Music and Memory

[JHF1870]

Its been studied, and there is no doubt to the power of memory from music.

I have just gone through some songs from early childhood to recently, and I can tell you exactly where I was and what I was doing at the time. How I was feeling, what was going on in my life. Brings back memories both good and bad.

Vanilla Ice
Don't worry be happy
Gangja gang
Inxs
U2
Prodigy
Chemical Brothers
Robbie Williams

got me to 2000

Eminem - not afraid (First thing I think of, is hearing it for the first time in newcastle, watching the airshow)

how about you?

 

[raskolnikov]

Yep, can still remember where I was and what I was doing when I first heard certain songs, including Euroglders 'Heaven Must Be There' and Bonnie Tyler ''Total Eclipse of The Heart', probably my two favourite songs from my childhood.

 

[Roobs321]

In my high school years I often bought a new album and book at the same time, and would listen repeatedly whilst reading, so a lot of film/book experiences for me were intertwined. Watchmen/No More Shall We Part in particular.

On pop culture music, it mostly works for me up until the end of last decade. By then I was in my 20s, living alone and less and less in situations catering to that sort of contemporary chart music exposure. I honestly couldn't hum a single song by the likes of Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus (other than she seems to have a song about a wrecking ball), Iggy Azalea, Robin Thicke, etc.

There are also the songs you listen to a lot during hard times, that will always carry around that sense of misery, but also a sense that they provided a little bit of support during that time.

Mid-90s radio in the back seat of the parents car has the most nostalgia for me. Particularly the likes of Hootie & the Blowfish and Alanis Morissette, which were hammered back then. I also remember a late 1997 holiday where Bryan Adams' Back to You seemed to be on the radio a couple times a day.

As a kid, I was a Rage top 50 addict, up early every sat/sun morning from the mid 90s to the mid 00s. So practically every single song that charted in that period has some form of memory for me. Still remember songs debuting in the late 40s and hearing them for the first time, before they marched up to the top of the charts (i.e. Iris, All My Life, etc.). Then in early 2000, songs started debuting at no.1 and kind of ruining that aspect. Madonna's American Pie cover was the first example of a new era of chart music, where songs regularly debuted at the top, instead of working their way up.

There is also music that I associate with various locations.

Sydney to me will always be Simply Red's Fairground
Canberra and my car will always be Loveless (bought it in my first week living there and was the first album I regularly played in my first car)

 

[timtamWB]

This is both the beauty and horror of music. It can take you back to those nights you spent at your mate's house (La Bamba) and remind you of all the awesome times that you had then.

But at the same time, you have that song that your ex-girlfriend was playing while she was breaking up with you (Stolen) that sometimes get you at the worst time and remind you of that horrible time when you were feeling so down.

Like a lot of people, I'm sure there are a lot of songs that I wish I could relate to but can't because I haven't experienced those situations. And likewise, there are a lot of songs that I wish I couldn't relate to because of the emotions and scenarios they portray.

 

[Silent Alarm]

When someone I know was dying, I remember hearing how the nurse in the hospice asked "did you want some music?" I'm an exceptionally neurotic, over-thinking, and melancholy young man, and now I sometimes think about how I hope I can have the luxury of knowing I'm going to die. For some people it might be a curse. It might be for me. But I can't wait to have days and weeks afforded to thinking back. I won't have anything but the curiosity of death to look forward to. I always liked looking back. It'll be nice to play all this music and remember all sorts of things from those times.

Sometimes I go on Wikipedia and will look at all the pop songs from the early to mid 2000s. I remember watching Weezer's Keep Fishin', the one with the muppets, and I can really intensely remember the scene. I remember the kitchen and lounge, bright new and white, even though I recall nothing else but the backyard of that house. I remember the sun piercing through, it was about 7am, and I was chucking on my black Sekems and socks and boots, ready to go to footy. I just remember the way the sun was coming through and that sun.

