Can Songs Trigger Memories? They Definitely Generate Some of My Memories

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Can Songs Trigger Memories? They Definitely Generate Some of My Memories
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Have you ever heard a song come on the radio and suddenly you are transported to a different time and place? It happens to me all the time.

It is interesting, however, that it doesn’t happen as often with current music. Only early memories are triggered. The earliest memory I have when I remember a specific song was when I was around four or five years old. The song that made a lasting memory was “Downtown” by Petula Clark. I don’t know why this song has stuck with me, but I remembered hearing it playing on the radio in my house on Putnam Street in Tunkhannock, Penna. Every time that song plays, I have flashbacks to that time and place.

Other Memories Triggered by Music

Naturally, other songs trigger memories. Most of the memories have been good. Some of the memories are just that—memories.

I remember visiting Ric S.’s lake house. We decided to hike over to Mary P.’s house because there was a party going on. We didn’t stay long because this was definitely a party for the older crowd. The song that triggers the memory is “Age of Aquarius” by the 5th Dimension. It was the song playing at the time.

Other memories were formed when I was introduced to specific albums. For example, Mike R. borrowed his brother’s albums Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder and Silk Degrees by Boz Scaggs. I forever associate those albums with that visit. We also listed to George Carlin’s Class Clown.

While hanging out with swimmers and lifeguarding at the KOA, I was introduced to Queen’s News of the World by Tom H. Theresa H. shared Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours album. It was a rare treat at least for me to listen to a record. Fortunately, we did have a chance to listen to albums on 8-track. But it isn’t the same. Nonetheless, I didn’t have an 8-track, but everyone around me seemed to have one.

Have you ever had someone sing an entire album to you? My memory of Meatloaf’s Bat Out of Hell is a memory of Kathy K. and her sister Sue singing the album to me. They did a great job sharing parts. I have to admit that I was embarrassed by the attention at the time.

When I was lifeguarding, I was stricken with sun poisoning. It appeared when I was at a summer encampment with the Civil Air Patrol. I was tasked to be a deputy squadron commander. Instead, I was restricted to bed. The barracks were hot and rather lonely when no one else was around. To keep me entertained, the other cadet officers left me with an 8-track cassette of the Rolling Stones’ Some Girls album. I played it over and over. I am not sure if it helped or hindered my recovery.

The first time I heard The Cars debut album was in Ralph R.’s car. I am quite sure that Bruce S. and Don W. were part of the trip. Apparently, the album had just come out, and Ralph was eager to share it with us. It was definitely different from other music I was listening to at the time.

One night, I was out cruising around in Tunkhannock. It was just the thing to do. It was pouring rain and dark. I was driving up to the Shadow Brook Dairy Bar from the bowling alley which was behind it at the bottom of the hill. The road curved up to the dairy bar. As I was heading up the curve, Dire Straits’ “Sultans of Swing” was playing. Whenever I hear that song, that memory comes flooding back.

In June 1979, I entered the Air Force and went to basic training at Lackland AFB, Texas. Lackland also happened to be the location of my technical school. While at basic training, you were shut off from the rest of the world. One of the things I missed most was the music. I have to say, I was blessed to have grown up during the 70s. We had the greatest music. One of the first songs I heard come out of basic training was Supertramp’s “The Logical Song” from the Breakfast in America album and I thought to myself, what the hell happened to the music.

During one of my leaves (vacation), I remember driving out to see the girl I was dating at the time. She was off to college. I happened to drive out and surprise her at her dorm. She snuck me into her room and promptly went to class. To keep me occupied, she threw on a Bread album. I believe it was the Anthology album.

What you listen to also seems to be dictated by the people you hang out with or the place where you live. In the many places I have lived, I have been exposed to different music. For example, when I lived at Nellis AFB, Nev. I listened to “desert music.” There just seemed to be a lot of America and Eagles playing. Nellis also home to one of my most intense music memory. The regulars were having a party in their room. They had already been drinking for a couple of hours. I thought at the time, it was a good idea to catch up. In hindsight, I realize this was a horrible idea. I started to catch up at around 9 pm. The last memory I have was about 10:30 pm and I distinctly remember “Riders on the Storm” from The Doors playing. At around midnight, they carried me to my room. The rest of my memory is not very pleasant. It is not good to follow tequila with Jack Daniels.

