I was looking at some music on Youtube and it plays related stuff…

So when you listen to a certain band or music from a particular period a lot of related stuff comes up- and because of that it can transport you to the time and place when you first heard it way back when.
That's pretty cool :)

Certain 90s hits really represented a time in my life when I was busy being an art student and living it up in the 1990s as a very different person.

I say “hits” because that's what was playing on the radio and the TV back then. Not squirrelly alternative, special “I'm so cool because I know this music and no one else does” because that stuff isn't the background soundtrack to your life, it's the stuff you'd WANT as the soundtrack to your life but it wasn't playing everywhere back then, only the hits were.
So it's not stuff you necessarily LIKE, but it's stuff that was THERE.

My 90s stuff was (Lenny Kravitz) Are you Gonna Go My Way, (Bijork) Venus as a Boy, Human Behavior and Army of Me, (Blur) Park Life, House in the Country, Tender, On Your Own, (STP) Vaseline, (4 Non Blondes) What's Going On, (Sound Garden) Spoon Man, (Monster Magnet) Space Lord, Rammstein) Du Hast, Sonne, Ich Will, (Alanis Morrisette) You Oughta Know, (Tori Amos) Little Earthquakes

That's just a small list as an example. With each of those songs I can remember what I was doing and when XD

What about you?

I feel like “Dreamer” by Supertramp could probably essentially be my unofficial theme song, since it basically sums me up almost entirely.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fdAFmtq-o8

Now funnily enough, many years ago, I once spent an entire day driving around all over town looking for something very, very specific that I intended to be part of a Christmas present for my mom, and I went from one store after another looking for it, but unfortunately, nowhere I went even had what I was looking for. Finally, as I was driving for home, the radio happened to play Jackson Browne's “Running on Empty,” and I thought if this wasn't one of the most appropriate song I ever heard for something I was presently going through, I didn't know what was.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFQKvtbD6Kw

Being an 80s teen there are any number of radio stations around me that do “80s blocks ” or “80s weekends ” and it's wall too wall stuff from my formative years.

I've taken to listening to the funk, soul and motown from the 1970s I remember from AM stereo top 40 back then. That's my childhood a lot more than the folksy stuff also big in the 1970s even if I do remember all the words.

I get wistful when hearing Robert Farnon's “A La Claire Fontaine”. It was the theme song for a beloved local children's television program. In 1964, 8,000 people gathered in downtown Cleveland, Ohio to watch the show's host lead a parade of children, marching with their invisible pets.

If you grew up in that town between 1957 and 1990 you know the tune. And if I said “If anybody calls, tell em Barnaby said hello.” You'd know how to complete the saying.

I am a small boy in 1964 whenever I hear it.

Even though Chyler and Roo are technically millennials, I was a late 80s -
early 90s kid and wrote them as such.

from the 1970s I remember from AM stereo top 40 back then.

Ah yeah, back before my time, when radio stations were the complete opposite of what they are now: it was the AM stations that had all of the great music and formats, whereas the FM was nothing anybody wanted to listen to; the exact opposite of today.

During high school and college in the late 70s/early 80s, I pretty much only listened to classical music. This was mostly because I was studying ballet full-time, and classical is what they play in a ballet class.

J_Scarbrough wrote:
Finally, as I was driving for home, the radio happened to play Jackson Browne's “Running on Empty,” and I thought if this wasn't one of the most appropriate song I ever heard for something I was presently going through, I didn't know what was.

“Running on Empty” is also the name of a really good film.

===

Alright, I will bite at this topic.

I divide my music lists based on major music movements in my life.

EARLY YEARS

//Audio cassettes and Introduction of the Compact Disc (CD)//

Rollerblading Hits from the 1990s
Rhythm Is a Dancer (Original Mix)–Snap!
I Wanna Be So Close To You–Blue Thang
This Is Your Night–Amber
The Sign–Ace of Base
Another Night–Real McCoy
Where Do You Go–No Mercy
Manic Monday–The Bangles
If She Knew What She Wants–The Bangles
In Your Room–The Bangles
Eternal Flame–The Bangles
I'll Set You Free–The Bangles
Spin Doctors–Two Princes

