They say that sense of smell is the sense most closely tied to memory. That may be true. Actually, I'm sure it is. Yet, somehow, I can hear songs and they transport me back to a time or place so vividly, that it makes me feel like I am there again.
I can listen to Maroon 5's first album, and I swear I'm walking down Dundas in Toronto in the snow on my way to the subway station. I can practically feel the sidewalk beneath my feet and the cold on my cheeks.
I just put on Vince Gill today, feeling, for some reason, a strong urge to hear his voice (one of the best in music, for the record.) I have one of his early greatest hits collections, Souvenirs, on my iTunes.
The Heart Won't Lie, his duet with Reba, is one of the songs that I most remember from growing up. It just came on and I could have sworn that if I closed my eyes, I was a six year old girl, sitting in the front seat of our '88 Dodge Caravan, listening to CKBY (Ottawa's country radio station, now Y101) with my dad driving.
When we were kids, my dad used to sing in the car all the time. He has a great voice. I don't know why he stopped. But I can still hear him singing the Vince Gill part of that song, loud and clear. The line, "Old desires make us act carelessly" still gives me goosebumps...
When I was 11 or 12, Vince Gill was the second concert I ever went to. I remember siting there at the Palladium (now Scotiabank Place) with my dad, watching as the guitar tech set up a full rack of guitars. There must have been 15. I was amazed. How could one person need so many guitars??
He played every single one of them.
When I heard that song today, I wondered if my dad has the same memories? I wonder if he remembers driving around with me next to him, listening to country radio and both of us singing along. I wonder if he remembers that concert and the way my eyes went wide as Vince sang with that crystal clear voice of his.
I hope he does.
Wow, I love that music has this effect on you. Cos it's pretty much the same for me. Like the song 'Lightning Crashes' will play and bam I'm back in NZ sitting on the deck looking at the ocean and dreaming of a future in England. We left like 6months later so for me it holds this poignancy and nostalgia.
I adore it. That is the bottom line. Music should life the soul and make you remember pockets of time before you really ever started having your love affair with music, I love how it inspires me to write as well. The essence of music and it just getting you like that. Amazing.
Wear those stilettos S-and do it Sheeky style. I know you can.
Speak soon crazy-I miss your insanity. It's addictive.
T xxx