Kathryn Corey and VH1 Saved my Life

Well, okay, maybe not saved my life life. But my TV watching-life, yes. Kathryn let me in on a little secret -- my favorite new fall show, freshly dropped by CBS, is alive and well and VH1 is airing the new episodes. LoveMonkey might not have been a huge hit, but it definitely struck a chord with me and I was really upset to hear it was gone. Thankfully it's back -- Tuesdays on VH1 for any of you that also loved it -- and now I'm happily DVRing it once again!

Last night, the show brought up two interesting ideas. One, that a really good song can transport you back to the time, place, and friends you shared it with. Let's take a little quiz...

1. Do you remember where you were when the Spice Girls were big? (I was in ninth grade, singing along to a tape I made of them off the radio. Also on the tape: Cake's "Never There", Hanson's "MmmBop", and Backstreet Boys, Savage Garden, Third Eye Blind, and Paula Cole. Look, I never said I was cool in ninth grade, ok?)
2. How about Garth Brooks' song "The Dance"? As long as I live, every time I hear that song, I will think of junior high and high school dances... the last song, end of the night, "find that someone special" to dance with. Cheesy? Of course. Would I have wanted it any other way? Not a chance.
3. "Genie in a Bottle" by Christina Aguilera. Or "Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears. I don't think anyone will ever forget Michael, Chris, and Brad rocking out to these songs in my car when I played chauffeur for the sophomores in band -- I still know the dance we made up, and they better remember it, too!!
4. Santana's "Smooth". Raegan and one other un-named source will remember this song -- and we're going to keep it that way! (Stop Sign??)
5. "California Love" -- Victoria, Larin, Jill, and I freshman year of college. We thought we were SO cool when we went out dancing, and this song is the one that got us in the going-out mood.

Anyway, that's just a small sampling of my own life. How about yours? What songs are cherished memories (or horrible post-breakup tunes)? That's the truly great thing about music -- it's like your own personal time machine. Everytime I turn on the radio, I revisit happy memories of my teen years and the friends that I spent them with. Admittedly, I know WAY too many songs... but maybe that means that I have a whole lot of good friends and good memories to go with them!