It’s a well known fact that the sense most closely linked to memory is smell. I can’t dispute that. There are certain scents that trigger long forgotten moments of my childhood. Memories of people. Memories of places. They catch me off guard when they happen, flood gates open, and clear as day, a piece of the past I didn’t realize even existed is revealed.
For me, a close second is sound…music in particular. I’m not only referring to the romantic, “our song” scenario. Though, those can be pretty special! Nearly every song I hear is associated with a person or situation that has impacted me in some way.
For instance, my Grade 6 talent show, I can tell you what song everyone in my class performed. In fact, given the opportunity, I could likely perform all of their dance moves too. Shania Twain’s Any Man of Mine still makes me want to shimmy and shake my way across a stage. Don’t play it for me — it won’t actually happen. ( k, maybe).
Listening to Extreme’s More than Words ( perfect band and song title choice for such an epic ballad), I picture an out of control karaoke Christmas party with my oldest friends at the apartment my husband and I rented when we first moved in together. It was also the party that marked the introduction of SHOTLUCK, a tradition which has lived on, and continues to get messier each year.
Under the Boardwalk transports me back to a New Year’s party where I was 7 or 8 years old. It was an adults only event, but , as my parents were hosting, I had been allowed down in my jammies to check things out. The Drifters came on, and my parent’s started dancing together. I’m not sure why that moment stuck with me. I had seen them dance countless of times before that. A sentimental sap even then, it struck a chord with me. I couldn’t imagine a better example of what love looked like.
The moment doesn’t have to be monumental. It can be something simple.
When I hear Justin Timberlake’s, Sexy Back, I immediately feel rattled! I ruined that one for myself; it was the alarm on my cell phone for far too many months. Whenever I hear it, I experience that awful, ‘I’m late for life’ feeling .
Brandy’s, Full Moon brings me back to the hip hop class I so desperately wanted to love but only survived 5 or 6 weeks of because I couldn’t feel myself up in a mirror without bursting out laughing. Trust me, you would have laughed too had you witnessed my take on ‘seduction’.
No matter where I am, or how shit of a day I’m having, when I hear Chris Brown’s Forever, I feel like I’m on a sunny vacation, two to… eeee… ten drinks in, tearing up the dance floor with my best friends, and my mood instantly improves!
As long as there’s music in the world, no feeling is ever truly gone for good. Given that, I think we owe a debt of gratitude to the all the artists out there. Not only does their music live on long after they’re gone, they help us hold onto memories long after the moments have passed. So thank you to the rockers, the rappers, the pop princesses, and even the country superstars … for creating the soundtrack to our lives.
The Zuf Truth 