Music and moments

I have a bad habit of playing songs to death whenever I find a new one that I like. I sometimes find whole albums that I like, but that's quite rare. Anyway, this habit of playing stuff on repeat often leads to certain songs or albums getting very closely intertwined in my mind with certain experiences. So, often when I listen to something that used to be a favourite of mine, it reminds me of a specific event or period in my life. Which I find quite nice. I know some people are reminded of events by certain smells, and for me, it's music. Does this happen to anyone else?

I decided to have a look at some of these songs in the form of the following challenge:

Pick five random songs from your music library that remind you of something, and describe the event/place/person that is connected with that song. Once you're done, challenge someone else to do the same.

So here are my five songs (+ 3 albums, cos I cheated a bit) - it might be a bit London-focused, but then again, so if my life, so let's just go with it:

1. Mumford & Sons - The Cave

Ok, starting out with one of my favourite songs. For me, this is very much a London song. I first heard it during my Erasmus term in London, when my friend Natalie and I were shopping on Oxford street - I think it was in New Look. I asked her if she knew what the song was called, looked it up when I got home, and have been playing it a lot ever since. If I were ever to get a tattoo with a line from a song (trust me, I won't, but if I were to get one), it would be a certain line (or actually lines) from this song.

2. Alicia Keys - Wait till you see my smile

This one's a bit random, but I listened to it a lot a few summers ago. It always reminds me of going for walks in the empty city during the summer, I get this image of the streets around my house in sunny, warm weather into my head when I hear it. I rarely listen to it anymore, though.

3. Coldplay - Fix You

Maybe I should have put Fork as performer, even though it's a cover, but it works for both versions. The first time I "properly" heard this song was when I went to see one of my favourite bands on their gig in Turku last year, and they performed Fix You. The stage was dark, with the only light on the lead singer, and as it's a cappella, there was only her voice, and some background vocals. It was an amazing performance that gave me goosebumps.

4. Cocoon - Hummingbird

I first heard this song during a language camp for new exchange students where I was working as a tutor. There's always a sort of talent night where the students get to put on little shows, and two French girls sang this song. Since the camp was held in August, this song always reminds me of those nights towards the end of the summer, when it's already getting dark (darkness isn't something we get a lot of here in the summer), and sitting by the water - just a very Finnish summer, basically.

5. Coldplay - Cemeteries of London

Not surprisingly, this one also reminds me of London. Before my first ever trip there in the spring of 2009 I found this song, and started listening to it (mainly because it had London in the title, and I like Coldplay). When listening to this song, I get that exciting feeling of expectation that I felt before that first visit - a feeling that I've sadly lost. The thrill of going to my favourite city is still there, it's just very different from that first time. The song also reminds me of that first trip - mainly of my shopping spree, and certain shoe- and bookshops, for some reason.

And then on to my extras/cheats:

+1. Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More (most of the album)

While The Cave, Little Lion Man and Winter Winds are all London songs to me, I didn't really listen to the rest of the album until the following year, when I moved to Scotland. On a three-day tour to the Highlands we listened to the album on the bus, and I looked it up when I got back to Edinburgh. From then on, of course, I played it on repeat, and now many of the songs remind me of a very specific part of my time there: the bus journey to work, ridiculously early in the morning (when I had the 6 o'clock shift), when it was dark and cold and wet outside. Not a particularly happy memory, but I like the songs nonetheless.

+2. Hurts - Happiness (entire album)

One last London reminder, I listened to this Hurts album a lot during my exchange in London, so the songs simply remind me of my tiny, slightly depressing room at the student halls in Wood Green, which was always either freezing or uncomfortably hot. In that room I spent hours writing essays, drinking mugs of tea, eating frozen pizza and watching episodes of Torchwood (to name a few random things). I almost miss it a bit, now that I'm writing this and listening to the album (clearly those memories have grown a lot sweeter with time). Oh, and speaking of Torchwood, I guess I must have listened to this on my trip to Cardiff as well, cos it reminds me of that, too.

+3 Of Monsters and Men - My Head is an Animal (entire album)

This, again, is a very specific one - surprisingly so for an entire album. Earlier this summer I read the book Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (I may write about it sometime, as that book really moved me). I'd just found Of Monsters and Men and loved their entire album (which is very rare for me, as I usually only like specific songs), and for some reason I put the album on repeat while reading the book - I think it was because I got annoyed at the stupid radio presenters who kept ruining the mood. Anyway, the book was so very moving, and I got so caught up in it, that now those songs always remind me of it.

So here's my list of 5 (+3)! What's yours?

I also challenge Anna to make a list of her own!