Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before
Joelle said around mid-morning on January 22, 2008 while listening to The Smiths - Hand in Glove
It’s absolutely gorgeous here today. For the last two days it’s been pretty crappy — raining and gray, but this morning the ocean breeze blew away the clouds and left us with one of those blue, dewy, cool mornings where the sunlight glints off of everything and the air smells like fabric softener. I had to open all the curtains and front door so I could take in the sun and decided put on some happy music. I was compelled to put on The Smiths for some reason. I’ve not listening to them in quite a while, but for being so maudlin and whiney, most of their tunes are surprisingly upbeat.
The Smiths remind me of 8th grade and my friend Siouxsie, whose name was really spelled like that. I met her in art class and we became friends while making papier mâché masks of our faces. She was my first “cool” friend, really. “Cool” being defined in my 12-year-old mind as being different, artistic, free-thinking and otherwise debutante-free. She was a fuller-figured girl who wore a lot of black and had very creative hair. You know in the movie Mean Girls… the table full of art freaks? That was us. Except I was like the Benetton Poster Child in a pack of vintage-wearing mods and underground-shopping new-wavers. (This, of course, was back before Hot Topic made insta-goths of the suburbs.)
I was still very much in love with my Aqua Net and my stirrup pants during this time, but for some reason, while I pretty much get along with everyone, I didn’t care for the other girls who dressed like me. They seemed more interested in talking about sex they’ve never had than doing anything unusual or different. I wasn’t a prude or anything — I was just as boy-crazy at the time, but I also realized there was more things to be interested in than a penis I wouldn’t see for another few years (my parents hoped). But, I digress…
The Smiths also remind me of driving across the country alone when I was twenty-five. I had a whole book of CDs and The Smiths Best I and Best II took me across the New Mexico desert in the very early hours with the sunroof open and the windows down, Judy screaming down the empty highway at 95mph. That was one of the best times of my life. Kudos to Judy for not breaking down in the middle of nowhere — that was before I had a cell phone.
And most recently, The Smiths remind me of Suzie. When I first started blogging in 2003, I met Suzie and we bonded over our mutual love of The Smiths. Now whenever I hear the first strains of Panic, I think of Suzie. 
If you don’t read Words for Snow, it’s a lovely little blog. She and her hubby Tim and their wee bear, Josie are good people. Plus, Suzie knows the virtues of a proper martini, so she’s aces all around.
Most people have a certain band or musician that evokes a specific memory of an event or person for them. What’s yours?
Moxie Design Studios™
from Ell Ay
Manohman, music always makes me think of boys.
“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” was the first guy I ever thought I might marry (and we talked about it.) We both listened to Motown and he took me for my birthday to a huge United Negrow College Fun Fundraiser where Stevie Wonder headlined (and we were two of the five white people in the audience.) It was amazing.
Anything T-Rex, the boy I lived with for three years.
The Replacements (or any dirty garage sounding band) reminds me of Will (who I actually married.) Even if I’ve never heard it, I can immediately ID a “Will song” from the first few notes.
I heart the Smiths, it really does remind me of being an Alternateen!
from Houston
While it’s not music, I will always associate Showgirls with you.
I worked out in my Morrissey shirt last night! Love the Smiths...sigh. They evoke many memories for me too!
from San Diego, CA • Cocktail: slightly dirty Grey Goose martini
@Ms. Pants: I take pride in that, somehow…
@slackmistress: I can so see you as an alternateen.
@Marie: Have a fave song?
from Columbia City, IN
U2 - Joshua Tree - College memories.
10,000 Maniacs unplugged - wistful times
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Breaking the Girl - memories of a love long ago.
Just to name a few
from Canada
This is nowhere near as cool as everyone else’s, but.
“Let’s Hear It For The Boy” by Deneice Williams. Everytime I hear it, I basically can smell chlorine.
The reason for this is that in the summer between 2nd and 3rd grades, when “Footloose” came out, our swim instructor would play the song every day while we learned to hold our breath underwater.
from South Central Pennsyltucky
Violent Femmes always will remind me of high school, tooling around in my best friend Leslie’s blue 80s era Toyota just looking for things to do. Sigh. Good times, good times.
Was IN LOVE with Michael Jackson in elementary school. When I hear Thriller or Beat It, brings back memories of trying to twist the arm of our school bus driver to play my friend’s Thriller album tape on the school bus radio/tape player.
Let’s Get Physical by Olivia Newton John brings back elementary school P.E. memories.
Was in love with Tiffany’s rendition of I Think We’re Alone Now in junior high? high school? Can’t remember for sure.
First boyfriend (a long distance relationship, he lived in San Francisco) memories evoked from Right Here Waiting by Richard Marx, More Than Words by Extreme, and Pour Some Sugar On Me by Def Leppard.
Listened to a lot of country music in my late high school years. Can sing along to about any country hit song from the late 80’s/early 90’s.
But the over ruling #1 song that brings back the best memories from those days and makes me smile? My all time favorite - A Groovy Kind of Love by Phil Collins.
And wow… the day there sounded absolutely gorgeous. It made me smile to know the weather cleared up a little for Dooce’s vacation to your neck of the woods.
from Michigan
I have SO many of them!
Another Brick In The Wall reminds me of my sister’s bad car accident
Lay Down Sally by Eric Clapton reminds me of my childhood, my dad & dancing in the back room
My Name Is Mud by Primus reminds me of my older sister and her graduation from high school
Wave of Mutilation by The Pixies reminds me of my ex-best friend/roommate taking a road trip to Ohio
Power of Two by the Indigo GIrls reminds me of my twin sister
You Don’t Bring Me Flowers by Neil Diamond & Barbara Streisand reminds me of my brother-in-law and that fun Christmas party
The list goes on and on…
from San Diego, CA • Cocktail: slightly dirty Grey Goose martini
@Tina: “Wave of Mutilation"… aw… I love the Pixies. Any Indigo Girls reminds me of an estranged friend. We used to sing some of their stuff together.
@lani: only temporarily! It’s supposed to rain today and the rest of the week…
@agategoddess: Yeah! VM makes me think of a car ride I took with my stepmother to Disneyland or something. I had one of their cassettes on my headphones that I listened to nonstop so I wouldn’t bicker with her.
Another high school memory for me is associated with The Smithereens. It makes me think of my friend Jeanette’s red Honda Prelude and having a bunch of girls from choir packed in there, tearing down the freeway on our way to a performance singing, “A Girl Like You” at the top of our lungs. Ah, 1989…
@Louise: That Denise Williams song makes me think of my stepmom’s black IROC, for some reason. I vaguely recall that tape being in her glove box...right next to Julio Iglesias. haha!
@imechoman: 10,000 Maniacs “In My Tribe” is one of my favorites…
from Michigan
The Pixies remind me of an estranged friend...especially Wave of Mutilation. My sister and I sing the Indigo Girls together all the time! We aren’t trained or probably even very good, but we can carry a tune well enough. We just like to sing together.
My mom used to play 8 tracks of Kenny Rogers all the time...I totally think of driving around in her blue Escort wagon back in the day when he comes on.
I could recount songs like this all day that remind me of things. What a fun post!
All I ever wanted, all I ever needed is here in my arms...
I was just reading this Moxie Girl's latest entry about her fondness for The Smiths and it got me thinking about songs that trigger happy memories for me. Depeche Mode (shocker!), Enjoy the Silence, the summer of 1991. My gang and I were doing things we probably shouldn't have been doing and we were at my friend Brett's house playing on the golf course. For some reason Joey and I needed to leave and go all the way back to his house. It probably was not a good idea to be driving but……