The Songs That Bring Us Back

It’s funny how music, especially certain songs, can bring you back almost instantly to another time in your life. We’ve all experienced it. A few notes, a familiar voice, and suddenly you’re not where you are… you’re where you were.

I remember being nine years old. A song played on the car radio as we drove to a basketball game on a snowy night. My father hurt his shoulder in that game, and my mother was worried about the snow piling up. I don’t remember everything about that night but I remember that song.

When I was sixteen, I sent a song dedication to my crush. He would never hear it because I sent it to a radio station in Long Island when I lived in New Jersey. It didn’t matter. The act of sending it felt important, hopeful, and very much like being sixteen.

College was filled with music. Some rock, some beach music, and some songs that were simply “current” at the time but now, they carry the weight of friendships, first love, late nights, and growing independence.

The other day, I ran into a friend who mentioned a list of songs that, when he hears them now, take him right back to when we were 23 years old. Just like that, no effort, no warning. A song, and suddenly you’re there. The list continued as I got older - marriage, children and so on.

It’s comforting to think that somewhere, a song might remind someone of time spent with you.

In Caitlin’s Star, Caitlin remembers the things her grandmother loved. It’s one way she keeps her close. When we think about the people we miss, we often think of the obvious things—photos, traditions, stories. But music belongs there too.

Songs are part of our memories. They are part of the people we love.

For me, those songs are tied to moments:
At nine years old, “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’.”
At sixteen, “Theme from A Summer Place.”
College days filled with The Allman Brothers, The Tams, and “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow.”
At 23, “Baker Street.” 
Marriage, “Can’t Help Falling in Love.”
And with my children, “The Itsy Bitsy Spider.” Later, The Back Street Boys and Green Day.

 Each one brings me back in a different way.

Sometimes we don’t realize we’re creating a memory while we’re living it. But years later, a song played suddenly, we’re right back there.

What are the songs that bring you back?

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