Moments and the songs that go with them

Cafe Society
1

Looking at my mp3 list, I have several songs that are perfect for particular moments. Sometimes it’s the memories that are attached to a song that do the trick, but it can also be the song’s instrumentation and lyrics. But mostly it’s just the mood that’s created by the song.

  1. Sitting on the beach, drinking a sweet drink…“Jane Said” by Jane’s Addiction

  2. Summer backyard barbeque…“Red Wine” by UB40

  3. Driving on a gloomy, rain-slicked street…“How Soon is Now” by The Smiths

  4. Getting glammed up for a big night on the town…“Giving You the Best That I Got” by Anita Baker.

  5. Lonely night full of quiet introspection…“Wall in Your Heart” by Shelby Lynne

  6. The moment before you’re about to kick someone’s ass…“Big Pay Back” by James Brown.

  7. First step on the treadmill before for a long work out…“Smalltown Boy” by Bronski Beat.

  8. Reading a book on a rainy day…“Kiss Them For Me” by Siouxsie and the Banshees

  9. The moment you decide to stop crying…“Touch of Grey” by The Grateful Dead

  10. Driving down the highway, halfway through a long road trip, and the sun’s overhead…“Wheel in the Sky” by Journey.
    Your turn.

2

A few songs I associate with certain moments:
“Loving You” by Minnie Riperton - a rose garden with butterflies and stuff.
“Taking Care of Business” - having a big project at work.
“Boadicea” by Enya - preparing for a confrontation of some kind, knowing you’re in the right.
“Two of Hearts” by Stacy Q - step aerobics class.
"Jammin’ " by Bob Marley - a barbecue in the backyard, with plenty of booze and some interesting-smelling smoke wafting up from the neighbor’s yard.
“Under the Milky Way” by The Church - drinking under the stars and deep conversations with some good friends.
“Say it Right” by Nelly Furtado - trying on clothes at some mall clothing store.
“Jane Says” - hanging out with a Goth girl named Jane I used to know from college. She had a habit of draping her long, straight hair around her neck like a scarf.
“Alone Again Or”, specifically the cover version by the Damned - drinks with an ex-boyfriend from college who loved this song. The Ataris’ cover of “The Boys of Summer” also reminds me of him because of how they changed a line to “I saw a Black Flag sticker on a Cadillac”, and he had the Black Flag logo tattoed somewhere on his back. Yeah, I hung out with some pretty interesting people.

3

“Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd - When I was in college, some friends and I formed a cover band – this song was part of our set. When one of our members was killed in a freak skydiving accident, us remaining band members performed this at his funeral. I can’t help but think about him every time I hear this song now.

“Feeling the Same Way” by Norah Jones - During my 8 months deployed to the Persian Gulf, we stood long, mind-numbing 12-hour watches. Every day at the beginning of our watch, my buddy Shepherd would toss this song in the CD player and sing it to me in a ridiculous falsetto. I hear his voice every time I hear this song.

“A Kiss to Build a Dream On” by Louis Armstrong - I see the intro to Fallout II in my mind’s eye (which is my choice example of cinematic perfection in a computer game).

“Baby’s Got Sauce” by G. Love and Special Sauce - my ex-fiancee’s theme song (which I chose for her, she had no say in the matter, heh heh)

“Rose of Sharyn” by Killswitch Engage - feeling motivated to do chores/work/other stuff I’d rather not do, knowing that I’ll reward myself with something indulgent once I’m done

“Damn it Feels Good to be a Gangsta” by Geto Boys - deliberately not doing what I should be doing, knowing that I’ll treat myself to something indulgent anyway

“Crazy” by Seal - driving during the wee hours of the night

Handel’s Water Music - staying home on a rainy weekend to work on some sort of personal project (painting, writing, building stuff… something creative)

“Blue In Green” by Miles Davis - staying in bed all day, for no particular reason

“Take Five” by Dave Brubeck - preparing to cook a fancy meal for a special lady

“Starin at the World Through My Rear-View” by Tupac - running/jogging/working out

“Available Light” by Rush - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s King Arthur books… don’t ask me why

“Baba O’Riley” by The Who - feeling invincible and completely in control, knowing full well that I’m not

“Underground” by Ben Folds Five - hanging out with accepting and rational people in college, completely floored that my years as high school outcast are gone, feeling a bit embarassed by the angst I felt throughout those years

“Champagne Supernova” by Oasis - long road trips, wailing at the top of my lungs to the music in my car

“Live Forever” by Oasis - care-free caution-to-the-wind experimentation and indulgence in college

“As the World Falls Down” by David Bowie - my mother awwwww

So yeah, it’s a strange, strange list. But then again, I’m a strange, strange person :smiley: