Ever since I was a kid, I remember hearing music all around me. Whether it was in a movie, while walking around a store, or even listening to it in my friend’s room, these songs would stay with me for years to come. Now when there’s a significant memory in my life, there’s usually a song to go with it.
After realizing this phenomenon, I decided to take advantage of it and started a playlist (called “Memories,” fittingly enough) on Spotify of the songs connected to specific memories of mine. Some of them are from when I was around 10 or 11 years old, while others are just from last month. While I can’t share all of them with you in this article because there are almost 200 songs, here are 10 of them and the stories they tell:
“Coaster” by Khalid
This is the song that made me want to start my “Memories” playlist since it’s one of the first songs that I remembered having a specific memory connected with. It was either seventh or eighth grade, and I was with my family in Boulder at Pearl Street. We walked into this small art store that only sold items made by local people around town, and this song was playing. I found the song by looking up the lyrics on Google. The vibe of this song, for lack of better wording, was immaculate.
“To Build A Home” by The Cinematic Orchestra
This song played at the first dance recital that two of my best friends performed in, which must have been eighth or ninth grade in June. The song played with the highest level lyrical class, and it was phenomenal. I actually cried while watching the dance, and I’ve loved this song ever since. I don’t cry when I listen to it anymore, but it continues to send chills down my spine every time.
“No. 1 Party Anthem” by Arctic Monkeys
The history of this song is super weird. It was winter of my sophomore year in high school, and my first class of the day was “History of Games.” My old teacher, Mr. Garcia, always had so much energy in the morning and liked to play music as loud as he could in an attempt to wake up his students. I didn’t like most of his music since it was hardcore metal, but one morning I walked in and this song was playing. I asked Mr. Garcia what the name of the song was, and I have been listening to it ever since.
“Canyon Moon” by Harry Styles
It was Christmas break of 2019 and my cousin and I were heading to Snowy Range, Wyoming to go skiing. I said that he could play the music since I was driving, but I just ended up telling him what to play because he had the luxury of Spotify Premium (which I now have, thankfully). Before I told him what to play, however, he ended up playing this song as we were on the highway. I loved the song because it was Harry Styles, and he liked it because it was woodsy and cabin-esque. Following this song was a long debate about the best song on the “Fine Line” album, which is easily “To Be So Lonely.”
“Buzzcut Season” by Lorde
This song has been downloaded on my iPod nano since elementary school, along with the rest of Lorde’s first album. For some reason, this song has stuck me with more than any of the others. I was camping at a family friend’s cabin in either sixth or seventh grade and did a lot of creative writing to make up for the lack of cell phone service. Whenever I wrote, this was the song that would play on repeat the entire time. Now when I hear this song, it reminds me of a quiet night at the cabin, with one lantern lighting up the space to write.
“Portland Nights” by Genevieve Stokes
This is a weird one because it’s not a specific memory I have tied to this song, but a lack thereof. When I first listened to it in fall of 2020, I immediately felt like something was missing in my life. It felt like maybe I wasn’t doing enough, I was doing too much, or clearly just not getting something out of life that I should’ve been. That feeling of betrayal with myself felt memorable enough to put on here.
“Edamame” by BBno$ feat. Rich Brian
This song best defines the last month of summer 2021, the summer before college started for me. My friend Rylee and I played it all the time and we had BBno$’s verses completely memorized. The most prominent memory was when Rylee and I were driving home from Whetstone Climbing and she was looking up the lyrics, replaying the song over and over until she could memorize it.
“The Spins” by Mac Miller
I first heard this song in a friend’s apartment, but the real memory came from when my friends and I were all heading to Dutch Bros in Longmont and the car was filled a little over capacity. This song came on and my friends Nik and Jackson started singing it as loud as they could word by word, which was impressive at the time, but now I can give them a run for their money.
“American Money” by Borns
I was driving into Denver to go see one of my old music teachers perform at a concert. The sun was setting behind the tall buildings and we were driving across this bridge when the chorus of this song started playing. The whole vibe was perfect and just how you would imagine this song to be listened to.
“Cinnamon” by Jome
I discovered the artist Jome from a Youtuber who was talking about her favorite songs that make her ‘feel things,’ back at the beginning of 2019. Let me say, I hate when I don’t discover my own music, but this was a blessing. Jome is one of my favorite artists now, and their music is so powerful (and speaks to the soul). “Cinnamon” was the first and will forever be my favorite song of theirs, and honestly, I think it’s my favorite song of all time. “Cinnamon” has a really special place in my heart.
Make youR own!
Music has always been a huge part of my life, and I love going into that playlist every so often to relive parts that I otherwise would have forgotten. I think that everyone should make a playlist of the songs most important to them or those they have memories connected with. You’ll appreciate it later.
If you are interested in checking out the rest of the songs on my “Memories” playlist, click here!