Two albums I think I'll look back at was Modern Vampires of the City and AM. They came out within a few weeks of each other I think. I just rinsed them. Got into both bands so much because of them. Me and my best mate used to talk about them all the time, used to go out all the time, and it just summed up the best winter of my life. That September to November was incredibly fun and I don't think I'll ever forget some of the trips home from uni I had listening to those albums in the rain; one of them made me fear time and grow alert and weary of how quick it goes and how there's nothing you can do to stop it – and it said most things will turn out alright. It seemed like a blueprint for anxiety and being a young man in a city you love. The other one made me happy with who I was and things I couldn't change about myself. I don't think music has made me feel that much self-belief before and it probably never will again. It's always got a sadness to it. Even when I'm pissed and I'm having a good time, I still feel like the song I'm hearing will just end up being a reminder of a better time... which is fine... that's what I want it to be.

Funnily enough, I think that inherent part of who I am, that melancholia, arose from really early childhood and music. Frog and Toad used be a bit sad for me. There's a sadness in happiness. They had good times, this frog and toad, but I always thought it was lonely how they only had each other. Tying into this, I reckon Daft Punk Da Funk and my parents commenting on how cool and lonely the dog was... I think a lot of other kids would've found him funny or scary, I just found such intense loneliness and heroism to him. Blur's Coffee & TV was the same. When I hear those songs, that's what I remember.

Though I can't play an instrument and I'll never get to espouse my wisdom and ego in interviews like Ezra Koenig or Damon Albarn or anyone else I spend too much time being interested in, I can be pretty happy I got to experience a lot of nice music in my life. I am way, way too emotional – but I wouldn't trade it for anything. Music was made for it.

 

[WALDENPOND]

In my high school years I often bought a new album and book at the same time, and would listen repeatedly whilst reading, so a lot of film/book experiences for me were intertwined. Watchmen/No More Shall We Part in particular.

On pop culture music, it mostly works for me up until the end of last decade. By then I was in my 20s, living alone and less and less in situations catering to that sort of contemporary chart music exposure. I honestly couldn't hum a single song by the likes of Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus (other than she seems to have a song about a wrecking ball), Iggy Azalea, Robin Thicke, etc.

There are also the songs you listen to a lot during hard times, that will always carry around that sense of misery, but also a sense that they provided a little bit of support during that time.

Mid-90s radio in the back seat of the parents car has the most nostalgia for me. Particularly the likes of Hootie & the Blowfish and Alanis Morissette, which were hammered back then. I also remember a late 1997 holiday where Bryan Adams' Back to You seemed to be on the radio a couple times a day.

As a kid, I was a Rage top 50 addict, up early every sat/sun morning from the mid 90s to the mid 00s. So practically every single song that charted in that period has some form of memory for me. Still remember songs debuting in the late 40s and hearing them for the first time, before they marched up to the top of the charts (i.e. Iris, All My Life, etc.). Then in early 2000, songs started debuting at no.1 and kind of ruining that aspect. Madonna's American Pie cover was the first example of a new era of chart music, where songs regularly debuted at the top, instead of working their way up.

There is also music that I associate with various locations.

Sydney to me will always be Simply Red's Fairground
Canberra and my car will always be Loveless (bought it in my first week living there and was the first album I regularly played in my first car)

Off topic. What do you think of No More Shall We Part? I try to listen to all of Cave's work but haven't really engaged with this album.

 

[hcd199]

As a kid, I was a Rage top 50 addict, up early every sat/sun morning from the mid 90s to the mid 00s. So practically every single song that charted in that period has some form of memory for me. Still remember songs debuting in the late 40s and hearing them for the first time, before they marched up to the top of the charts (i.e. Iris, All My Life, etc.). Then in early 2000, songs started debuting at no.1 and kind of ruining that aspect. Madonna's American Pie cover was the first example of a new era of chart music, where songs regularly debuted at the top, instead of working their way up.

It's strange the memories that come from watching Rage obsessively as a kid - I can remember Eiffel 65 had a third single after "Blue" and "Move Your Body" that only charted one week at #50, and that Wheatus followed up "Teenage Dirtbag" with a song called "Leroy" that was only in for a week or two, for instance.

