Different people love particular songs for different reasons. My love for the following songs is borne out of the memories that I have come to associate with each of them, and that’s how they’ve also become special to me.
“Hope for Winter” (2001) by Club 8
In the early 2000s, craving for New Wave–classifiable songs, I stumbled upon the music of the Swedish Indie Pop band Club 8. It was during my first year in Canada, when I was practically just spending days in the house taking care of my late maternal grandfather, so I had so much time researching about music, literature, and almost anything that interested me. That period was definitely a fertile one for my musical mind. And in anticipation of the season of snow here in Winnipeg, this song sounds timely.
“Let’s all hope for winter
Winter cools us down….”
“Plastic Flowers” (1987) by The Wake
A very romantic song to my perspective, “Plastic Flowers” came to me in the late ’80s, a period when I was so happy in many aspects of my life. This is the reason every time I hear this song I feel upbeat and alive. And this is the reason that I have included this on my regular playlist these days…because I’m in a period of my life when I am again in my very upbeat, happy, and so-alive disposition.
“I think of you every day
I just can’t wait to send you plastic flowers….”
“Wasteland” (1986) by The Mission
Because I was already immersed in what became known as New Wave music (plus its offshoot genres) as early as 1984, I got to discover so many bands in the genre via their respective debut albums. For instance, when I got hold of a copy of The Mission’s God’s Own Medicine in the year it was released, I got into it so swiftly. The album’s first track could easily remind me of my mid-’80s heyday—great, lovely memories spent with cousins and friends partying almost every weekend.
“Heaven and Hell, I know them well….”
“Up” (2016) by The Score
From the original soundtrack of the 2016 film Sing Street, this song used to bring me to real tears only two months ago because of sadness and desperation that someone caused me. But now, as I listen again to “Up,” I’m amazed that it could still move me to tears but not anymore because of the same negative emotions; instead, I could now feel the positive side of the melodies as I continue my journey by myself but with my beloved son.
Now, I can listen to this song with brightness and the vision of a possibly better future. How things could change swiftly, either for the worst or for the better. Good thing, my positive nature always draws me to the bright side of life no matter what. I’ve since moved on and continue to look forward.
“Start of the Search” (1984) by The Lotus Eaters
One of my all-time favorite albums remains to be The Lotus Eaters’ No Sense of Sin, which is actually the first ever album that I bought with my own money saved from my school allowance. It was in the summer of 1985! And this song is my second favorite from the album.
Many people, after they have experienced a heartbreak, tend to declare that they had it; that they are giving up on loving another person again. To me, this is a form of generalization. Because, by giving up, they are implying that everyone is just like the person who hurt them, the reason they say that they would no longer find another one to love.
That should not be the case. People are different individually. Not because someone hurt you that you will no longer look for another one who deserves your love. Always give love a chance. Just ensure that you don’t choose the wrong person again and that you learn from your own mistakes as well.
The start of the search for a better love is in the air!
“Searched the colours in your eyes
Words of a boy in a shelter of joy
We can breathe a while
Fills the air so quiet….”
“Life in a Northern Town” (1985) by The Dream Academy
A very breezy song, “Life in a Northern Town” has the characteristics of Baroque Pop, set in the context of ’80s New Wave—the instruments, the structure, the vocal melodies, and also the lyricism.
Now that I’m already living in North America, I could relate to the song’s sentiments more—especially during this part of the year here in Canada, when the weather could be really chilling to the bones but could also give some people some strange kind of solace. More so, the song is oozing with nostalgia.
“Winter 1963, with John F. Kennedy and The Beatles….”
Final Note
Many people claim that the music of their respective generation is always the best. Not really. Actually, the beauty of music is often subjective and personal.
Every song becomes memorable to the individual listener in a very special way because of the personal experiences and memories that he has associated with such songs. Thus, when a person cries or smiles as she hears a song—it’s not really because of the song—rather, it was because of the particular memories that played in her mind as he heard the song.
