Do you ever hear a song and it immediately takes you back to the past? Back to a moment in time?
It brings back the memory so vividly that you can see it, hear it, feel it and maybe even smell it. It could be a happy memory or a sad memory. It may be just a moment or the memory of an entire event.
However big or small, that moment or event is forever connected to that song.
It’s powerful what a piece of music can hold.
I was driving the other day when one of these songs started playing on the radio.
It was the song “Jump” by Van Halen. The memory was instant – taking me back about 30 years. This song will forever be connected to a speeding ticket I got on the back country road between my and my (then) boyfriends house.
I was 21 years old and I was living on my own while in college. Naturally, I was broke so I was still borrowing my mom’s car. (I chose to move out for college instead of buying a car)
This was one of those evenings when I borrowed my mom’s car because my boyfriend’s parents had invited me for dinner. They lived two towns over and the towns were connected with a two lane highway that was more of a country road than a highway.
This would be my first meal with his parents and I was a bit nervous but dinner went well. His parents were pretty down to earth people and they made me feel very welcome. They liked me and I liked them. We had a good time.
We stayed after dinner for a while because it would be rude to just dine and dash but, to be honest, we were a little anxious to leave. After the stress of the build up to this first meal “with the parents”, my boyfriend and I were feeling a little randy.
When the obligatory “after dinner” coffee and chat came to a close; I thanked them very much for inviting me and complimented the meal. Then we got in my mom’s car and left to go back to my place for the remainder of the evening.
As we started out, we looked at each other and we knew what the evening held. Hell, we were young and in love and that’s what you do . . . a lot!
We were driving back along that long country road when the song “Jump” came on the radio. It was one of my favourites and while having just had a great meal and looking forward to dessert; my foot got heavier and heavier as I sang loudly (and completely off key) along with David Lee Roth.
I didn’t even notice how fast I was going.
I didn’t notice but the police sure did. I don’t even know where he came from but it was a country road so I’m sure I wasn’t his first catch today.
I pulled over, rolled down my window and accepted my ticket without an argument.
It got a little awkward when the police officer asked why I was driving so fast. I said something about the first dinner with my potential in-laws and being glad that it was over. It must have sounded cute because the cop chuckled. He chuckled but I still got the ticket.
I ended up marrying that boyfriend and we shared a private chuckle of our own when that song – Jump – was played at our wedding reception.
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