I feel like songs are almost like smells in that they can elicit memories otherwise rarely recalled. You know that summer fresh cut grass smell that, when present, calls forth images of running around outside, picking dandelions, or waking up early for elementary school? At least that’s what I see.

Songs have a similarly powerful effect for me . Play Dan Black’s

“U + Me =”

and I’m transported to South Beach Miami. Brett and I are leaving our hotel room, overly happy, and refusing to turn off the music. So, we decide to listen to Dan Black through my iPhone’s speakers, holding it up to our ears and laughing as we walk down the street to Bambinas, then Mansion, a pizza joint and a club respectively. I’m sure we looked ridiculous.

Play Death Cab’s

“Bixby Canyon Bridge”

and I’m in California staring out the window of my family’s rented minivan. This was during my obsession with Jack Kerouac. When I found out that “Bixby Canyon Bridge” was a tribute to Kerouac I decided it was only appropriate that I make it my theme song for our trip to California that summer.

Klaxons

“Golden Skans”

puts me on a commuter train from my Grandparents’ place to my work in downtown Philadelphia. I’m tired because it’s eight in the morning and I play “Golden Skans” to wake myself up while I read the newspaper.

Andrew Bird brings me back to last spring when I spent every spare moment studying, often in my room, playing

“Not a Robot, but a Ghost”

with the window open. The humid Baltimore air blows through my room while I stared at psychopharmocology power points.

Play playlist

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 4th, 2010 at 2:04 PM and is filed under Playlists for Emotional Occasions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.