One of my friends has been married 50 years. That’s quite an accomplishment. He still acts like a teenager when he is with his wife. She looks at him with the same adoring eyes she had in high school. They are a cute couple any way you look at them. They still listen to the old music that they danced to in high school.
The other day I heard my friend’s song on the radio. I recognized the song but I don’t know the name of the song. He told me about the song being the one he fell in love with his wife or then girlfriend. I have never been able to figure out the lyrics either. The words don’t make sense to me. I can barely understand the words. I’m sure these poetic words describe something special but I don’t know what the song is about.
My friend is ten years older than I am. I finally asked him what the song meant. He said that he heard the song on his first date with his future wife. He explained how they adopted the song as “their song” and they have been in love ever since.
The strangest part of this story is he doesn’t have any idea what it is about the song that makes it their song. About the only thing he remembers about it is the old American Bandstand statement.
“It has a good beat.”
He doesn’t know any of the lyrics and he doesn’t know the title of the song either. He can’t think of what was so special about the song. He does like the song still and he dreams of his first date every time he hears it.
He explained that he isn’t surprised that he can’t remember anything about the song. After 50 years he is forgetting more and more. He has three grown children and now three grandchildren. He can remember all their names about he can’t think of their birthdays. There are lots of things that he has forgotten about.
Music still amazes people. He can recall that first date even if he can’t recall what it is all about. He claims that his wife doesn’t know the words to the song either. She can hum along if she hears it on the radio but doesn’t remember anything about it either.
Our minds really are a terrible thing. Our brains are filled with old songs we can’t remember, but can’t seem to get out of our heads.
Our brains block out the fact that we need to go to the store for toilet paper and keep a false memory about a song that we heard 50 years ago. A trip to the store yields a bag full of things but only when we get back home do we remember what we went to the store for.
My friend says he is going to find out what his song is about. He claims he will find out about the lyrics and what they mean. In the meantime I’m trying to get the song out of my head. I can hum along but I don’t know what it means or any of the lyrics.
If I can get the song out of my head, I can remember what I went to the store for.
