Nostalgia and Music

Wow, I just had the weirdest feeling a few minutes ago. But first, some background. I've been listening to my iPod on "shuffle" mode a lot recently. Essentially, that means the iPod will just play random songs from my entire collection. This brings up some tracks that I would not normally think to listen to. Anyway, it's pretty cool.

But the weirdest thing happened when I heard the song "Home to Stay" by Josh Groban. I literally felt myself teleported back to 10th grade. My sophomore year, I was really big on Josh Groban, so it's not so much this song as just the artist. In the mornings of sophomore year, I'd get up and either lift weights, run, or do yoga (aka stretch). When I'd stretch, I'd listen to Josh Groban because, well, it was relaxing and nice to listen to. So as I listened to "Home to Stay" this evening, this really weird feeling entered my stomach, and I could almost feel myself back in sophomore year. I mean, it was almost as if I was still there, as if the intervening years hadn't occured. I literally felt like the same person I was then.

I've had this happen before, though never with quite this strong a feeling linked with the song. Like, whenever I hear a Damien Rice song, I think of Governor's School. And certain Stuart Davis songs remind me of, well, nevermind. But it's really amazing the feeling that comes over me. The nostalgia is a weird sick feeling that is at the same time peaceful.

I guess sound is linked to memory just like smell is. But then again, I don't want to just throw this experience away as just more firing of neurons. It was really, really beautiful. Fleeting, weird, and beautiful. More proof of the eternity of Self and the evanescence of self.

Sweet.