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Long Island Mike

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Everyone: I was thinking about this subject for some time:
Are there songs that bring back memories of a place or time when you hear them?

It happens plenty for me-two good examples: First - On my September 1985 trip to Ontario and Quebec (I bought a two-week VIA Rail Canada pass and spent two or so weeks in Montreal) two songs bring back instant memories of this trip:
"Take On Me" by A-Ha and "Take These Broken Wings" by Mister Mister - I believe both songs were big on Canadian rock radio
before they were introduced and became hits in the USA.

Second: I remember the local Toronto band "Goddo" - I saw them in concert on one of my early 80s trips and really liked their music - after hearing the song "Under My Hat" which in itself brings back Toronto memories to me.

Are there songs that bring back memories to anyone in the realm of places or times here?

Knowing UT this may become quite an interesting topic...

Long Island Mike
 
Last edited:
I have a few.

"Hey Ya" by Oukast and "I'm an asshole" by Dennis Leary remind me of the most memorable bus ride of my life in my 1st year of University in Peterborough. Essentially we were downtown to watch a friend of ours play an open mic night and afterwords us along with a few dozen other Trent students were waiting for the pub bus when my friend pulled out his guitar and started playing these two songs. So the combo of some music, a cold Peterborough night and some alcohol led to a sing-a-long/dance party, which then continued onto the bus. So now an entire packed bus is singing and dancing to Hey ya being played on an acoustic guitar. Then a couple people actually started crowd surfing on the bus. One girl managed to go from the back to the front. Simply hilarious and awesome and all around memorable (maybe not safe, but whatever...). I don't even really like either of those songs, but they're pretty memorable for me.

The other song that brings back a funny memory is "On the Underground" by Amateur Transplants http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgwoPG63B3Y which is a hilarious song about the London Underground. My girlfriend and I heard it on a train between York and Edinburgh when some Newcastle soccer fans got on the train and were playing it on their cell phones. It's doesn't contain the most kid-friendly lyrics (and there were quite a few families in our car) but it was hilarious none the less... just reminds me of my first time being in Britain.

Other songs remind of concerts I've been to and other random events but no great stories to go along with them that would be of interest to people.
In terms of songs that remind me of Toronto, "Ibi Dreams of Pavement" by Broken Social Scene seems to do that for me.
 
"Downtown" by Petula Clark. It was on the car radio as we pulled out of Gorrie Motors on Gerrard street just east of Yonge in my dad's new 1965 Chevy Impala SS. Ryerson student housing is there now.
 
"See You In September" by the Happenings always brings back memories of my summers as a kid, and the end of the school year.
 
If you like classical music, then this one brings good memories:

[video=youtube;QCO6smQrjJ8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCO6smQrjJ8[/video]
 
I know I got a few of these, but I don't think I'll remember them until I hear the song.

But here are the ones I can recall right now:

Madcon's Beggin: Always reminds of wasting time at Dundas Square March 28, 2009 around 22:00 or 23:00 before catching the overnight coach to Montreal at 00:30. The reason for this, it was one of the songs that stood out from a group of street dancers at the square.

Feist's Gate Keeper: Always reminds me of my first time in Montreal in a long while on september 14, 2008. The scene that comes to mind with the song is waiting for and seeing the Green line train arriving at Berri-UQAM. The stained glass window and green-tinged atmosphere also stands out in my mind.

Bridget Bardot's Ne Me Laisse Pas L'aimer: Always reminds me of taking the Megabus from Toronto to Montreal on November 8, 2009 and on the way back November 11, 2009. I kept playing this song on my iPod for most of the trip while trying to learn all the lyrics (which I sucessfully did).

Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons's Beggin': Always reminds me of some time in the late evening on the VIA train from Montreal back to Toronto on March 29, 2009. Having heard the Madcon version the night before, I took a listen to both on my iPod while comming back to Toronto.

U2's Vertigo: Always reminds me of a morning (I believe) in 2004 in our rented flat in Macau. The music video was playing on the TV.

Gwen Stefani's What You Waiting For: Always reminds me of the plane ride home from Macau in 2004 for some reason.
 
Not a song, but great movie opening theme:
[video=youtube;cWnmCu3U09w]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWnmCu3U09w[/video]
 
Many powerful memories here:

James-Ring The Bells: as I drove from Lausanne to Vaillencourt to spend one last weekend with a special someone.

Pachelbel's Canon : watching the sunset at the end of the dock at a friend's Balsam Lake cottage
 
Jay Chou - Blue and White Vase -> Bring back memories of a failed relationship that didn't work out in the beginning.

Drake - Forever ft. Eminem, Lil Wayne, Kayne West -> Reminds me of my current situation......

Belly ft. Snoop Dogg -> Hot Girl -> Reminds me of how pretty my girlfriend is.
 
Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun" reminds me of the first time I went to Dairy Queen, summer of 1996.

LordWanker said:
Pachelbel's Canon : watching the sunset at the end of the dock at a friend's Balsam Lake cottage
Click to expand...

Switch sunset for sunrise and you basically have the opening scene of Ordinary People.
 
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