DBT #407 MEAMs (Music-Evoked Autobiographical Memories)
What started after listening to Sara Morgan's post about a perfect song. While I love her enthusiasm for writing perfection, I dwelled more on how the song connected in her head to a time with her dad.
Right, I've written about it before as I share a song or two in playlists, but I thought how about a playlist of only songs with significant memories tied to them. Ok might be a real personal post, but I'll keep it clean and not post anything my wife wouldn't approve if she ever read the post. First why did I call it MEAMs?
AI helped:
Songs equal memories because music powerfully links to our emotions and brain's memory centers (hippocampus, amygdala), creating vivid "music-evoked autobiographical memories" (MEAMs) of people, places, and events, with high-energy songs sparking faster, social memories and acoustic ones bringing deeper, personal recollections, essentially making songs personalized time capsules for our past experiences.
I tried to put my memories in chronological order, here we go.
1) Eleanor Rigby - The Beatles
I can still see myself playing my first ever vinyl in my room with the window open, only to have the neighbor's teen age son to sneak up and scream in the window and scare the shite of me. Let's see in 1966 when "Revolver" came out, I was eight years old.
2) Wildfire - Michael Murphy
At 17 I was just beginning to play guitar and my friend Kent Aubry showed me the coolest up the neck chords I have seen in my life (well at least at this point). Kent is a good friend and even a better guitarist, and yes while they aren't always perfect I can still play the chords.
Marcia Hoyer was year younger bus mate in high school that I had a deep crush on. We sat on the bus together and would greet each other with excitement when we were at the stop. Nothing ever came of it because ... everybody's lonely. She also was attached to Jackson Browne's song "For A Dancer"
4) Sandy - Harry Chapin
Sandy was the lower right in these high school pictures that I saved from a few crushes. I didn't know Sandy long and she was an hour from our house, but seeing her picture triggers my mind how much I wanted to be with her. (Don't ask me where I was likely stoned and wasn't driving.) Surprisingly Mary Ellen top left who I had the deepest crush didn't had a song tied to her memory; just a Big Penny Hamburger. The other two beautiful ladies I am at a lost who they are; but both tingle those memory lustful love. Yes I admit Jimmy Carter and I have committed the sin of Lusting at Women. Good thing I've been a loyal hound dog since 1978.
Gordon's 1976 release was in deep in my relationship with Donna Bowe after we graduated in 1976. When it comes on I instantly remember driving out on JJ to her parents house, we usually met after class. While I think I broke it off with her, I stilled loved her but just didn't like being with her. After that relationship, I started my love for the rest of life; and Donna has a wonderful life from what I hear.
The infamous "Bears Still Suck" band has Billy Soucy on harp and he wrote this song. Of course Bill's real wife was a handful and a cutie, and while I dating Donna, she reached into my front pants for my "lighter". When I heard this song, it just brought me back. The video settings don't allow this song to be put on the playlist at the end of this post.
Ok I've fast forwarded to when Lori are are dating, and we're off to UW Green Bay's "Blue Whale Coffeehouse" From a correct date sequence these next few might just be a little off, but I would love to relive those days and not change a thing.
Seeing Greg live at the Blue Whale is a taste of rural erotica with him in his Stihl chainsaw muscle shirt, and we soaked it in.
Seeing future legends at both the Blue Whale or the Club Extempore, this song takes me back to those small rooms. Yes Bill would close with this great song, and if the room was right the choir was behind you.
10) Blues Eyes Crying in the Rain - Willie Nelson
Our song, and just brings me back to our mild reckless nature and running the benches for a good seat to see him at Summer Fest in Milwaukee.
11) Fields of Illinois - Don Lange
A really beautiful song from Don hints at Lori and my relationship. Yes I'm sure mother thought I would leave her for a younger girl since I was already seven years younger than her; so she was a woman stealing my heart away. Plus the fields black like coal was reminiscent of Lori's eyes, and I could see us playing the vinyl in her apartment when the temperature lead to cold cheeks.
12) The Weight - The Band
Lori and I were huge fans of the Last Waltz and saw the film in a midnight showing at the Strand; but this song also takes me back to learning it with the Rose River band. They said Dave, get on this note and stay there. Just like that I was singing harmony. (Yes the other three were amazing at singing harmony, and I never sounded better with them singing around my melody lines.) Yes we used the Last Waltz approach to the song with everyone getting a verse, though I took the "Crazy Chester" verse and sang it like a nasally Bob Dylan. I also figured it was his band after all.
13) Alexander - Norah Rendell
I can picture myself sitting by the kitchen table with a laptop messaging Norah back and forth about how I loved this song, and if she had more vocal songs. I had met her on MySpace and the songs she shared were mostly instrumentals. Of course she did, and we quickly figured out while she was in Edinburgh at the time; she lived in the Twin Cities and would love to play our house concert series. (Yes the playlist above says Heather Down Road, but I really think it was Alexander we were discussing.)
14) Drive a Tractor - Sara Morgan
How could I be inspired by a post from Sara Morgan and not share a song of hers? You know it was a cool day at work when this happened back on Feb 29th, 2016. Yes after finding this old post, I changed the song to Tractor.
A pretty cool event happened at work today; a fine up and coming musician came to say thank you for the great merchandise we made for her. Say thanks & buy her song "Drive a Tractor" on April 8th when it's released because she is donating Ten percent (10%) of the proceeds from this song & merchandise to provide scholarships to young people who seek to pursue a college education in/related to agriculture. Great cause, we all eat and need passionate farmers.
This has been my year to reconnect with Sara seeing her with Kelly Hunt in Madison this summer.
15) Hey Amorino - Amanda Pascali
I'll never forget the 2020 Great River Folk Fest Songwriter contest. With the festival closed down, I was the fest chair and wanted to keep the contest alive and give back to musicians. We did it all on line, and it was a free submission. The first week I was blown away by Amanda Pascali, and we were selecting finalist each week. She was the first finalist and ended up runner up to Shanna in a Dress. Now it looks like after 5-6 years I'm going to meet and listen to her live up at the Pablo Center in March 11th. She has put out other versions of the song on YouTube but this is the one I fell in love with the first time watching and listening.
Here's your One Click YouTube playlist so that you can enjoy like one of those streamable playlists.
Next steps:
- Stop over to the Review page to my other most spinned and loved albums.
- Browse the rest of the blogs by stopping at this "Theme Page."
- Enjoy Tune Tuesday which brings you one song from a past blog post.
- See what other post have been most popular recently with our Stats Page.
- Find out who in the world thinks he has the authority to write this blog in the About.
- Let me answer why you won't find the playlists on Spotify here.
- Finally, the Mission page explains why there is no advertising cluttering the page.
If you use Facebook, we have a page "Like" us there and it will help you remember to read the next post
You could always decide to feed my music addiction and donate to the cause. If you did, I will spend it only on music and even will buy the music you recommend if you tell me to. Here's a Paypal donate button
#MusicHasNoExpirationDate #bestunknownmusicblog #80sfolk #curatedplaylist #compilations #AdobeStockPhotos
