My Spotify account flashed with a notification: one of my friends was listening to her Taylor Swift playlist. I paused for a moment as I realized that Taylor Swift's music was now available on Spotify.
Like all young girls, I used to be obsessed with Taylor Swift's music. I loved it, and I would listen to it ad nauseam. Now, seeing that her music was available on Spotify, I excitedly clicked on one of the songs. I just wanted to indulge myself with a taste of her tunes again. And, like in her song "Come Back, Be Here," this was "when the feeling [sank] in." I couldn't just listen to one; soon, I was on a journey down memory lane. Each line in each song brought me back to newfound memories that I discovered along the trip.
I remembered my fifth grade best friend who made me a Taylor Swift CD. On it, she had put songs that I had never heard of but quickly learned to love. I popped it into my radio, and I played it every night as I was falling asleep.
There were eighteen songs on that CD, but I would usually only get to the first four before I actually fell asleep. Like Swift's song, "Breathe," I knew those four songs "like the back of my hand." All of my friends and I idolized her; she was our "Super Star." I knew I would "Forever and Always" love her songs. I memorized all the lyrics rapidly; it wasn't difficult because I was constantly listening to her songs on repeat.
I remembered the summer of fifth grade, going into sixth grade. My mom was pregnant with my brother, and I was enjoying the hot, humid Michigan summer. I loved to bike around everywhere. I had tennis practice at the neighborhood park, and I would always bike there with my headphones in my ears. Not surprisingly, the only thing I listened to was Taylor Swift's albums. At the time, she only had three albums out, and Speak Now was the latest hit music. I spent the summer begging my parents to let me go to her concert; it was the first concert I had ever been to. I felt like it was "The Best Day" of my life, and I was in an "Enchanted" state of mind for weeks afterward.
I remembered when Taylor Swift came out with her "Red" album; I had been on the edge of my seat for months in anticipation. My eyes teemed with excitement as I dragged my parents to Target the day the album was released. I wanted my hands on a crisp CD as soon as humanly possible. I wanted one of those CDs to be "Mine" so I could listen to any song on repeat whenever, wherever. As soon as I got home, I popped the CD into my radio and listened to it while laying on the floor of my room in pure peacefulness. I knew the lyrics of every song "All Too Well" soon enough.
Now I am sitting here, typing with Taylor Swift music playing in the background. I've been listening to her music on Spotify for a few days now, and I'm still brought back to my childhood with each lyric. I can truly "Never Grow Up" just by listening to my old favorite songs.