In response to a comment the other day, I decided to stop shuffling songs. We'll see how long it lasts, but I started in earnest yesterday on the drive home. I was surprised when the second song followed the first. I knew the order of this album because I had listened to it in sequence many times, but it had been so long that hearing one song properly followed by the next song threw me off. Then I was surprised by the fact that I was surprised. It was a very introspective commute.
I thought more about how music is tied to specific memories and I came across a curiosity. I borrowed or burned "Something to Write Home About" by the Get Up Kids from someone in late 2001. This was the first time I ever heard it. But it sounded instantly familiar, and in fact from the very first listen it has been very closely tied in my mind to memories from 1998-99. I've tried to disect the possibilities as to why this is, but I've gotten nowhere. Has this ever happened to anyone else? Ever had music remind you of a time before you even knew that music existed?