Drifting on a memory

Songs and my memory. I seem to always have a song for a specific memory so that whenever I hear that song I automatically think back to that particular memory. It’s not thoroughly consistent, but with most of the ladies in my life, however, I always have a song stuck in my head exclusively for them. The song for a particular girl is either background music that fit “just right” for the time I simultaneously heard it and saw her, or it is truly representative of their personalities.

The first time I recognized this was my freshman year of college. During my senior year of high school there was this girl that I had a crush on from another school. We were coworkers and in the working together she showed me a picture of her from a semi-formal ball. Now, with most black high schools the theme of said particular ball was imprinted onto the photos taken at that ball. The theme for hers, and that was on her picture with her date, was the opening line to The Isley Bros. “For The Love of You”. Now mind you, the themes were song titles that were popular. However, her school took it a step further and used the opening line and it worked!

Now, whenever I hear that song, and I do really like that song, I always think of her. It doesn’t matter that nothing ever happened and that I never had the chance to tell that I liked her. The thing is that whenever I hear that song I think of her! With this girl, it’s not an intense feeling or memory, just a curiosity of sorts brought back by the remembrance of her and that picture with the opening line to “For The Love of You” imprinted on it.

Then, there is “Love’s Holiday” by Earth, Wind, and Fire.

My first love and how I had that song playing when I tried to get her to know that I cared about her. I remember the night so vividly because I did a lot of driving in my Mom’s car, through the city and out to the suburbs of where she stayed and then back to the city. Notice, I didn’t say to my home! All the time that I was driving I was hinting that I wanted to hook up with her before she left for a six-week study abroad program in Tanzania.

Actually, this was a moment of urgency because during that summer up until that time, we were both working at the same place and would take lunches together. So I had the time, plenty of it, to tell her and give better hints. I was unwise and oh so DUMB! So I had decided that the night before she left would be the night to let her know. I tried with what was at the time, my best efforts. I didn’t have the gumption to just speak it and make moves. The best that I gave, in hindsight, was a good clue at the end of the night.

When she came back to the states and right before she headed off to school for the fall, she said that she realized that I had in fact liked her, but most importantly, she liked me too! In the end, it was the start of a monumental relationship for the next 2 years.

Still though, whenever I hear that song I still think of her. Ironically, whenever I hear Earth, Wind and Fire’s “After the Love is Gone” I remember when we broke up the first time!!!!