Music & Memories

Have you ever noticed how hearing a certain song can bring back memories of another time and place in your life? You hear a song and the memories of yesteryear come flooding back. Here are some songs that evoke strong memories for me:

• A Boy Named Sue - My dad used to listen to country music; I didn't care for it when I was girl. But my pops liked Waylon, Willie and the boys. And we used to have to suffer through watching Hee Haw, too!
• Smiling Faces Sometimes - This is just one song from the 1970s that takes me back to the days of running around with my siblings and friends. This song in particular reminds me a family vacation when we rented a beach house at Sunset Beach with another family, the Olands.
• Pass It On - Truth be told, I have not heard this song in years. It takes me back to being in Catholic school and having to go to Mass during the school day. With my friends, Mary, Monica and Joan, I seemed to always end up laughing during church. The nuns definitely frowned upon us finding anything humorous during Mass!
• Chantilly Lace - One of my brothers, Gary, loved to listen to the oldies. It made him cool because he wasn't listening to popular rock & roll; he was doing his own thing. I can remember trying to learn the words to the songs he loved.
• Brandy - I don't know how many times I heard this song on a family road trip from Orange County, CA, to Bellingham, WA, but it was a lot. I can remember my dad singing out loud to this song (slightly off key and off the beat) as we rolled down I-5!
• Hotel California - The year was 1977 and I was graduating was 8th grade at St. Irenaeus Catholic School. I remember this song playing during a slow dance with my mad crush, Stephen Denevan.
• I Can't Wait and Nasty Boys - Both of these songs remind me of going out after work at Western Federal Savings & Loan. I was in college and most of my friends at work were, too. We definitely had a great time going out to the local hot spots to dance the nights away. Steph, Pat, Maria, Matt, Pam, Scott, Sheryl, Mike, Ravine, Suz, Debbie, Kirk...we spent a lot of time together laughing and having fun!
• Red Red Wine - After my girl, Georgann, came back from a vacation to Jamaica, we started going out to listen to live reggae music. This song was frequently requested, so hearing it makes me think back to the days when "the drums and the base make me wind up me waist!" This song was not exactly a good representation of reggae music, but it was certainly popular, especially at the clubs in Orange County. And if you know me well, then you know that Georgann's trip to Jamaica had a lasting impact on my life.

There are countless songs that take me back to a different place and time. How about you? What songs evoke your memories?