MUSIC AND MEMORYYYY

(the first song is one of my dad's favorites, and I would never happen upon it without him, much like other songs in my music taste, so everyone say hi to my dad)

This is such a fitting prompt for me because I am constantly agonizing over the failings of my memory, and thus spending time putting music i care about into a gazillion playlists in order to prevent forgetting about them (but the day Spotify crashes, yes you should be worried about me...) as well as putting all 70 and counting life lessons I fear forgetting into a mega document on my google drive called "trivial thoughts".... 

So that's one thing. There is music that I fear I will one day forget exists. I think that makes it a special kind of priceless because of my fear... literally the second this was assigned in class, I wrote down in a corner (that I was worried I was going to forget) of 4 pieces that immediately I was thinking of for this here post. 

Someone asked me the other day "what is your favorite song?"- and HOW IS ANYONE SUPPOSED TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION LEGIT. But then I realized, if there is a song for that, its this one:

The Unwinding Cable Car by Anberlin       (Oh my gosh go listen to Anberlin's song Inevitable too)

I'm like 5, sitting in the backseat of my dad's car, my sister next to me, my mom in the front, dad is driving. It is super late at night, but the stars are these huge twinkling globs of bright in a way I miss. We all are hearing this song for the billionth time, because it is one of the many choice songs that cycle on his USB port. I am not upset by the fact we have heard it a billion times, nor is my dad. My mom is so tired of it though, and she would rather listen to anything but this one because of how much it has been repeated. A similar discussion/argument could be said for us watching reruns of MASH daily for the entirety of my life and perhaps my dad's as well. But now both this song and MASH are the types of comfort songs/shows because of the repetitions. The second I hear the guitar at the beginning of this song, I am transported back to being in the car at night, and this biggest thing is my immediate family of 4 are all right there. One car. I did not know then how special to me moments of all 4 of us being in one room together would be to me now. At that point, the concept of us ever being separated was completely foreign to me and what a luxury that is. I am tangent-ing. Basically, this song will always transport me to being in the car, at night, with my family, and that makes my heart melt. 

Question: Any of y'all watch MASH semi-habitually? Trying to tell my mom there's other people out there...

next song....

Enya's Caribbean Blue

(technically any Enya song will send me back to my youngest memories, but this one is cool)

Okay so basically ever since I existed, I struggle to be put to sleep and struggle even more so to wake up. Ask my mom, I was such an awful morning child. Still am, just grown-up child. 

One thing that would help me get into some sort of restful state before bed was an Enya CD that I would just play over and over again until I was lulled to sleep. Then somewhere in there I stopped needed it, and went on with life. Then in middle school I was in art class, painting sOmEtHiNg and my art teacher was playing a CD in the background and lo and behold it was an Enya CD and I realized that oh my gosh these are the sounds that are intrinsic to my being simply because of, yet again, repetitions. (I promise all you music ed people I am not trying to propagandize varied repetitions in this here post, but then again...) BUT THEN I was watching Derry Girls (this show makes me cackle) with my sister a few summers ago and one of the episodes had THIS song in the background for a rather impactful message at the end of a season and it truly sent me back to trying to fall asleep, art class, but then also too their weird hypnosis of reflection that this particular song just creates. This song is one I can totally stare off into space to- contemplating anything from metaphysics to green eggs and ham to when did I last tell my friends thank you for existing because yes thank you all for existing??? like yay

next one, I didn't want to go sad, but it actually does fit this prompt soo

I really don't mean to tell a sad story but the first time I saw my dad cry was a few summers ago when my dad's close friend passed away from esophageal cancer. And they played this song at his celebration of life ceremony and showed pictures from his life at the same time and there were no dry eyes in the room. I learned so much about this person that I barely knew. I met him when I was younger, but he was one of my dad's bike racing buddies from before I was born. I learned as people shared stories of this man, Tommy K, that he was extraordinarily vibrant, risk taking, and giving to the absolute max capacity. Ever since this experience of this song, every time I hear it, I say a little mental hello to Tommy, sometimes my eyes get a little watery, and I say thanks to God for the gift of life, whatever the duration. 

I just want to end this on a lighter note. 

this is the catchiest theme song for a kids tv show you will ever hear. 

I have ZERO memory of watching the show but I have had this theme song stuck in my head for my whole life it seems. When I listen to it, I am happy that the song is not a figment of my imagination because, seriously, I dont remember watching it but I must have right???