This is one of those entries I was composing in my head on the drive over the mountain last Friday. I have a bunch of songs, old and new, loaded on my cellphone/mp3 player and we were enjoying them as we turned and wove our way down the California side of the mountain. A couple songs came on that I had such a strong reaction to. One in particular. Whenever I hear Offspring’s “Self Esteem”, I’m instantly transported back to the fall of 1994 and my freshman year at college. Doesn’t matter where I am, or what I’m doing when I hear it. It seems just like yesterday. I can picture myself riding in the back of my roommate’s car through the streets near the university, past the fraternity houses on a Friday that are full to busting with party-goers and the volume is cranked up so loud that I can hear the song in my toes. I can even smell the cheap beer when I hear that song. It’s that vivid.
Another college-era song that I have a strong reaction to is Candlebox’s “Far Behind”. Even though my obnoxious rooommate listened to this repeatedly at top volume while I was trying to sleep, I still liked it. That should say something. Other songs that remind me of those early, heady, drunken college years include:
- The Cranberries’ “Zombie”
- Lisa Loebe’s “Stay”
- Pretty much anything by Live, but especially “Lightning Crashes”
- Eddie and the Cruisers’ “Run Around Sue”
- Bon Jovi’s “Always”
An interesting collection to be sure. Those songs will forever be associated with that particular time of my life. It wasn’t 100% happy, but it wasn’t 100% bad either. I guess the same could be said about those songs. Isn’t it funny, the songs that end up being a part of the soundtrack of our lives?
