I'm Gonna Keep on Loving You...

I have often pondered the phenomenon of song associations.

I understand the potential power music has to influence human emotion from melancholy to joy, from energy to relaxation. But I can't quite get a handle on the association side of it.

There are many songs that I associate with many things. It may be a time period in my life; it may be a particular person, especially if that person is an ex-girlfriend. But why some songs and not others?

For instance, I hear Uptown Girl by Billy Joel, and I immediately think of Fort Stewart, Georgia where I was stationed from 1983 to 1986. In fact, other songs from that album, including For the Longest Time and An Innocent Man have the same effect. Yet, Leave a Tender Moment Alone and Keeping the Faith do not. They're all from the same album.

We used to listen to the Scorpions loudly in the barracks, but I hear Still Loving You today and it doesn't bring up any memory associations of having done so. Like I said, I can't figure out what creates a song association.

Between my sophomore and junior years in college, I went through a very painful breakup (which is described pretty closely in my short story, Waiting for Sherrie published in Of Trains and Other Things). To hear Lost in Love by Air Supply will bring back the memories and a subtle recollection of the hurt I bore that summer. Several other songs remind me of this ex-girlfriend as well. 99 by Toto, Ships by Ian Hunter, The Rose by Bette Midler. None of these songs, however, were shared by the two of us and wouldn't, in any way, be considered "our songs."

On the flip side of this, another ex-girlfriend used to leave me notes with song lyrics written in them. This has created an association to her when I hear Angel of the Morning by Juice Newton, Just Remember I Love You by Firefall or Somebody's Knocking by Terri Gibbs. Another song I associate with her, Same Old Lang Syne by Dan Fogelberg, has nothing to do with her besides a rather melancholy story it tells to which I can relate.

Even thirty years after the original association was made, I can still conjure up memories when I hear these songs.

I once tried to create a song association with another girl I liked quite a bit. I used to play Heart of the Night by Poco frequently while intensely thinking about her. The only association I ended up with, though, was of that particular time period of my life, and it's not an especially strong association.

My wife and I have been married for twenty-five years this coming December. There are no songs that I associate with her.

None.

Does any of this make sense?

This phenomenon has been somewhat useful to me when talking music with other people. A song gets mentioned, and often I can comment about when it came out based upon the time frame in which I recall it getting the most airplay.

Every Breath You Take by the Police - when I was stationed at Fort Devens in 1983.

Dancing in the Dark by Bruce Springsteen - when I was on temporary duty assignment to Fort Devens in 1984.

Philadelphia Freedom by Elton John - around 1975 when I was a teenager, close to high school age.

There are too many others to list here, and it would become boring anyway, if it already hasn't.

Now that I usually only listen to talk radio, song associations don't happen as much any more. But occasionally, I think they still creep in by osmosis or something else. Either way, it's interesting and probably something I'll never understand as long as I live.

So, I'll just go with the flow on it.