Music Memories

I know I’m not alone in this, but I can’t believe how much music brings out so many vivid memories.  For me, it’s even  more powerful than photographs.   My “music-library memory” is never-ending….it just keeps growing as I grow older.  I probably have 50 or so songs that trigger deep memories of my life.  So much so that when I hear a song, it completely takes me back to where I was and what I was doing when the song was a hit.  I  “return” to that time for just a moment.  It’s eerie, and even though it always happens, it surprises me each time. 

I was just watching a recent interview with Kenny Loggins and he was talking about how when he sings some of his past hits, they not only bring back vivid memories of what he was feeling when he wrote the song, but it also fosters new feelings of what the lyrics can currently mean.  It’s just another example of how strong music can be.   Some of Loggins’ songs are certainly in my memory-library…..in fact, his songs cover 3 decades for me (70’s, 80’s and 90’s).  He’s one of those artists that I don’t consider one of my “clear-cut favorites”, yet has had a powerful impact on me.  Bob Seger falls into that same category.   If I had to list all the artists and all the songs that “almost literally” bring me back to a past time, I would be writing and reminicing until midnight, so I’ll just leave it that there are many.

But I will tell you this as I shift from one sense to another…………..there are 2 “smells” that automatically take me back to my childhood, and they are so strong that for a moment, it really is 1973 for me.  These 2 scents will tell you all you need to know about my childhood.  1. The smell when you put a baseball glove up to your face.  2. The smell of fresh basil.  If I put those two together…..suddenly I’m 7 years old and I’m having a catch next to my grandparents garden!!!  What an innocent time that was so no wonder I love taking “trips” back.  Music, baseball gloves and basil really do it for me.