Thursday, November 14, 2013

Music memory

When I was in college, one of my professors once discussed how memories go beyond just mental recollections. In short, remembrances are made using all of your senses - i.e., you remember things you've seen, heard, smelled, tasted, and touched.

When it comes to memories from things you've heard, I associate a lot of music with where I was when I heard it. There are also songs that remind me of certain people. This might be because I heard them singing it at some point, or because they chose to play it at specific times, etc.


Here are a couple of random examples:

- The "West End Girls" song reminds me of London. I happened to hear it on my MP3 player when I was in London. At that moment the references to the East End and the West End suddenly made sense to me.

- Hearing anything by Louis Armstrong reminds me of a friend who sang karaoke with this song using a perfect Louis Armstrong voice.

- This song reminds me of an old coworker. He played it in the office at 5:00 PM as a signal that the "official" workday was over, and it made several of us giggle at our desks. "Chaka kahn, chaka kahn, chaka kahn, chaka kahn..."


My musical remembrances cover all areas of my life, of course. From a runner's perspective, there are some songs that now remind me of certain races I've run. Examples:

Be Like Mike reminds me of the 2011 Home Team Charity Run 10K because it was playing at the finish line when I crossed it. "Sometimes I dream, that he is me... you've got to see that's how I dream to be..."

Gangnam Style will forever remind me of the Chicago Marathon. I heard it a number of times in several different neighborhoods throughout the day. Each time it was played, I saw a different gathering of runners/spectators dancing to it in their own unique way. =D

- As of last week, the Perculator song is going to remind me of the Carrera de los Muertos. After not having heard it for quite some time, I heard it played there two or three times just that morning. "It's time for the perculator, it's time for the perculator, it's time for the perculator... [repeat repeat repeat]..."


As of this past weekend, I have another addition to the list. I heard the song "Applause" played a few times during last weekend's half marathon. I find it very catchy. At the time, the lyrics made me think of how runners feed off the energy of spectators, e.g., "I live for the applause, applause, applause... live for the way that you cheer and scream for me..." But now I can't get the song out of my head altogether! It may need to be a new addition to my MP3 player.

How about all of you? Do you have any specific music that reminds you of certain people, places, or races?

10 comments:

  1. I was just thinking of Gangnam Style this morning because the pistachio commercial was on and realizing 2+ years have passed since that song was at the peak of popularity. Yikes. For some reason smells bring back distinct memories for me. The other day I smelled the perfume my 6th grade teacher used to wear. Jovan something....

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    1. Oh my goodness, has it been 2+ years already for Gangnam style?!?!? Crazy how quickly the time goes by. I guess you know that a song has been around for a long time when you start seeing it used on random commercials! Perfume is a total memory-reminder for me, too. You have an incredible memory for being able to remember what perfume your 6th grade teacher wore!!!

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  2. No specific songs right now... but I do have a specific smell that reminds me of a memory. My grandpa used to drink cheap coffee by the gallon, and was constantly tossing out the used filter/grounds and brewing a new pot. Whenever I change out the office coffee, the smell permeating from the used grounds reminds me of him. Isn't it amazing how little tidbits like that trigger the strangest memories?

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    1. That's a great story about your grandpa and his coffee grounds! It is funny how these little tidbits trigger unusual memories. Speaking of coffee, I think that Starbucks coffee shops in general have a certain smell, presumably because they all use the same types of grounds and brewing processes. I can pretty much smell a Starbucks from a block away!!!

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  3. I definitely connect lots of music with different times/places/experiences over the years. That's why I'm always so tickled when one of the trainers at my gym plays older stuff, because 9 times out of 10, I can connect it with something or someone from my past.

    Strangely, there's a lot of music that reminds me of certain people I've dated, because I may not have heard it otherwise if not for them.

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    1. I am a child of the 80s so I love the older stuff, too! Although I find it a little depressing when I turn on the "oldies" radio station and they are playing 80s music. I know that some of that stuff is over 30 years old, but still... "oldies" already!?!?!?

      Totally agree with you on certain music that I would not have heard if not for certain people. For me, the music that fits into that category the most would be a lot of the old alternative music from the 90s. Not my cup of tea, personally, but I had many friends who loved it and listened to it all the time!

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    2. Aw, 90's alternative is really sentimental for me! And I do enjoy most of it. I think the one gym teacher is about my age, so it always cracks me up when he plays stuff like that, since we were probably both listening to it in junior high or high school. I think there is something to the music we listen to at important times in life like that. I feel really attached to stuff from high school and college, and from my first few years in Chicago when a lot of big life stuff was happening.

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    3. You know, I actually thought about the fact that I am older now than a lot of my teachers were back when I was in school. I always thought they were such authority figures who never goofed around, but now I realize just how untrue that is. Funny how perspectives change as you get older, eh?

      For sure, the stuff you listen to during important times in life leave very lasting memories! I remember almost everyone's first-dance wedding songs for that reason. =)

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  4. I'd never heard that Perculator song before your blog post, now I've got it going through my head too! :)

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    1. It is catchy, isn't it? And the lyrics are super, super easy to remember. =D

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