While I was at the Air Force Academy Prep School, I had the fortune to be surrounded by some great people. Two fellow preppies, Michael H. and Manny Z., hailed from Florida. They were huge fans of southern rock, which they played with a lot of enthusiasm. One of the songs they played was Molly Hatchet’s “Bounty Hunter”. When I say played, they also contributed the vocals to the song.

When I lived in Grand Forks, North Dakota, a group of us rented an old farmhouse. As I remember it, it was always cold, and we were always out of water. The refrigerator typically had three cases of beer and a bucket of KFC chicken. The “living room” was decorated with beer tabs strung across the room from corner to corner. There were thousands of tabs. The reason there were so many tabs was that Dennis F., Daniel R., Steve P., and I had some great parties there. One of the songs that seemed to always make the playlist was “Never Been Any Reason” by Head East. The music was mind-numbing loud. This was in significant part due to the fantastic stereo systems that my roommates had.

Every time I listen to “Brown-Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison, I think of Bernadette.

Listening to Full Albums

With the introduction of the iPod and the digitizing of music, we left an era of music behind. When I was growing up, I listened to the radio (WARM) at home or in the car. One Christmas, I received a cassette player as a gift with three cassettes. The cassettes I wore out included Simon and Garfunkel, Jim Croce, and Charlie Pride.

More importantly, we gathered around and listened to entire albums. At most parties, we were introduced to one of the latest albums or definitely a great classic record. At Nellis, the group I hung out with were slightly older and appreciated music from the late 60s and early 70s. Naturally, that shaped my interest in music.

Now, everyone is listening to their own thing. There is not a collective interest in music as there once was. At least, that is my opinion. But I have to say I am far removed from what is being listened to now.

With an upcoming reunion, many of us are interested in tapping into our youth. I will be bringing some music. Long gone are the days when we were parked deep in the woods, and someone had their trunk open cranking out the tunes.

My Adventures With the Rolling Stone Rock Almanac

Typically when I am working, I have some music playing in the background. I simply search a group and listen to the associated “radio” station on Google Play. This often satisfies my music needs.

One day, I pulled my copy of the Rolling Stone Rock Almanac off the shelf and started to flip through it. I realized that while I was a fan of 70s music, I seemed to have missed out on some albums. It was then I decided to play the record of the week from January 1970 to December 1979. It has been a fantastic journey. One that I recommend.

Not only did I get to hear some of the albums that I loved and owned, but I heard for the first time albums that I never listened to. Definitely a rewarding experience.

Below are the albums I listened to in the order they appeared. I do have to note that they are listed only once even though they may have had repeated listings as the album of the week. There are 127 albums on this list.

I have to agree with Friedrich Nietzsche when he said, “Without music, life would be a mistake.” I am pretty sure he was not talking about the 1970s but just the same maybe he was.

The human mind is a crazy organ. With it, we can remember things. I am glad that music is a trigger for some memories. The ones that I have associated with music have been worth remembering. What memories do you have that are associated with music?

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4 thoughts on “Can Songs Trigger Memories? They Definitely Generate Some of My Memories”

  1. mkmiraglia

    Since sensory learning uses visual, auditory, kinesthetic and tactile conduits to enhance and process information, the accompanying auditory input is the seasoning that embeds the information more deeply into our long-term memory. My field is adult learning, so I’m not an expert on this, but I would argue that our brains are ripe for sensory learning when we are younger. I intend to look into this idea. Thanks for the interesting posts!

    1. Stan Skrabut, Ed.D. Post author

      Thanks for your comment! I haven’t dug into the research why this occurs but I do agree that like visual stimulus, one’s brain does a great jobs of processing this type of input into longterm memory. The key is attaching meaning. There has to be more than just the music. If that were the case I would have loads of memories because I listen to music all day long 😉

  2. Melissa Miraglia

    Some of my good memories were accompanied by many of the songs you mentioned. I went to see Mark Knopler a couple of years ago and he was fantastic as always! Sensory learning is certainly fascinating!

    1. Stan Skrabut, Ed.D. Post author

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts! The world would be a sadder place without music. On this evening’s news, a young man from Afghanistan was again allowed to play music and the results were amazing.

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