//Introduction of the CD Boombox and Portable CD Player//

1996-1999 (The Chicago B96 and Q101 Years)
Fly (feat. Super Cat)–Sugar Ray
Where It's At–Beck
Take a Picture–Filter
Female of the Species–Space
Virtual Insanity–Jamiroquai
Your Woman–White Town
Paranoid Android–Radiohead
Lovefool–The Cardigans
How Bizarre–OMC
Tonight, Tonight–The Smashing Pumpkins
Dreams–Cranberries

//Introduction of the MP3 Player/iPod//

The Aughts (2000-2009)
Save Tonight–Eagle-Eye Cherry
Flake–Jack Johnson
Collide–Howie Day
Follow Through–Gavin DeGraw
Inda–Ken Oak Band
You're Beautiful–James Blunt
Angeles–Elliot Smith

2010-Onward: The ability to download individual music tracks and less radio has made my more recent playlists super diverse.

Since around 1970 the soundtrack to my life has only been music that wasn't playing much on radio or TV at the time, if at all. There have been some horrors that were so all encompassing they were almost impossible to zone out though. Whitney Houston's version of I Will Always Love You, Bryan Adams with that Everything I Do song - I used to share a house with a girl who played Sinead O'connor's Nothing Compares To You, repeatedly for weeks. I only have to hear the opening bars now and I can feel myself sinking into a deep, dark pit of despair.

I guess if we're going to delve into deeper waters, then there are a few other specific songs that could certainly supply certain events and periods of my life with a soundtrack.

My love life (or lack thereof) alone could practically have its own playlist:
- “Could it Be I'm Falling in Love?” by The Spinners (because I wasn't sure at first, but I did believe I was indeed falling in love with somebody who was a friend of mine at the time)
- “Accidentally in Love” by Counting Crows (because I had fallen in love with someone by pure accident)
- “Ever Fallen in Love” by Pete Yorn (because the person I fell in love with was someone I shouldn't have fallen in love with)
- “Against the Wind” by Bob Seger (speaks for itself, I would say)
- “Break Even” by The Script and “Sugar” by Maroon V (both of these were number 1 songs during this period of my life, and they both reflected what I was going through in different ways - the former a little more negatively, the latter a little more positively)
- “Do You Wanna Make Love?” by Peter McCann (actually, this one didn't really parallel my life too much, I just really enjoyed this song's melody and vocals and such)

and finally. . . .

- “Sara Smile” by Hall & Oates
- “Sara” by Starship

I don't believe either of these need any explanation.

I find that “People Just Ain't No Good” by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds seems to reflect a lot of the people who I've encountered over the years, as well as some of the outcomes that have resulted of whatever influence they had that had an effect on my life.

I also remember once upon a time, I tried to turn “Cowgirl” by Underworld into the new Rickroll (I even dubbed it Underoll) . . . it never took off though . . . but part of the reason I tried (and not just because I think it's a wicked awesome song) was because it was during a brief period of time when YouTube was blocking and nuking so many videos that used “Never Gonna Give You Up” because T. Mobile (IIRC) was using it in one of their ad campaigns at the time, so that effected all current YouTube videos that featured some kind of Rickroll in any context.

Uncle Kracker's “Smile” is also of significance for both myself and one of my best friends - we both were going through rather awkward and unpleasant stages in our lives for some of the same reasons (entering adulthood, uncertain of our futures) and for different reasons (hurdles he had to overcome being disabled and all, and me having personal problems), but this was always our go-to feel-good song to help lift our spirits . . . like if CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL was a song, this was that song for both of us.

Ironscarf wrote:
I only have to hear the opening bars now and I can feel myself sinking into a deep, dark pit of despair.

._.’ This hits every level of emotion.

When I hear the opening bars of Gotye's “Somebody That I Used to Know,” I feel like I'm about to witness a flamboyant Disney villain sing an Alan Menken-written song about how much they love being evil, and now they're going to stop at nothing to carry out their dastardly plan.

I guess if I were to pick a soundtrack for my life, at least the early years, it would be early Tom Waits. Sounds better on album than it is to live.

Speaking of early life, I heard Bob Dylan's “Positively 4th Street” again today, and some of the lyrics from that song really resonate with me, particularly my childhood, because not only did I face my fair share of bullying, but there were also other kids who I thought were my friends at the time, but as I grew older and wiser, realized they were more acquaintances than true friends.

