time travel

About 7 or 8 years ago (gosh has it been that long?), a colleague and I had a debate over what 'made' a trailer work. I said 'visuals', she said 'music'. Of course we never settled that argument back then. we just agreed to disagree. But over the years I have never forgotten that conversation that we had. And more and more I've come to agree with her, music just has this power, more so than visuals, to take you places. (Even smells take me places, but thats another topic for another note).

So Ti, I concede. Music rules. You (and Edgar) win.

The older I get, the more I find that every time I hear a familiar song, its like stepping into a time warp.

Instant time travel. I'm transported to right where that song had its most profound effect on me.

Here are some of my time travel tunes :

End Of The Road by Boyz II Men

I'm taken back to a birthday party I attended, when I was 15. It was a friend's friend's birthday. And as usual, I was the go-between. A guy friend liked my girl friend and I had to 'help' either party bridge the gap. Unbeknowst to the guy, I had a huge crush on him and helping him, was killing me. When I hear that song and close my eyes,I can actually recall the entire scene; the living room of the house, me perched on a sofa, my friend getting pulled away for a slow dance with said 'boy', me wondering what to do with myself. I can also remember how I felt, how I wished that it was I he was pulling onto the dance floor, and how destitute I felt at that moment thinking 'he's never ever gonna like me like that!'....

LOL. Ah, the trials and tribulations of teenagehood.

Tevin Campbell's 'Can We Talk' and 'I'm Ready'.

Yesterday, I saw someone tweet that Tevin Campbell still rocked their world. I totally agreed. Just something about his songs, especially the two above, that just zips me back 15 years.

I can't recall specifics, but maybe it was muscle memory, but my gut started to twist up in knots, you know that feeling you get when you like someone, but they don't know you like them? Yep, that song was inextricably linked to some crush I'd had way back then - and I can't even recall who that feeling was for. (not the guy mentioned above thats for sure!)

It was like I was 14 again. (or possibly 15).

When my life was basically all about school and friends and boys. Not necessarily in that order. In fact, we got so good at finishing homework at school, Melisa (my BFF) and I hardly had homework at home and spent most afternoons (and evenings) yakking on the phone til one of us inadvertantly fell asleep whilst on the phone with the other. Let me make it clear for the record that this was never me.

Jacky Cheung's 'After You Leave' (Lei Hoi Yee Hau)

This song always puts me back in the front seat of my friend's Citroen circa 1994/95. Back to the good ol' days where we'd spend hours just driving around Damansara Heights aimlessly late into the night because he'd just gotten his driving license and brand new car. It was just our way of spending time together and talking about nothing. Better than squatting by the roadside sneaking smokes right?

I still love this song to this day.

Lei hoi ngor yee hau ngo wui chap kwan ji bei....

Kiss Me by Six Pence None The Richer

Kiss me, out on the bearded barley, nightly, beside the green green grass, swing swing, swing that spinning step, you wear those shoes and I will, wear that dress....

I have no idea why, but this show always reminds me of Dawson's Creek. I was crazy about that show when I was in my final year at uni, 1998/99. I seriously thought I was Joey, and I thought I would meet my Dawson one day.

What song takes you back in time and where does it take you? Hope you'll care to share!

xoxo, s.