I'm currently listening to Donnell Jones "What's Up?" and it reminds me of dance team sleep-overs in high school. (Save the Last Dance, duh.)
Next up, John Legend "Green Light" - reminds me of my first apartment in Austin and adventures in the warehouse district with....we'll call her "Amber." You get the idea. We all have songs that automatically take us to a place in our past - be it a good memory or a bad one. These songs are the soundtracks to our lives. (I admit mine has a WHOLE lot of Bee Gees)
Well what happens when you automatically associate your favorite people with your favorite songs, and then all of a sudden they aren't your favorite people anymore? The song that you once loved soooo much is now jaded. You knew all the words, sang them in the shower, had a copy on your ipod, your phone, your car, your work desk, and of course your living room stereo. DUNZO. Are you ever able to listen to the song again? Yes my kiddies, you are.
Now this is coming from someone who has teared up and wiped teary eyes because of song association. We've all been there, and it comes down to two choices:
1. Delete the song from your library. Be mad, sad, or all around miserable the next time you hear it.
2. Get over it. Detach the memory from the song, and let the song live on as the masterpiece it is.
I choose the latter. Call me cold if you want, but I love music and my soundtracks are living. "Cold hands warm heart" is what my Grand used to say, so there. TAKE THAT! Yes, songs still remind me of certain experiences, but when it comes to the emotions they provoke that's a different story. If it's not positive, it's not happening. I realize this isn't a light switch either. It took me a long time be so breezy about this subject, but here I am.
Have I conquered song association? I feel pretty confident that I have. However, recently while sipping a cocktail with some friends over at the W something happened. I was slapped in the face with nostalgia. This wasn't just a fantastic cocktail. It was the cocktail I drank the night I went to a Christmas party at Malverde. I suddenly remembered every single detail of the evening - the party, my outfit, the karaoke and who I was with. #LameSauce. After realizing that song association had now become cocktail association I reviewed some of my favorite libations. Yep, a lot of them were linked. It was time for a pep talk. I had two choices. (Please refer to previous paragraph if you do not know what they are....shame on you).
Pep talk given, "wolfpack" consulted, and it was time to put my money where my mouth was. One week later I sat with a friend at the same bar, ordered the same drink and stared before I sipped. I confess, I was nervous but knew what had to happen. I took a sip, and it was delicious, and just that. (insert sigh of relief) I came. I saw. I conquered cocktail association.
Now without sounding like a monster lush, this is what I determined:
Life happens. You can either link it and lose it, or keep it and drink it.
....or something like that!
~ A Charlie Gal
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