Think about how big a part music has played in your life. You associate certain songs with pleasurable and not-so-pleasurable experiences. Certain songs have a painful tinge to their memory, because they were the songs you heard when you got dumped by your first SO. Or they have a pleasant tinge to them, because they were the songs that you fell in love to. Or maybe you listen to a certain song before every game…or you rock out to a certain favorite song after a long, hard day.
Just think about it for a moment. Share your stories of how certain songs have been tied into your life, if you wish.
Dire straights (‘straits’) is probably the first music I ever liked. I remember being in the car on the way to prestatyn (sp?) to the holiday camp. Dire straits was on the radio and I loved it. It is the first time I remember appreciating music. I think I was about 8ish at the time. Funnily enough before I saw this thread I was looking for dire straits on virgin’s (legal) music download site.
Having said that. Smells are FAR more potent than sound for activating old feelings.
(I replied to this a while ago but the hamsters were hungry at that time)
This is probably true. I was recently at the deli counter at the Commissary, and had to leave because I was being overwhelmed by bad memories brought about by some scent I smelled there. Weird thing was, I couldn’t figure out what the scent was of, what I was connecting it to, and what the related bad memories were. There was just a general air of bad-feeling about the whole thing.
BTW, at the time I made the OP, I was stoned and listening to Everclear, for which I had (at the time) a heightened appreciation.
(Does that count as discussing “past use”?)
Mandatory disclaimer: Cannabis is illegal according to California state and U.S. federal law.
Back when John Lennon was killed, my girlfriend at the time couldn’t understand what the big deal was. I finally was able to explain it to by asking her: name a single person who’s brought as much human happiness into the world in the last 25 years. Let’s face it, whether it’s the Beatles or Britney Spears, music brings joy into our lives. And in today’s world, that means a lot!
Among my school’s drama department, there is a tradition of singing “Piano Man” (Billy Joel) backstage just before each performance. It’s hard to describe how much joy and sadness the song carries for us all. But I agree entirely. Music is so important.
Embarrasingly, my first memory of recorded music is singing along with my mother to Stevie Wonder’s I Just Called To Say I Love You.
The first song I ever learned all the words to was Hole in My Shoe by Neil from the UK TV programme The Young Ones (featuring a young Rik Mayall).
It was a terrible terrible song, but my brother had it on a 45 (I think… it was the smaller of the two standard record sizes) and as a young’un I found it quite charming. You can see the somewhat disturbing cover art here.
Couldn’t find a website with the song on it anywhere, although if you Google “Neil Hole in My Shoe” the second or third return has a ringtone (midi) version on it.
Earliest memories - early period Beatles. My parents were fans* and I can remember jumping around on the sofa with my sister singing along and playing a chunk-of-wood ‘guitar’.
The Hard Day’s Night giant chord
Channnnng!
Instant nostalgia.
*up to Revolver which was too weird for them