Memories – Total Recall. Sometimes

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No, not those sort.

I am currently playing some old songs from my yoof, including some stuff from Marillion (Kayleigh and Lavender, to name but two). And as soon as I played them I had instant flashbacks of when I first heard those particular songs (in this instance it was my time in 6th form at my local comprehensive, and playing darts in the Common Room, and playing LPs on the knackered record deck).

I can remember quite vividly of those days, purely because of an old song.

So how is it I can remember events from over 40 years ago based purely on a few lyrics, and yet I can barely remember what I did last week, or even yesterday?

Now listening to Talking Heads and “Once in a Lifetime” (1981). And again I can remember certain highlights from when I first heard that song (A 6th form trip to Blackpool – plenty of booze, dancing, and arcade machines. As well as finger/fondling a fellow sixth former girly up the back alley of an arcade!)

Memories are a total mystery to me. Even now I can still recall building my first PC back in the mid 90s, starting with a hugely sexy i486 socket 3 MB, awesome Intel SX25 SX8266 CPU (with x2 Overdrive of course), a couple of 4MB DRAM chips and 3Gb HDD. And all thanks to PULP and their “Common People” song.

I can also still remember playing doctors and nurses with the girl next door at the age of about 10 purely because of listening to some music of the time that somehow triggered a memory from deep within my mind vault. But again, ask me what I did last Monday and I wouldn’t have a Scooby Doo!

Nominated by – Technocunt

73 thoughts on “Memories – Total Recall. Sometimes”

  1. When my parents bought me a second hand record player, the first 45 they also bought me (for Christmas) was Gary Glitter’s “My Gang”

    Even thinking about it now sends a shiver down my spine – little did we know back then!

  2. In Big Town hospital ED, they play music to dementia patients, usually from when they were younger, as it helps calm them down. Maybe they do it in others? Music is wonderful, evocative, sad, happy – a myriad of emotions.

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