Lyrical Triggers (Blog)

Talk about a memory triggered by a particular song. 


I have too many of these to list it feels like. Alicia Keys "No One" comes to mind. I remember hearing that song when I was going through a hard time with a woman I liked several years back. I had done something really stupid that I've written poetry about because it affected me. I was just really stupid. I had been sad about it, but there wasn't much more I could do. Around this time, I was at work and that song comes on and I started to get sad. Like really sad. But then I started talking to myself and I said there wasn't anything else I could do. There wasn't much more to say or much more to do. I made a deal with myself that I would be completely sad as long as the song was on and then I would move on. I would feel being sad as long as the length of the song. And I was sad. And then I stopped when it was over.

I'm not sure it worked, but that was the start of feeling better. It still took me a long time to feel good again, like as happy as I had been before. In some ways, I am just now getting happy again, and that feels stupid, but it's true. I just messed up really bad and it hurt.

I should also mention my friend Terri for this. She is a very dear friend of mine and I've seen her life go through a lot of changes and she is happily married with a kid now. There are many songs I think of her when I hear them, but I will pick Jordan Sparks "Battlefield." I'm not sure why this song resonated with us (besides the fact that it's just a good song), but I remember discovering that we both liked it. Now every time I hear it I think of her. She lives in another state now, but every time I hear this song, I feel like I saw five minutes ago.

I've listened to these songs as I am writing this, and now I'm crying a little bit, for different reasons for each song. Actually, I didn't start crying for Alicia Keys, but "Battlefield" got me. I think that no matter how stupid you are or how much you feel alone in the world, you can always go back to the fact that you have good friends. Friends for me are my living proof. I don't mind saying that I'm a good friend and I think that will be my eternal legacy. I can't say I always am, but I always try to be and I think I succeed more often than I don't.  

A small list of songs that trigger memories for me:
"Bohemia Rhapsody" by Queen; my mom
"Little Sister" by Elvis; karaoke friends and my dad
"She Talks to Angels" Black Crowes; junior high
"You Give Love A Bad Name" Bon Jovi; karaoke and junior high again
"My Prerogative" Bobby Brown; karaoke and junior high also
"Jeremy" Pearl Jam; karaoke and high school
"If You Wanna Be My Lover" Spice Girls; an ex
"Oh, Sherrie" Steve Perry; one of the few guys friends I've had for a while haha
"More: Remix" Usher; a lifetime love of NBA basketball
"Sweet Transvestite" Rocky Horror Picture Show; nearly all of the above
"Sweet Caroline" Neil Diamond; Terri again and too many friends to name
A few more:
"Hot in Herre" Nelly
"Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd
"Stronger" Kayne West
"Poker Face" Lady Gaga
"L.O.V.E." Ashlee Simpson
Did I say small list? I digress.

This post is for The Scintilla Project.