In terms of other tracks linked with memories for me, my cousin and I, having listened through both our parents' '80s compilation collections, developed somewhat of an obsession with "The Final Countdown" and "Eye Of The Tiger", so a number of memories of those times are contained in those tracks for me.

 

[Roobs321]

Off topic. What do you think of No More Shall We Part? I try to listen to all of Cave's work but haven't really engaged with this album.

It was my first Cave LP, so in that way it will always have a sentimental quality for me. I find that most Cave albums take time to really open up for me. I've owned The Boatman's Call and Let Love In for years, and only recently did they really start to win me over.

I do think No More runs out of puff towards the end. The first 7 songs as a whole are fantastic, next few are okay, and then it sort of limps to the end. I do enjoy the almost gospel quality of the album, and it allows the lyrics to oddly feel more Australian to me.

Obviously the Bad Seeds are an odd act, in that they are almost always really great (and prolific) but rarely astonishing, so fans rarely agree or come to a consensus on the best handful of their albums (probably partly because of the various styles they've cycled through). My favourite album from them would be between No More Shall We Part and Tender Prey, but I only own about 50% of their albums, so I'm no huge expert. Recently though I've been having one of those Bad Seeds phases where you really get back into them for a while and listen to almost nothing else.

 

[Roobs321]

It's strange the memories that come from watching Rage obsessively as a kid - I can remember Eiffel 65 had a third single after "Blue" and "Move Your Body" that only charted one week at #50, and that Wheatus followed up "Teenage Dirtbag" with a song called "Leroy" that was only in for a week or two, for instance.

In terms of other tracks linked with memories for me, my cousin and I, having listened through both our parents' '80s compilation collections, developed somewhat of an obsession with "The Final Countdown" and "Eye Of The Tiger", so a number of memories of those times are contained in those tracks for me.

Yeah, same here. I still remember Green Day's Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) initially hovering around the 40-50 mark for a few weeks, then exiting for good. But a few months later after it gained some pop culture attention it raced up the charts and parked itself in the top 2 for several weeks. I also remember Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go In plummeting from #1 to outside the top 20 in the space of one week, and going WTF. Thousands of memories like that.

The end of year rage top 50 countdowns were like nirvana for me, I remember I used to predict the order and then be completely on cloud nine whenever it played in early January (which was often difficult due to holidays around that period).

But by early 2000, I had discovered that the ARIA website posted the new charts every Monday morning, so there was less incentive to watch Rage in full every weekend after that point.

Yes, some of the tracks that involve a memory connection with my siblings are certainly cherished memories. I still remember my brother driving me to the train station during the 2009 Triple J Hottest 100 of all time countdown, and when All Along the Watchtower (Hendrix) came on we sang it at the top of our lungs with air guitar and everything. Whilst we have very different music tastes, we still love a lot of the same acts and albums, music is still a big conversation starter for us nowadays. When we saw Radiohead during the November 2012 tour, all those memories we had of listening to Radiohead together, even watching their DVDs and reading the biographies, just came flooding back to me. There was no way I was going to miss finally seeing Radiohead live with my brother lol, was going to be a priceless experience.

 

[DrVanNostrand]

I have this big time. It's usually locations. Being a young fan of older music, a lot of the albums I buy have been out for 20-30 years, so I remember the record store, the city, the trip, the people around when I was first spinning it or flogging it on the iPod.

Neil Young's 'Freedom' and David Bowie's 'The Next Day' always take me back to a trip to Melbourne early last year.

 

[Damon_3388]

It's strange the memories that come from watching Rage obsessively as a kid - I can remember Eiffel 65 had a third single after "Blue" and "Move Your Body" that only charted one week at #50, and that Wheatus followed up "Teenage Dirtbag" with a song called "Leroy" that was only in for a week or two, for instance.

In terms of other tracks linked with memories for me, my cousin and I, having listened through both our parents' '80s compilation collections, developed somewhat of an obsession with "The Final Countdown" and "Eye Of The Tiger", so a number of memories of those times are contained in those tracks for me.

