One thing that many people may not know about me is that there is literally not a point in the day where a song is not running through my head.  Whether it be whatever comes on when my alarm goes off or the title track of the movie I watched the night before, I wake up every day with a tune in mind and flip through my internal playlist from there.  It’s like I have mental Pandora playing 24/7.  Literally the next time we’re hanging out stop me and as what song is playing on my internal jukebox and I guarantee I’ll have an answer for you.  It’s due to this that many memories in my life have a musical connection to them – much like how every now and then you’ll catch a whiff of something that brings you back to your grandmothers kitchen – but with music.

Everyone I know has some degree of this musical recognizance and some of my favorite conversations with folks are to stroll down memory lane trying to recall particular songs that take you back to a specific time or place (these chats most often occur late at night or while under the influence).  I thought I’d jot a few down for you here to get your own memories percolating.  Below please find and enjoy some of my favorites from the soundtrack of my life, and feel free to fire away in the Comments section below to chime in with your own.  If you’re like me I think you’ll find your list will grow twenty bullets deep before you know it…     

  • When Trying To Put A Spark Into A Quiet Bar Between The Hours of 2-7pm: You Can’t Always Get What You Want – Rolling Stones
    • You’d be amazed at how well this works.  While not a great fit for the middle of the night while the party is in full swing, this song has an uncanny ability to collectively bring a group or small crowd into a shared state of mind.  It starts slowly so as to not upset the general atmosphere of the sleepy establishment.  An ear perks up in the corner showing that universal sign of recognizing but not quite placing a song and then the realization of a classic sets in.  Before you know it heads are slowly nodding and feet tapping.  The beginning of a dance floor may ensue by the crescendo.  Fantastic song in general with an excellent message that most of us need to actually come terms with in life – more so than Steven Stills Love The One You’re With which I would argue is the anthem for those who want to settle for second best.
  • When Singing My Daughter To Sleep:

-or-

(I think there’s a message about my parenting tactics baked in here somewhere but we’ll save that for a future post/lawsuit)

  • When The Day Comes That My Daughter Absolutely Wants To Just Melt My Heart And Get Whatever She Wants She’ll Sing This To Me: The Show – Lenka (turn up your volume)
  • When Making Breakfast For The Family On A Sunday Morning: Al Green’s Greatest Hits
    • …and there’s no second place.
  • When Coming Up To Bat In A Baseball Game: The Bounce – Jay-Z featuring Kanye West
    • Perhaps the most debated life soundtrack conversation I’ve ever been a part of.  There are literally thousands of choices that all are valid for this unique moment which essentially defines you as a person, but ever since opening The Blue Print 2  in 2002, track 10 on The Gift disk has been my choice for this moment and I’ve yet to find something since that would knock it off that pedestal.
  • When Psyching Yourself Up For Participating In A Sporting Event: Bulls On Parade – Rage Against The Machine
    • Would you lose respect for me if I told you that Limp Bizkit’s Take A Look Around was in consideration for this title for about .36 seconds?
  • When It Starts Raining While You’re Mowing The Lawn: Black Hole Sun – Soundgarden
    • I used to be known as the Lawn Ranger around my neighborhood in the mid-nineties as I worked my way up and down the block for $10 a yard.  When the skies opened I’d keep the Walkman rolling and give a single finger salute right back to the heavens
  • When Talking Yourself Out Of A Ticket On State Street In Madison, WI On Halloween In Full Costume at 2am: Misunderstanding – Genesis
  • When Declaring Yourself THE Party Boat On a Lake Full Of People Having Fun On A Warm Summer Day: Call Me Maybe – Carly Rae Jepsen
    • I could do without the shirtless dude in this video but wanted to pay tribute to Miss Jepsen’s official version as there are countless other renditions to choose from on this here internet ( I literally think this is the only version of the video I had not seen prior to this writing).  A good joke I read on Twitter over the summer in regards to this was, Isn’t this song the prelude to date rape?
  • When Trying To Stay Awake While Driving Through The Night (And Ideally Keeping All Of Your Friends From Sleeping In Back As Well): She Won’t Let Me F@ck – Afroman
    • Just put it on REPEAT and the miles just fly by your windshield
  • When Trying To Pick A Fight With A Little Person Dressed As A Leprechaun On St. Patrick’s Day: Party In The USA – Miley Cyrus
    • Resort to the REPEAT trick above, this time on a jukebox at a bar – it may cost a little cash but I promise you it’s worth it.
  • When Drunkenly Getting An Entire Bus/Train Car/Taco Bell Restaurant To Join An Acapella Sing Along: Either…
  • When Dancing With All Your Best Gal Pals, Taking Over The Floor At A Wedding: Raise Your Glass – P!nk
    • Or so I’ve heard…
  • When Home Alone Watching The House For A Weekend In High School: I Just Don’t Know To Do With Myself – The White Stripes

And finally…

  • When Passing Fullerton Southbound On Hwy 41 In Chicago: Lake Shore Drive – Aliotta, Haynes & Jeremiah
    • The video here provides an excellent juxtaposition between the free-wheeling spirit of the song and the reality of making the actual trip

That’s my list (for the time being).  Comments?  Critiques?  Fire away below and chime in with your own.  You know you’ve got them.  If you don’t write them down somewhere you may forget so why not right here, right now?  Besides, it’s therapeutic to share these memories with the world.  The floor is yours…