emotional connections to music

i don't know about you, but there are certain songs that, for one reason or another, i have such a strong memory and emotional connection to that i get all these weird nostalgic feelings when i hear them. its almost overwhelming at times, i just have to pause and let it overtake me for moment before i can continue doing whatever it is that i'm doing. and it doesnt seem like there is any good reason for this either - it's never a song that reminds me of when i broke up with so and so, or a song that brings me back to high school graduation, or anything like that.

for example, the first time i ever heard coldplay was, i think, summer 2001 - on road trip driving on the 395 to mammoth. (does the 395 go to mammoth?) i dont even like coldplay very much, but whenever i hear the dreamy guitars from parachutes it puts me in a trance, and takes me back to b. white's suburban. i dont know why. the first time i ever heard outkast was on the same trip, but that doesnt affect me at all.

yesterday i broke down and bought "shine on" by the kooks. the first time i ever heard this song was on a plane, at some odd hour over the atlantic on my way to budapest - it was part of some in flight radio. i think i had fallen asleep and woke up with this song playing. and, like the coldplay album, i have such strong feelings whenever i hear it. and let me say, these aren't necessarily positive feelings. it's almost haunting. like it's a part of my past that i'll never get back. but i still want to listen.

hmm, maybe there's a travel theme to this...

anyway, i'm listening to shine on right now.