Somehow I remember the line "Leroy is my mojo man".

 

[Damon_3388]

It was my first Cave LP, so in that way it will always have a sentimental quality for me. I find that most Cave albums take time to really open up for me. I've owned The Boatman's Call and Let Love In for years, and only recently did they really start to win me over.

I do think No More runs out of puff towards the end. The first 7 songs as a whole are fantastic, next few are okay, and then it sort of limps to the end. I do enjoy the almost gospel quality of the album, and it allows the lyrics to oddly feel more Australian to me.

Obviously the Bad Seeds are an odd act, in that they are almost always really great (and prolific) but rarely astonishing, so fans rarely agree or come to a consensus on the best handful of their albums (probably partly because of the various styles they've cycled through). My favourite album from them would be between No More Shall We Part and Tender Prey, but I only own about 50% of their albums, so I'm no huge expert. Recently though I've been having one of those Bad Seeds phases where you really get back into them for a while and listen to almost nothing else.

Thoughts on 'The Firstborn is Dead'? Probably my favourite Cave album.

 

[Roobs321]

That's one of the ones I don't yet have. In fact, Tender Prey is the only pre-Let Love In album I own. I've been into the Bad Seeds for almost a decade, but I'm very slow in delving into their material. In fact, I'm still yet to listen to Push The Sky Away. I guess I just don't tend to gorge on artist discographies, no rush.

I've heard that one is strong with the biblical imagery, so I'll probably enjoy it I'll keep that one in the back of my mind next time I pick up a Bad Seeds LP.

 

[Damon_3388]

That's one of the ones I don't yet have. In fact, Tender Prey is the only pre-Let Love In album I own. I've been into the Bad Seeds for almost a decade, but I'm very slow in delving into their material. In fact, I'm still yet to listen to Push The Sky Away. I guess I just don't tend to gorge on artist discographies, no rush.

I've heard that one is strong with the biblical imagery, so I'll probably enjoy it I'll keep that one in the back of my mind next time I pick up a Bad Seeds LP.

Yeah it's probably his strongest "fire and brimstone", Southern Gothic adventure

 

[Roobs321]

Yeah it's probably his strongest "fire and brimstone", Southern Gothic adventure

haha, maybe I'll sync it up for a reread of Blood Meridian.

 

[WALDENPOND]

It was my first Cave LP, so in that way it will always have a sentimental quality for me. I find that most Cave albums take time to really open up for me. I've owned The Boatman's Call and Let Love In for years, and only recently did they really start to win me over.

I do think No More runs out of puff towards the end. The first 7 songs as a whole are fantastic, next few are okay, and then it sort of limps to the end. I do enjoy the almost gospel quality of the album, and it allows the lyrics to oddly feel more Australian to me.

Obviously the Bad Seeds are an odd act, in that they are almost always really great (and prolific) but rarely astonishing, so fans rarely agree or come to a consensus on the best handful of their albums (probably partly because of the various styles they've cycled through). My favourite album from them would be between No More Shall We Part and Tender Prey, but I only own about 50% of their albums, so I'm no huge expert. Recently though I've been having one of those Bad Seeds phases where you really get back into them for a while and listen to almost nothing else.

I listened to it today and I really liked the way it was going but agree about the puff at the end. But I'm not a collector of anything usually but I make a purpose to own physically all of Cave's stuff from Boys Next Door to The Birthday Party to The Bad Seeds and even the soundtrack stuff. Whilst I enjoy all of it I do always find moments on each that don't interest me and No More Shall We Part I think was weakened by the fact I got it the same day I got Tender Prey which is amazing and I think he was at an all time creative high then as he was also writing his first novel.

 

[La Dispute]

Off topic. What do you think of No More Shall We Part? I try to listen to all of Cave's work but haven't really engaged with this album.

It's their best LP IMO.

It takes a while to get into; the songs are long, they build slowly and thematically there's no let up but the songwriting is just beautiful.

Oh My Lord and The Sorrowful Wife and probably my favourites.

