What Song Do You Lose Yourself In, Everytime it Comes On?

Certain songs take me back to specific times. I hear them and I'm somewhere else...in the past.

Knights in White Satin. I was coming back from Europe in 1967 on the old Queen Elizabeth I and every night I'd gather with another bunch of young folk to dance in the ballroom. One of the guys would slip a bill to the ensemble to play that song and we'd dance to it.

Put Your Head on My Shoulder. I was in the 8th grade, attending the Friday Night Junior High dances at the YMCA. I have a great dream that a dream-boat named Wayne, would ask me to dance and they'd be playing that song. Of course, that was a very far-fetched dream and he probably wouldn't pee on me if I was on fire.

Hey Jude. It was 1968 and I was driving down Hampton Boulevard on my way to class and that came on the radio. I had to pull over to the side of the road. I COULD NOT drive and listen to it at the same time.

Pretty much anything from Crosby Stills & Nash (pre Young). I hear that music, close my eyes and I can smell hot dust and diesel fumes. I'm back in Turkey, young married and a baby on the way.

There are a lot more, but those four can definitely make me time-travel.
 
This song is associated with a flashbulb-type memory for me: It jerks me right back to the sunny University of Missouri campus, walking by one of the dorms where someone was blaring this from a window. It was the best time of my life. The memory is so poignant that I can barely listen to this song these days.

 
Paladin1950 said:
Click to expand...

When I hear the start of the song you posted, my thoughts usually stop completely, and I just listen, blocking out everything else around me.

After a while, my mind then drifts to The Flower Pot Men and the song they released two months later in response to Scott McKenzie’s track. I end up searching for and playing their song, Let’s Go to San Francisco. The harmonies in Let’s Go to San Francisco draw me in.

The Flower Pot Men:

 
This song has always been my idea of a perfect song. The mix of instruments, the lyrics, and the overall feel all come together flawlessly. And the crazy vocal range fits in perfectly.

When I hear it, the song stays with me all day…and even into the next.

Boston – More Than a Feeling

 
While test-driving/evaluating a car at work, I stopped to fill in an evaluation check sheet. Listening to the radio as I scribbled evaluation notes on the check sheet as I sat in the car. The song playing was Movin’ by Supergrass. I finished the sheet, returned the car, and handed in my evaluation results as usual.

The next day, the check sheet came back with a Post-it note: "Why does it say 'Movin’, Supergrass' at the bottom of the check sheet?"

This version, played at the Glastonbury Music Festival, England, 2004:

 
I’ve always found this captivating -- almost mesmerizing for me, especially the guitars. Originally released in 1984 by The Smiths, sung by Morrissey, but this version is performed live by The Smiths’ guitarist, Johnny Marr.

How Soon Is Now:

 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top