How Do You Do It?

Music has always played a significant role in my life. I can measure my life by it, I can listen to a song and remember something clearly from my childhood. I can identify so strongly with a song my moods change with it...crying one moment, angry the next and wistful when the song changes.
Pondering this today as I'm by myself, here's a few songs running through my head along with this line of thought & what's on my stereo:

Hey Jude - The Beatles - I remember being in Salmon Arm, we're visiting my great aunt M, and I'm in the car. It's playing on the radio, it's dark out. I'm tired. When we arrive at her house we go inside and it's playing on their radio too. I found comfort in listening to the song, and the clinking of coffee mugs, along with the smell of tobacco smoke as I head to bed.

I Have A Dream - ABBA - I remember clearly when listening to any ABBA songs the basement suite we lived in in North Glenmore in Kelowna when I was 10 years old. I shared a room with my mom, separated by dressers. We had a record player in our room and I used to rifle through her albums a lot. I used to put this album on when I was going to sleep, or when I was just relaxing in the room by myself. I used to think about the words, and picture my mom singing them.

Stand By Me - Ben E. King - We drove across Canada to this movie soundtrack. I can still picture us four kids (My youngest Uncle, my two aunts & myself) sitting in the back with the wind blowing in our hair singing along to it, and the rest of the songs on this sound track.

Purple People Eater - Another song from our cross country travels that we listened to on 8-track. It was a funny songs tape that also included Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini.

Part of Your World - Disney's Ariel - I remember loving The Little Mermaid. As a child I fantasized about escaping to another place where I would be untouchable by my abuser. It was such a strong fantasy that I would sing this song when I played by myself (which was often) and pretend I had left my family and gone far away to someone who loved me and would never hurt me.

Anything by Dwight Yokam - My grandmother was an avid fan of Country music. I recall only hearing this played when they were partying, but it could've been more often. That's what I think of when I hear his voice...a big party where us kids were shooed out of the room to watch movies, or play video games. We ran a risk of listening to the drunk talk if we entered the kitchen for anything...you know, the one about "Do you know how much I love you?"

Achy Breaky Heart - Billy Ray Cyrus - I bought this tape when it came out, and I loved it. My gramma copied it and each time I hear this song I remember being in her kitchen in Chu Chua looking at her plants on the windowsill, and playing with all of her containers of glass beads.

Keep Talking - Pink Floyd - The summer between 6th grade and 7th grade I went to the coast (Vancouver) for the summer...my 2 aunts & 1 uncle & myself split up, two at one relatives, two at another. The first relative had this album (The Division Bell), and I fell in love with it because of how mellow it was. When I hear it I can still remember his apartment, walking to the store with my aunt, and playing Final Fantasy (insert appropriate # here).

One - U2 - I'm visiting my Gramma's in Chu Chua again, and my aunt K is listening to this album, and I'm mesmerized by this song, and Mysterious Ways. The words had a profound effect on my young brain, and brings into mind the world and how we function as a race.

Just a glimpse, this list could go on forever, and I may just need to make a series of them. I can judge my life by music, or by significant events during a time frame. How do you do it?