Friday DO: Embrace Nostalgia
Friday, November 7, 2014
Nostalgia is a powerful thing. Things from days long past flood your mind. Occurrences and feelings seemingly long forgotten were simply filed away, waiting for a new time to fill your heart. Counting the hours, minutes, days, and seconds, waiting to etch a smile into the stillness of your psyche. However, the best thing about this capability of the mind is that the most random sensations can turn nostalgia on and send you flying full force into a deep tunnel of memories. Simple things, like the smell of a coffee, the way the breeze blows your hair into your face, or a song from days long past plays randomly on the radio. In fact, for me personally, music is one of the biggest factors in nostalgia. Today, I will be sharing a few songs that embrace personal memories for me, and share the memories they recover.
The Strokes - 12:51
This song - oh my gosh you guys, this song. 2003 seems like yesterday and forever ago. Reminds me of lazy days after school, just chilling, being, and dancing. Makes me want to break out a mix CD and dance around in my room just like the good old days. It's so hard to believe I was 15 when this song hit the world.
Florence + The Machine - Shake it Out
I played this song non stop through my first Kentucky winter. I had just gotten married, moved to Lexington, started a new job, and this song was my top played through cold, black nights. Whenever it comes up on an old playlist, I remember purple skies, drives home through the cold, and my breath generating smoke into the air as I walked up the steps into our new home, slowly twisting the key and cracking the door to reveal everything I loved about my new life. New opportunities abound when this song plays.
Fitz & the Tantrums - MoneyGrabber
My Dad was the first one to make me really listen to this song. I had gone to visit him in the San Francisco Bay, where he had recently relocated to work as an electric car engineer for a very popular car company that I won't name, though you probably have already guessed it. My dear old Dad had taken some time to get to know the culture, part of which was apparently a heavy alternative scene. He had tons of songs he played for us, but this one stuck with me. It was one of his favorites at the time and we discussed the band background, watched live performances online (Noelle Scaggs is a fab dancer/entertainer by the way), and drove around the city blasting the volume whenever it came on the radio. I love San Francisco and this song will always cause reminiscing of walking up the SF streets, exploring China town, Italian bakeries, getting ice cream from Ghiradelli, and eating Guatemalan food in the Mission. I love my Dad you guys.
So now, it's your turn. If you actually read all this, I deeply thank you with all my being. Please share with me what songs trigger nostalgia in your mind. Which songs can cause tears at the drop the hat? Which ones make you smile at fond memories?
