Jimellow

I do a lot of driving, often with friends, and always with music.

As a result, I've noticed that there are songs (even artists) that I associate with friends and memories.

This isn't an earth shattering discovery, as I'm sure many of you have experienced the same thing..

What interests me more is how later, down the road, when I hear a particular song I may not want to listen to it, even if in instills good memories..

For instance, if many months ago I had a great time with a friend while listening to a particular artist, and then in the present hear that same artist/song I may not want to listen to it, because I don't want to "deal" with the good memories, and that I currently am not experiencing them.

Furthermore, if there is a song that I associate with bad/sad moments, I might opt to listen to it, but it will result in having a totally different meaning than it would have previously.

Of course, there are also songs that bring back great memories that I love listening to again.. But it just seems that sometimes I'd prefer not recalling the good memories, because in a way the song becomes a downer because I don't have that good situation going on now.

Do you have songs that you can relate to in your life that you will intentionally listen to, or avoid, based on past experiences, good and bad?

Instead of solely listing the songs, I think it would be neat to also discuss the impact a song has on your life, and whether you intentionally avoid it, or instead look forward to listening to it. The specific song isn't really important here. I was instead hoping to focus on the situation and memories that a particular song may incur; and how you react to it as a result.

Rudel73

Alone I Break - Korn and Wait and Bleed - Slipknot ... i HAD to listen to those 2 songs before i stepped foot on the football field. It was an absolute MUST; if i didn't hear those songs I would'nt perform! Basicly now whenever i hear those songs i start thinking about football and how much i am going to miss playing under the friday night lights....the good ol' days are over for me! Still love the songs though!

Gustoferson

Kansas - Carry On My Wayward Son. My High School band played that song incessantly at all of our football games. Now the problem is, we were pretty terrible at football. We were a brand new school my sophomore year, and junior year I joined the football team (which hadn't won a game in the first season). Sure enough, we didn't win a single game that season either. Now keep in mind many of these losses were by 50 or 60 points, so this was a bona fide taking out behind the woodshed and beating us sorts of situations. And yet, invariably, countless times per game, we'd hear the band break into their rendition of that song repeatedly while we're down on the sideline helpless to do anything (especially me as I couldn't even get in the damn game). So still now, whenever I hear that song it just reminds me of the hopeless, helpless feeling of being on those sidelines getting completely spanked despite working our asses off in practice.

And on the other High School football note, our first win was in my senior year, against one of our cross-county rivals, at home. During that win, the PA people kept playing AC/DC - Shook Me All Night Long during any short breaks with no action on the field. It was a great atmosphere, a ton of people filling the stands, everyone cheering and fired up to see the first win in school history, and then the AC/DC keeping everyone pumped. Apparently some parent called in and complained about the lyrics of the song so they stopped playing it at future games, but still get a flashback of the feeling of that game when I hear that song.

Eve 6 - Here's To the Night. I haven't listened to that song in 3 years and 4 months, almost to the day if my memory serves me correctly. It was the last day of Governor's School East 2001, but I'll save discussion of that for another day, another thread.

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...And then I found $5!

Tralls

Simple Man - Skynyrd, I unfortunately link to the death of my mother. The lyrics are an obvious reason but after I heard she had died unexpectedly, I jumped in my car b/c I needed to be alone and think, and the song playing on the radio, had just started, was Simple Man...it really hit me then. I cant listen to the song anymore, though it is a beautiful one.

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"I pledge my grievance to the flag" - Pearl Jam

alarment13

Incubus - Mexico
reminds me of an ex that i once loved and later hated, the words just mean a lot to me, when ever i hear it i get pissed at her again

but on a happier note (this is really dorky because its from the same band, and i not even that big of a fan) Incubus' I miss you reminds me of my current girlfriend

Catmandu

I associate my first couple of girlfriends with music. In college I went to another school to visit a girl who I had met when she was visiting us. My first night with her we made out to the album "Careless" by Stephen Bishop. Yes, it was sort of cheesy. But not so much that I don't have the CD with me right now. My next girlfriend turned me on to jazz. I remember the song "Beach Girl" by Jon-Luc Ponty as being our song. The reason I remember it is that she got me to buy expensive front-row tickets to see him and then dumped me 2 days before the show. I went anyway, and sold her ticket. For some reason I can't think of a song for my wife and me.