is one of the weakest songs on the CD. However, Amy Lee's voice and the truly unusual, yet innovative mixture of sounds on the track - first heard while driving on The Loop as I headed toward Commerce - got me hooked. As an aside, I have a second moment involving Amy Lee as I remember seeing 'Broken' on MTV ... though she won't sing this song anymore since she broke up with random dude who sings it with her.
It's an imperfect list, done primarily off the top of my head ... but it's a start. What do you think? What songs stand out in your memory?
posted by Jmac at 7:18 AM
3 Comments:
I am planning on taking in some OnDemand movies this evening, just taking it easy and relaxing. I'll think about some music memories and see what I come up with. One jumps out at me even as I sit here, but it's a good one and I'll save it for my list.
Good idea for a post, Jmac.
I'm quite sure your list will include Ben Folds Five ... and I was present for that, so hooray for me!
I also forgot Sarah McLachlan, but managed to include Duice ... this was definitely off the top of my head.
Don't Stop Believing- Journey. Don't ask why
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