This weekend I was sifting through my excessive amount of "junk" that has accumulated in my dorm room over this past year of college. I was hunting for items that I had no problem sending home before school was out, mainly because I didn't want to have a lot to move out at one time when it came to me doing my final victory dance out of student housing at IPFW. (Side note: I am never going back to student housing unless it's to visit a friend)
While I was digging through the unnecessaries, I came across a monstrous stack of old mix CDs. Those CDs that you throw together in a jiffy that consist of the craziest mix of songs; Songs that sit on opposite ends of the music spectrum, songs that aren't even the language you speak, and best of all, songs that make you laugh and enjoy life just that much more because of how ludicrous and preposterous the content of the song was. For example: "Who Let the Dogs Out" by Baha Men. The first time I heard that song, my dad, my brother and I were driving around Elkhart (to hacienda if I'm not mistaking) and we all thought it was the coolest song EVER! I even want to say we were rocking out to the song haha... Now the song seems just ridiculous. You get the point.
So, one thing that has continually amazed me about listening to old music favorites has been the ability to recall long lost memories through audible recognition. For me, it hit me when I was driving down Coliseum Rd. euphorically screaming to an old favorite of "If I Told You This Was Killing Me, Would You Stop" by The Juliana Theory.
"Windows were open, sunglasses were on; I was driving down the toll road with an old friend, allowing the fond and fresh summer air to fill my lungs and the one pound bag of twizzlers to fill my stomach. Every now and then I would catch eyes with a passing car that had the same direction, if not destination as we had. We were driving to Notre Dame University to work concessions and see friends because it was an easy point for Key Club and an easy excue to leave home. While we were on our brief, half-sized road trip, this song wold every now and then fall on my car speakers and we would find joy in mouthing, singing and dancing to the song."
So what I am getting at is that although years have passed and music preference has somewhat shifted away from that exact scene of music, the same euphoric emotion could be expressed. And the best part is, those emotions weren't exactly expressed because of the the music style but because of the memories we recollect in that brief moment of audible pleasure.
I challenge you to either find your old CDs or search some of your old favorites and see where those take you. Even if there isn't a sharp memory attached to the song, you will still withdraw an emotion and feeling of that time period. It is most definitely worth every second.
Take care and smile more. You'll live a longer, healthier life.
I looked through my music in my xanga to see what I use to listen to back in the day and i was surprised to see all the bands that I forgot I listed to... here is a few of them that I found quite enjoyable.
- Daphne Loves Derby (posted new songs on their myspace)
http://www.myspace.com/daphnelovesderby
- Wheatus
- JamisonParker
- The Evans Anthem
- Baha Men
- Eiffel 65
- Will Smith
- Cake
- Dispatch
- etc.
