When the music hits on a Saturday morning, it’s time to clean. It’s a tradition inherited from my parents. There I learned the songs they loved. Sometimes they woke us up with modern radio. Sometimes gospel. But the best part was listening to 70’s soul on the record player. It was the sound of their late teens and early 20s. As the music played, I could imagine them in their younger days. Music brings back memories fondly and images remain strong. Eventually, Isley Brothers cassettes started playing in my room. And then, on another laundry day decades ago, my mother threw open the door and asked me the exact same question.
I love this moment when I receive precious memories from the other side. I grew up in a scene that I vividly remember from my childhood. Researchers call this the “reminiscence bump.” This is a gradual aging process that happens more and more. And our most detailed memories date back to adolescence and young adulthood. No matter how many birthdays we celebrate, this part of life remains in our memories in excess. I can’t remember where we went on a family vacation five years ago, but I can tell you the story of when I wore a purple polyester jersey to a cookout in high school. And everyone was singing the song that was currently playing in my son’s room.
The music from that period of our lives, our late teens and early twenties, stays with us and becomes the soundtrack from which our memories spring up. Just a few notes can give you a deep and detailed memory of a particular time and place. Even as our lives and styles change, we keep coming back to these songs. They are so staple to us that the little people around us start hanging out with them too. They have inherited an ear for it. And they acquire flavor.
They also feel that when they listen to our music. In the days after Usher’s Super Bowl performance, videos of millennials dancing like they did in middle school were popping up everywhere, with wide-eyed children in the background taking it all in. These kids will show up to their middle school dances singing songs. They listen to their parents’ music and do their best to imitate the adults in their lives. It’s so exciting to see the sounds of your youth given a next-gen vibe. I want to share the memories that come with it.
I told my son that he didn’t need an introduction to what he called “old school” music. She was eager to share stories about her high school cooking competition and my polyester jersey. Then I remembered there was a video. After a bit of searching for old cassettes, grainy footage of the mayhem lit up the screen. And a purple-clad teenager with bird-like breasts serenades the lens. The whole family laughed at the costume and the loud, off-key singing voice. I was happy to meet that person again.
There are photos, but no videos. I record my parents when they were teenagers. During their heyday, home movies were a luxury that far exceeded the household budget. But I’ve seen them many times as a teenager – most memorable on Saturdays when I woke up to ’70s soul records blaring and the smell of vacuum cleaners in the air. It’s morning. There were no cameras to capture specific moments of them dancing and singing. But I have those snapshots, I have the memories, and I have the soundtrack with them.
Over time, as their careers progressed, home video came within reach. So I will experience my flashbacks flashing on the screen. So I was a teenager again, listening to the Isley Brothers and asking my parents how they knew that song. They’re songs I’ve known twice as long as they’ve known me. Every day is a movie now. We carry video cameras in our pockets with endless storage to record every moment. However, there are some things that cannot be captured by technology. It’s like reliving my parents’ youth.
I recently returned to my alma mater for a basketball game. It’s been 20 years since I came to campus. A gift from my sons. I showed them the place, study spots, and places we hung out. We talked about some stories, relived a lot of memories, and got a feel for those days.
During the timeout of the game, the music from my senior year of high school was played from the speakers. I knew every word. So were my sons. It was like we went to school together. After all, they might know a thing or two about the music.