 

[Plugger35]

As a kid growing up in the 80s these songs take me back to my awkward Blue Light Disco days.







This song stands out to me more from that time though.



It wasn't a Blue Light Disco type number but I can remember hearing it for the first time and it still holds up well today.

 

[La Dispute]

In my high school years I often bought a new album and book at the same time, and would listen repeatedly whilst reading, so a lot of film/book experiences for me were intertwined. Watchmen/No More Shall We Part in particular.

I'm glad I'm not the only person who does this. Sometimes I wonder whether it's just to pad my last.fm stats but I love listening to tunes while I read. I couldn't listen to hip hip, but I'll happily listen to BoC or Four Tet or Have a Nice Life to really add to the atmosphere. Having a soundscape can transform a book immeasurably IMO.

Plus you're killing two birds with one stone.

There's a sadness in happiness.

Nailed it - and the converse exists too.

I've been doing a lot of thinking this year and I've come to realise for the last eight years or so I've been a complete sad-sack, full of negativity and generally unhappy with the complexion of my life. Whether that's come out as depression or whatever, and I think it has, I can see why.

Looking back, my 2011 was just an awful year; completely isolated, no real friends at uni, all my high school friends were elsewhere, I was so tired and stressed al the time - all the usual symptoms of finishing secondary school. That being said, I remember so many happy memories quite clearly, and a lot of them were literally just me listening to music on a train, or in a library. I can distinctly remember hearing It's a Long Drive.. by Modest Mouse and being astounded by how raw it was and by Isaac Brock's songwriting. Similarly, I got into Tallest Man on Earth at that time and he's now one of my favourites.

It's no surprise that I gravitate towards towards melancholy or angsty music, as far back as when I was obsessed with Nirvana at the age of 14.

Music truly does colour your experience and shapes your environment and it often reflects the volition of your mind. Of course, you can never take back those times, but I don't think I would want to anyway.

But on Silent Alarm's point, there is equal sadness in happiness. Why do you feel so bad when you're coming down from an acid trip? Why do we feel nostalgic when looking at old photos of good times? Eventually, at some point, that happiness has to evaporate and you wont feel that exact way again. Your landscape is in constant motion and easily altered and compromised.

I guess that's why I can celebrate my sombre years; because they've now brought me to a point in which I've become immensely happy.

 

[brahj]

The Honeymoon is Over - The Cruel Sea
Started playing on my iPod after I'd slammed the front door and returned inside after having my then girlfriend dump me on the front lawn.

Riders on the Storm - The Doors
Went to the States when I was 16. Discovered the Doors. We pulled up at the Grand Canyon after driving for way too long. The bass line started as I made my way to the edge of the rim. There was actually a storm rolling through the Canyon at the time. Sadly, mobile phone cameras weren't really as widespread then as they are now.

Get Ready for Love - Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
I dropped acid for the first time at Meredith. It was the same year that MGMT played. If anyone actually went and remembers that year, it rained for something like 42 hours. After MGMT finished playing I went to my friends car and listened to "Get Ready for Love" on repeat for 3 hours. Best.


More to come.

 

[benji2]

As a kid growing up in the 80s these songs take me back to my awkward Blue Light Disco days.







This song stands out to me more from that time though.



It wasn't a Blue Light Disco type number but I can remember hearing it for the first time and it still holds up well today.

If they remade 'The Wonder Years' covering my innocent growing up years of late Primary School and early High School, these very songs would be playing in the background.

The first song I remember hearing (aged 4) is 'If I Had Words' by McDonald and Kinney, remember it being on a radio at kindy (!).

'Oh Yeah' by Ash and 'Grooving' by the Hunting Party bring back that happy summer after my final year of Uni and the romance I had over that summer.

'No Aphrodisiac' encapsulated my first summer living away from my close friends and family.

 

[Dan Moody]

As a kid growing up in the 80s these songs take me back to my awkward Blue Light Disco days.

It wasn't a Blue Light Disco type number but I can remember hearing it for the first time and it still holds up well today.

No songs from 1989, disappointing.