J_Scarbrough wrote:
Speaking of early life, I heard Bob Dylan's “Positively 4th Street” again today, and some of the lyrics from that song really resonate with me, particularly my childhood, because not only did I face my fair share of bullying, but there were also other kids who I thought were my friends at the time, but as I grew older and wiser, realized they were more acquaintances than true friends.

Your reading of Positively 4th Street is very interesting. I always heard it as upbeat.

J_Scarbrough wrote:

When I hear the opening bars of Gotye's “Somebody That I Used to Know,” I feel like I'm about to witness a flamboyant Disney villain sing an Alan Menken-written song about how much they love being evil, and now they're going to stop at nothing to carry out their dastardly plan.

This one had me rolling on the floor, laughing. Gotye? Alan Menken villain? On a sliding scale from 1 to 10: How serious are you?

The music that really brings back my childhood are Broadway soundtracks from A Chorus Line and Pippin. My sister played them nonstop before she moved out after college.
Decades after my graduation from college are a blur musically and I'll only remember tunes when I hear them.

But Another Brick in the Wall came put my freshman year of high school. Forever that year will be defined by hearing the words “We don't need no education” again and again.

kawaiidaigakusei wrote:
Your reading of Positively 4th Street is very interesting. I always heard it as upbeat.

Sure, the melody and tune are upbeat and all, but if you really pay attention to the words, you realize it's actually a rather sad song (much like Dion's “The Wanderer”). Particularly some of these verses:

You've got a lot of nerve to say you are my friend
When I was down, you just stood there grinnin'
You've got a lot of nerve to say you got a helping hand to lend
You just want to be on the side that's winnin'

I know the reason that you talk behind my back
I used to be among the crowd you're in with
Do you take me for such a fool to think I'd make contact
With the one who tries to hide what it don't show to begin with

You see me on the street, you always act surprised
You say, “How are you?” “Good luck!” But you don't mean it
You know as well as me you'd rather see me paralyzed
Why don't you just come out once and scream it?

kawaiidaigakusei wrote:
On a sliding scale from 1 to 10: How serious are you?

On a sliding scale? In that case, I'll slide it exactly halfway at 5: if course I'm saying it for the purposes to stir up laughter . . . but otherwise, I really can envision a Disney villain about to sing when I hear the opening notes from that sound.

J_Scarbrough wrote:

My love life (or lack thereof) alone could practically have its own playlist:
- “Could it Be I'm Falling in Love?” by The Spinners
- “Accidentally in Love” by Counting Crows
- “Ever Fallen in Love” by Pete Yorn
- “Against the Wind” by Bob Seger
- “Break Even” by The Script and “Sugar” by Maroon V
- “Do You Wanna Make Love?” by Peter McCann
- “Sara Smile” by Hall & Oates
- “Sara” by Starship

Mr. Scarbrough,
I gave this playlist a whirl. An assortment of Motown, Alternative, and Pop from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. It was easy on the ears.

Welcome to TheDuck, Old Soul with solid music taste.

kawaiidaigakusei wrote:
Mr. Scarbrough,
I gave this playlist a whirl. An assortment of Motown, Alternative, and Pop from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. It was easy on the ears.

Welcome to TheDuck, Old Soul with solid music taste.

Why thank you, Claire, is it?

Yeah, it's been said I was born in the wrong decade; I may technically be lumped in with the Millennial generation (I hate that label so much, because being in my early 30s, I don't fit the broke, spoiled, whiny, and entitled college student stigma the generation as a whole is regarded as), but with my parents being old enough to be my grandparents, they introduced me to a lot of the entertainment they grew up with, and honestly, it's heaps better than most of the stuff that's currently out there as it is! This is why as a Content Creator, I've always strived to deliver content that I consider “counterprogramming” to what's available in mainstream today . . . many of my original productions (seen on YouTube) emulate the look and feel of many classic sitcoms from yesteryears.

But enough about all that. I wouldn't necessarily consider either of these songs as part of my life's soundtrack, but here's a couple of other songs that are significant to me: “Cotton-Eyed Joe” (specifically the Jock Jams remix) and “Cloud Nine” by The Temptations, as both of these songs were eventually banned from my middle school's radio station that I used to be a DJ for: “Cotton-Eyed Joe” because we played it so much that our production class's teacher got sick of it, but we were never given an explanation why we were banned from playing “Cloud Nine.” It wasn't until I was an adult that I eventually learned that song was (supposedly) about recreational drugs.