I go back....

There's a country song by Kenny Chesney with these lyrics:

"We all have a song that somehow stamped our lives
Takes us to another place and time...

So I go back to a pew,preacher, and a choir
Singin bout God, brimstone, and fire
And the smell of Sunday chicken after church
And I go back to the loss of a real good friend
And the sixteen summers I shared with him
Now "Only The Good Die Young" stops me in my tracks
Everytime I hear that song,
I go back..."

It's definitely true for me. There are plenty of songs that I love, but there are a select few that, as soon as I hear them, I'm transported back in time. I'm no longer riding down the road with my kids fighting in the backseat. I'm back in time, reliving a moment from years ago.

The one that takes me back in time the furthest is Hotel California by The Eagles. I'm four years old, sitting on my brother's bed, jamming out with him. My brother is fourteen. I'm feeling totally cool because I'm allowed in his room and allowed to listen to his music.
I still love that song.

Next is "I Don't Wanna Lose Your Love Tonite" by The Outfield. I'm in 6th grade, sitting in class waiting for the teacher to come in. A girl starts singing..."Josie's on a vacation far away"... and then we all start singing. I've never forgotten that, it's jammed in my memory somehow.

Then it's 7th Grade. We had a Valentine's Dance, and the school got a local band to come in and perform. They did "Talking In Your Sleep" by the Romantics. I'm in the gym, we're all dressed up and acting silly. When the play this song, all of us girls were screaming like they were The Beatles. They'd sing "You tell me that you want me..." and we'd scream "I want you!!" It was crazy, but it was a lot of fun. My first 'concert'. (ha, ha)

When I hear "Old Time Rock and Roll" by Bob Seger, I'm back in the 8th grade. The local college (University of Florida) had a huge talent contest. They called it RockAlike, and the participants had to dress up like the singer and really put on a show. I was with my best friend, and we were having a good time.
Then, they started playing "Old Time Rock and Roll", and out came a guy dressed like Tom Cruise in the Risky Business scene. A dress shirt, shades...and tighty whities. He ran around and danced and sang. We nearly passed out (remember, younger peeps, Tom Cruise was hot back then!) It's a fond memory.

All of you who are near my age will remember "Nothing Compares to You" by Sinead O'Connor. When I hear it, I'm in the 9th grade, skipping school, in a car with about 57 other girls. We're driving down the road when it comes on, and we all sing our hearts out. Because you know, we knew all about loving & losing at 15 years old. Heh.

Remember "Escapade" by Janet Jackson? When I hear that one, I'm in a car again, but this time it's me, my then-boyfriend, and our friends, going to the beach one Saturday. Good times!

The next one is bittersweet. Every time I hear "Angel" by Aerosmith, I'm at a friend's house. Her close friend, who she called a brother, liked me a lot. But I was hung up on some idiot who'd broken up with me. I sort of dated my friend's 'brother', but as soon as the other guy wanted me back, I ran back to him. We remained friends, but I kicked myself later for not making it last with him.
And he was SO good-looking!

"Shut Up & Drive" by Chely Wright (the old one, not the new one), I'm back with my best friend, before, during & after my divorce. If you haven't heard it, read the lyrics. 'Nough said.

Whenever I hear "Get Low" by Lil John & the Eastside Boys, I'm in my friend April's truck. We're all dressed up, getting ready for a night out (this is post-divorce). We played that every night on the way to the club. Good.Times.

And "Brown-Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison takes me back to going clubbing with one of my best friends from high school. It's also post-divorce. We're drinking and dancing having a blast. It was both of our 'songs', we're both Brown-Eyed Girls. It's my ringtone now.

"I Love The Way You Love Me" by John Michael Montgomery takes me to the Christmas season of 2004. J and I & the kids were riding around looking at Christmas lights. I remember exactly where we were when this song came on, and as J was listening to the words, he said "This is it...this is our song." So sweet, and that was by far the best Christmas I'd ever had.

And last...."I Do It For You" by Bryan Adams takes me back to our wedding, walking down the aisle escorted by my son. That's the song that played instead of the traditional wedding march. My girls were flower girls and J's son was Ring Bearer. It was so important to me that our kids were a part of our wedding, and that song was dedicated to our kids. It was so beautiful, and I love reliving that moment.

I could go on and on; the more I think about it the more songs come back to me.

How about you? What songs transport you back in time?