There are certain musical albums that remind me of certain times in my life. I’ve thought of this often, how the music takes me back to the memories and feelings of those moments. Have you noticed that as well? Here are some of the albums that whisk me back in time.
RENT Soundtrack. During my senior year of high school my band class went to see RENT and I fell in love. I bought the soundtrack and listened to it nonstop. My favorite time of the day was always curling my hair before school in the morning, singing along.
Aida Soundtrack. I discovered this musical right before I left for Senegal and I took it with me. (Thanks to RENT and Adam Pascal, aka Roger and Radames.) I listened to it most nights as I tried to fall asleep, which was hard to do because of how hot it was. Yep, this totally takes me back to a foam mattress surrounded by a mosquito net, a blanket balled up at the foot of my bed because why on earth would I need one, and sweat.
Wild Hope, Mandy Moore. I listened to this the spring that I learned how to process film and develop photos in the darkroom. I’d press play on my iPod and walk in to do my work, playing around with the settings, watching it develop in the first bath before moving it through the rest. I also think of the melting snow and water running down the sides of the street on my drive to class. I listened to this during my weight training class that spring as well. Surprisingly, I really got into the class! I don’t know why this was my music of choice, but it was, except it during the cardio portion of class. For that I listened to Madonna.
Mamma Mia! Soundtrack. For about six months my idea of ultimate relaxation was to clean the kitchen. Yeah, I don’t understand it either, but every day I would dance around the kitchen, singing along with Mamma Mia! as I washed dishes, scrubbed the stove and pulled everything off of the counters to clean behind them. If I wanted to switch it up I’d put on Keane, Hopes and Fears.
The Black Halo, Kamelot. I have a lot of memories associated with this album as it’s one of the most played in my iTunes library, if not the most played. But I listened to it a lot at school when I’d walk across the river. I always walked on the uncovered portion of the bridge, even during winter, because I liked seeing how the river changed with the seasons. I loved it when the weather was nice and the crew team was out.
Anthem (from Ghost Opera, Kamelot). This was the song I listened to on the cold winter days when I trudged through the snow from my study area to the worst French class in the history of French classes.
OneRepublic takes me back to a novel that I wrote a few years ago, because I did a lot of daydreaming and plotting at the same that I discovered their albums. I love those characters!
What about you? What songs/albums take you back?
