Music and Memories

As I sit here listening to the radio to make studying Con Law more enjoyable, I can't help but wonder if I have an abnormal passion for music.
At the age of 5 I remember my first musically inspired motivational rushes, which would physically move my mid-afternoon exhausted body despite my brain's objections. At this age I started swimming competitively, a recreational sport that I would continue to compete in for 12 years, and still at times use the same motivational song- "Rush, Rush" by Paula Abdoul (secretly one of my favorite artists and my also one of my current motivations for watching American Idol). Although I didn't like feeling the ice-cold water stinging my skin as I took that first plunge into the pool, I did enjoy the light-rock music blasting in the background, which I could hear everytime I would bring my head up for air.
Paula was frequently played in the background. On this particular day, I can remember laying in the middle of the play room floor, playing with weebles and refusing to go to swim practice. My mother finally left me alone, and within five minutes of turning on my Paula Abdoul cassette (Rush, Rush was the second song on the track) I was downstairs begging my dad to take me to practice. He asked me what changed my mind, and I knew it was the song. As soon as I heard the lyrics "you're a whisper of a summer breeze" coming through the speaker, I imagined hearing those lyrics as my body would glide through the smooth cool water doing the breast-stroke, and I would lift my head up at swim practice; I wanted that feeling.
For me, music's importance lies in my strong attachment between music and memories.
* Alan Jackson's "Tall, Tall Trees" reminds me of rollerblading in my garage in elementary school, when we lived in Lake Park, GA, escaping the deep south heat and listening to the only genre of music offered in the area.
* Alanis Morrisette's "Forgiven" reminds me of seventh grade, living in Rock Hill, when I would dance and lipsync in the mirror in my catholic school uniform after class, belting out "you know how us catholic girls can be."
* Nelly's "Ride Wit Me" reminds me of polevaulting in high school; the lyrics "Now that I'm a fly guy, and I fly high (while I was literally flying high)" would pass through my head as I ran quickly toward the metal pit, griping the flimsy pole firmly in my fists.
* Creed's "Higher," reminds me of going to Neil, Kevin and Brian's house and playing two on two, man on man defense basketball until the orange early summer afternoon sky (which would turn the water in the pond gold, thus represented by the lyrics "to a place with golden streams") faded to black- and then believing that the dark sky actually improved our skills.
* Train's "Drops of Jupiter" reminds me of my junior year of high school, when I would drive around in my car and cry about having to move my senior year of high school, singing in my car (another secret habit) "Can you imagine no love, pride, deep-fried chicken? Your best friend always sticking up for you, even when I know youre wrong? Can you imagine no first dance, freeze dried romance five-hour phone Conversation?The best soy latte that you ever had . . . and me," and thinking about those same memories (my best friend, middle school dances, five hour conversations) that I had with the people I was about to be leaving.
* Dispatch "The General," reminds me of a feeling of the summer of my sophomore year; since Blake would frequently rock that out on his guitar while Nick played the Jambae- the pinnacle feeling occuring with all of us on Nick's boat in Lake Wylie. We all took the boat out, and Jason's jet ski, and drank beer and chilled on the boat, island or lake house all day long. We eventually took the boat to T-Bonz, where there was a dock to park boats and a dock to eat on; it was an opportunity to get off the lake. We all ate, drank, and danced in the warm afternoon with the cool breeze blowing off the water. I can still remember the difficulty imposed on our drunk boaters by the no wake zone as we left the restaurant, and the blissful feeling in all of us as we navigated our way back at the end of the day. This, along with all the "boat Thursday" memories with Gabes and his friends are the reason I have vowed to grow up and buy a boat and throw weekly summer parties for my college buddies.
* Most appropriately for the moment, The Fray's "How To Save A Life" reminds me of studying for law school finals in December, stuck in a room alone for a month. Although the time was tedious, and the lyrics in my head repeated "right between the lines of fear and blame you begin to wonder why you came,"now the song evokes feelings of survival and accomplishment.

Regardless of genre, time, place, or person, music has always been powerful force in my life.