During a random chat with LeGeeque a few days ago, she mentioned that she heard a song on the radio on her way to work that reminded her of a moment in her life many years ago. ‘Twas a personal, awkward memory that came flooding back to her just because of that one song.
It got me thinking of how interesting our brains work and how the merest scent and song can invoke the most powerful of memories and emotions.
For example, whenever I hear the song “Dying Inside To Hold You” by Timmy Thomas, it brings me back to when I was 12 years old. I had a bit of a crush on a boy at church and according to my friends, he was apparently crushing on me too. Of course, at that age (and coming from an all-girls’ school), when you hear that the guy you’re crushing on could possibly reciprocate your feelings, it was mind-blogging and stomach-churning (damn butterflies) at the same time. “Dying Inside To Hold You” was top of the radio charts at that time, and my friends would tease me mercilessly by singing that song and pretending to hold each other.
Ahh 12 year olds. Fun times.
I had no idea if it really was true because I never saw that boy again after he left the church. Yet 21 years later, to this day, I still remember that awkward time in my life whenever I hear this song playing on the radio.
Scent invokes even more powerful memories and it can remind you of the best and worst times in your life. Any old colognes by Aramis and Dunhill remind me of my dear late maternal grandfather who used to only wear those brands when he was still with us (sadly, he passed away in 2004). I absolutely detest any male fragrances by Hugo Boss because they reminded me of my shitty mid 20s. I never buy any Hugo Boss perfumes for Tim and made him stop wearing the one he had when we started dating.
It’s fascinating, isn’t it, how our brains process scents and songs? Many times, I wish mine could just store the good ones and purge the bad. But that’s life for you, you never know what’s going to be good and what’s going to be bad.
Are there any scents and songs that invoke good and bad memories for you? If you’re up for it, do share it with us. Actually, why not just share the good? To hell with the bad ones, eh? 🙂
Ah. You already know this. 2 Princes by Spin Doctors. Whizzing down Eastern Freeway with the top down of a certain yellow Beetle (I wonder if that’s why I’m always partial to VWs) Marc Jacobs Green Apple – long gone and long discontinued. Happiest and worst times of my life. You’re making me cry again.
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Damn, maybe I shouldn’t have written this. 🙁
Scent? Allure from Chanel will always remind me of when my husband proposed in New York. And I can’t stand Pleasures from Estee Lauder because it reminds me of a not so good period of my life!
Songs? “Walk on by”from Dionne Warwick reminds me of probably the most peaceful time of my life, between being a student and getting married, buying a house, having children (which is good but adds natural worries).
Aww sweet! Pleasures by Estée Lauder is a bit of a double-edged sword for me. It’s one of the first fragrances my mum got me. It’s also a fragrance someone else got me in a not so good time of my life. Funny how things work, eh?
Chanel Cristalle reminds me of the first time le hubby and I fell in love. Also Wet Wet Wet’s Love Is All Around was the first song we danced to. We’ve been together for 20 years and although my tastes have evolved since, the scent and the song will remind me of a time when we were young and how crazy we were about each other. Come to think of it, I should pick up a bottle of Cristalle just for old time’s sake 🙂
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Aww I remember the Cristalle! It’s also the perfume my dad gave me when I started working in Japan. And it’s part of a love story for you. You should definitely get a bottle for old time’s sake 😉
Guerlain’s Aqua Allegoria Flora Nymphea will always bring a pang of romance and nostalgia to my heart as this is the perfume I wore when I got married. So everytime I wear it, I just always have a good day because I think I feel so “in love” when I wear it – sounds so cheesy but oh so true. For songs….I’ll always remember Michael Buble’s Wonderful Tonight because you guessed it, it was the song played when I walked down the aisle and everything looked so damn gorgeous and I felt like a princess lol! Aqua di Gio by Giorgio Armani was seriously a signature scent for me in my early to mid 20s but that period of my life was so full of confusion and heartbreak that I can’t bring myself to even keep a bottle of it for old times’ sake. I’ve never had a signature scent since as I’m never loyal to any one fragrance for long…but always searching for it like the holy grail :p
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Aww that’s a lovely song, Wonderful Tonight. I can’t even remember the song I walked down the aisle too, how ridiculous is that? It’s an instrumental piece by … er … someone that I can’t recall. Although I do remember very well Tim singing “It Might Be You” and playing it on the guitar when he picked me up before heading to the church. 🙂
Awww… that’s so sweet. Music and scent truly capture memories so well.
Beauty Box recently posted..Jan Empties