another observation

tonight as i listened to the radio on my way home, i was really struck by the power of the memories that are evoked by music. it is rare for me to hear a song and not have some memory come flooding back. sometimes it's just random thoughts and images loosely associated with my past, but most of the time there is something specific that the music evokes.

sometimes they are old. elvis' "santa bring my baby back to me" takes me back to elementary school and many years of decorating the christmas tree after picking my dad up from his ship on the days he got back from six month deployments. "american pie" is riding in the car with my dad, listening to the oldies station as he hauled me back and forth to ballet lessons in california. i remember giggling with my cousins as we listened to the yellow polka dot bikini song.

sometimes they are newer. "drops of jupiter" will always remind me of the 11th grade. "come on over" is cosmic bowling after high school football games when i was 17. "closing time" is sitting in my high school set shop, goofing off with my friends and a boy who i knew wasn't perfect, but didn't care.

and the ones from college are endless. "ignition" is the street dance sophomore year. "dancing queen" is a combination of odd choreography and a myriad of marching band rehearsals. "thriller" will forever be orchesis. and then there's the immortal "addicted to you", the anthem of freshman year and the tune that was belted through the halls of ffn-mep side, much to the chagrin of RA's and grover-esque hallmates. (this is what they get for putting multiple theatre/music people on one hall.)

tonight was no exception. "sleigh ride" sent me right back to high school band, "when the sun goes down" made me think of the marines i worked with two summers ago, and "la vie boheme" brought back condo weekends, road trips, theatre rehearsals, the makeup room, and a host of people who i miss very much.

the point is, i have very few memories that aren't tied to music in some way. and i love the fact that i can hear a song that i haven't heard in awhile, and it will make me think of some facet of my life that i haven't thought of in a very long time. and it makes me smile.