I’ve been feeling nostalgic today. I love music’s magical ability to transport one back in time and trigger memories like audible photographs. I want to ask my fellow readers: what are some songs or artists that evoke nostalgia? What kind of memories do certain songs elicit?
Personally, hearing certain artists bring me back to a specific age or phase in life. When I hear The Beatles, I am 8 years old, jumping on my bed with an air guitar. When I hear Nirvana, I’m an awkward high school freshman with a horrible haircut.
Today, an Ozzy Osbourne song came on random as I was driving through Las Virgenes. Hearing the song brought back a pleasant memory of my dad driving me to school when I was 13, with the song playing on the car stereo. At the time, I had just discovered Randy Rhoads, Ozzy’s first guitarist after leaving Black Sabbath. I had just started to play guitar so my dad bought me Ozzy’s first solo record, Blizzard of Ozz. I’ll admit that a good deal of Ozzy’s music is badass, but the majority of Blizzard is really cheesy and embarrassingly 80’s. Despite it’s corny factor, my dad seemed to think Ozzy was cool, so I was excited about it. I like to keep all my old music on my iPod, even if I don’t usually listen to it anymore. I’m a music pack rat simply for nice flashbacks like this.
The power to conjure up old memories is yet another aspect of music that’s awesome. I’m curious to hear what kind of music brings you guys back in time.
Here are some nostalgic picks for the week:
Ozzy Osbourne- “Goodbye to Romance“, from Blizzard of Ozz. This is the song that played in my car today. I’m pretty sure this is Ozzy’s first attempt at a “power ballad.” It’s cheesy, but I like the nostalgia it brings. The guitar solo by Randy Rhoads is sick though.
The Decemberists- “The Engine Driver“- from Picaresque. This was from my “indie” phase during my senior year of high school. The band I was in at the time thought these guys were genius and we pretty much ripped off their indie-folk style. They have some really great songs though, mainly through their story-telling approach to their lyrics.
Weezer- “Tired of Sex“- from Pinkerton. Early Weezer defined my early teens. Cool jam, very rough. If anyone is considering purchasing a Weezer record, go with the old stuff.
Pino's Playlist 
I always feel a little nostalgic when I’m listening to bands like The Human League, The Cranberries, and Sixpence None the Richer, because that’s what my Mom listened to when we were kids, but bands like the Rolling Stones, Jefferson Starship, and the Eagles remind me of going on summer vacation in Dad’s truck.
This post was short and easy-to-read but still included the music suggestions at the end and painted a picture of younger you with your air guitar, etc.
When I first read the title of the post, I thought of “Back in the Day” by Ahmad — a clip of the chorus would always play on a radio station at home before the daily news would come out. 🙂 Just that memory alone proves the point of your post! There are just some songs (they don’t need to be complete or even audible in this case) that bring us back to specific moments. I LOVE that.
the nostalgia-music link was extremely good. i always have that thought that certain songs bring out different memories, and this is poignant realization is echoed throughout the post. great post man, great to explore the idea of emotive music.
So true! Every time I hear “Losing my Religion” by REM I remember the best times of my childhood. You do a fabulous god of getting your readers engaged by asking questions, and the recommendations of the week are really great too!
I’m surprised it doesn’t happen more, but there are a couple of bands that really bring up strong memories…Smashing Pumpkins definitely brings back high school…maybe that is why i dont listen to them much anymore. and then Linkin Park, Hybrid Theory always reminds me of a book i read called Shades Children. A little random…but fun to think about!