Friday, May 23, 2008

Music and Mood


Ever have one of those moments where your listening to a song and it hits you that it is the perfect song at the perfect moment? I have had a few of those instances, and I thought you might be interested to read about them. If you have had a similar experience, add it to the comments!


1. Some Mexican Guy, Some Mexican Song - This just happened the other day when I was in Cancun. We were riding the bus back from a Mayan restaurant and it was hot. Some guy got on the bus with his guitar and sang some Mexican song, and it was just perfect. The song was sort of a melancholy song, and it blended perfectly with the moment. I gave the guy 20 pesos, which he liked.


2. Traffic, Dear Mr. Fantasy - Brad and I were heading to Sturgis for the first time and we were on a lonely dirt road out in the middle of South Dakota when this song came on. The opening guitar line was perfect for the moment. Given that we had never been to Sturgis and didn't know what to expect other than some adventure, the song as a whole just really struck a chord. Interestingly, when Big Ern came with us the next year, he felt the same way about the song, and now it's one of his favorites.


3. Simple Minds, Don't You (forget about me) - This song remains one of my all-time favorite songs, and it's mostly because it sort of encapsulates a whole bunch of moments, in particular my high school graduation day. I knew I was going to the Marines, and I knew that I wouldn't be seeing the bulk of my classmates for a long time, if ever again. In my opinion, this is one of the top 100 rock songs ever written, and is a perfect song in many ways.


4. The Star Wars Theme - In fourth grade, my mom gave me a sweet Star Wars themed birthday party. It was rad in all respects, but when she brought out the cake, she also blasted the theme to Star Wars. Imagine 25 or 30 fourth grader heads all snapping around to see my glorious Star Wars cake being brought out the back door. Seriously, Star Wars was/is awesome.


And that's sort of it. I have a lot of favorite songs, and I have a lot of songs that resonate with me, but those 4 really, really resonated. Of the four, the Traffic song was probably the most perfect. I will likely remember that moment until the day that I die. Sadly, that might be next week if I don't change my ways, but still...

1 comment:

katdish said...

I don't know about the perfect song at the perfect time, but song choice and timing were definately involved: Have you ever been totally jamming out to a song in your car and then you realize "Wow, I look like a tool, I hope no one is looking at me!"? A few years ago, that Steve Miller Band song "Rockin' Me" came on the radio and I started singing at the top of my voice and doing the head bop thing. I'm at a stop light, and I get that "I'm a tool" feeling, so I glance over to the car to my right, and the guy is jamming out TO THE SAME SONG! That was awesome!