Beech Tree News Network

Everyone has that song that, as soon as you hear that first chord, that first guitar riff, it takes you back to a certain moment in a time of your life.  I took a Facebook poll, as I’m apt to do, asking this very question.  I got a lot of responses.  The 1990 #1 “To Be With You” by Mr. Big was the first.  The 1976 Boston classic “More Than a Feeling”.  Blake Shelton “Do You Remember”, Metallica “Nothing Else Matters”, and Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock N Roll” are just a few mentioned. 
Music can be a very powerful memory cue.  A song from your high school prom(that’d be Journey’s “Open Arms” for me), graduation or anything else can trigger a memory.  Why is that? Early childhood, grade school, middle school, high school and college are the times in your life when a song is most likely to bring back a memory after hearing it even years later. It doesn’t have to particularly be your favorite song, just the song that was playing at a particular moment in time that will always trigger that memory.  Another song like that for me is Sixpence None the Richer(where’d that band name come from, btw) version of “There She Goes”.  You’ll not be getting that story from me, either. 
Years ago, I went to the Wildhorse to see Los Lonely Boys.  I was right up there next to the speakers, or pretty close at least.  Flash forward to just the other day when I heard the opening guitar riff of their song “Heaven” on CD(yes, I still listen to those now and again).  My mind travelled back to that show. 
Green Day’s “Good Riddance”(Time of Your Life) was another good answer I got.  It was suggested by my bestie.  She said it takes her back to hanging out with her friend in high school.  Another good one is Billy Vera’s “At This Moment”.  Those of you my age will remember that as not only Billy’s only hit, but it became a hit years after its first release thanks to being played on Family Ties during the Alex and Ellen sequence at a school dance.  I’d wager to say it’ll be popular again because of Ted 2.  If you’ve seen the previews, you know what I mean.  I also got Salt N Peppa “None of Your Business”.  That’s a phrase that’s been directed at me a few times, by the way. 
Music will bring forth a memory forever.  As you get older, you’ll have more of those “memory songs”. That’s a good thing.  Whether it’s a good memory or a bad memory that a song brings, it means that you’ve had some very moving experiences.  And life certainly provides us with a cornucopia of those.