Remember that movie from a few years back with Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook? Bradley Cooper’s character couldn’t hear My Cherie Amour by Stevie Wonder without having a meltdown. We all have songs like that to some degree, don’t we? I break into a Pavlovian cold sweat from the song “You And I” by Ingrid Michaelson due to the association with my last semester of undergrad, which contained finals, grad school applications/the GRE, and a major breakup. Ingrid, you got me through, but that song has a lot of baggage.
Rewind to age 11. I spent an entire 2-hour car ride staring at a photo of Leonardo DiCaprio while listening to “Everything I Do (I Do It For You)” by Bryan Adams on my CD player on repeat. Yep. And I actually still love that song and feel no shame about that fact.
This post is dedicated to the songs that cannot be played without very specific memories tagging along. I know we all have them. If you want to share some of yours, I would love to read them in the comments.
More noteworthy examples from my life:
“First Day of My Life” by Bright Eyes was indeed on my Xanga. Or was it my MySpace page? I don’t know. It’s the sweetest song. To me, it sounds like young love and html background color codes. Please tell me what songs were attached to your old social media accounts. It was an Evanescence song, wasn’t it?
“I Will Come to You” by Hanson was definitely on repeat during our 1998 10-hour car ride to Disney World. On that same trip to Florida, my aunt let me listen to her headphones while we were at the beach, and I remember feeling super grown up listening to “Noah’s Dove” by 10,000 Maniacs.
When I was 13, my first boyfriend gave me three red roses and took me on a date to see Mr. Deeds. His dad drove us in their maroon Camaro. “One Last Breath” by Creed was on the radio while we drove to the theater. I KNOW. It doesn’t get any more 2002 than that.
At 14, my childhood best friend died. I listened to “Name” by the Goo Goo Dolls during our trip to Texas for his funeral. Whenever I hear it, I remember the long procession of cars, the rain rolling down my backseat window, and my anger that the entire world wasn’t screeching to a halt. They played some of his favorite songs at his funeral: “Can’t Stop” by The Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Here Without You” and “When I’m Gone” by 3 Doors Down.
“On the Radio” by Regina Spektor and “New Soul” by Yael Naim bring me right back to the dorms my freshman year.
Also in undergrad, my brother had a recording studio in his room, and I recorded a cover of Ke$ha’s “TiK ToK.” Still pretty proud of that cover. :-P
In grad school I impressed my friends (maybe surprised is a better word) by knowing all the words to “Super Bass” by Nicki Minaj. Also proud of that.
My husband and I walked down the aisle arm-in-arm to “Your Song” by Elton John. <3
In the wee morning hours of excruciating postpartum fog, I played “You Can Close Your Eyes” by James Taylor on repeat. My parents played that song for me when I was little, and no other song makes me feel as safe and loved.
Taylor Swift very publicly shared a few of her music-related ex-boyfriend memory triggers on her new album (BTW, her namesake is James Taylor), and that may or may not have been the inspiration for this post.
The Tortured Poets Department: You smoked, then ate seven bars of chocolate/We declared Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist/I scratch your head; you fall asleep/like a tattooed golden retriever.
Guilty as Sin?: Drowning in the Blue Nile/He sent me Downtown Lights/
I hadn't heard it in a whileThe Black Dog: I just don't understand/How you don't miss me/In The Black Dog/When someone plays The Starting Line, and you jump up/But she's too young to know this song/ That was intertwined in the magic fabric of our dreaming/Old habits die screaming
Ahh, the relationship drama songs. They will always hold a special, tortured place in my heart. I have dozens, but these are at the tippy top: all Ingrid Michaelson songs, “Comfortable” and “In Your Atmosphere” by John Mayer, “In Between Love” by Tom Waits, and “All Too Well” by Taylor Swift. Visceral nausea.
I wanna know yours!
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