There are millions of songs out in the world at this very moment. Each song is unique and different. The messages are different, the sound is different, the style is different. Songs have the ability to make you go from happy to sad, or vise versa, in seconds.
"Soak Up the Sun" by Sheryl Crow is one of my favorite songs. The song came out in 2002 on her "C'mon C'mon" album. This song has been on every playlist of mine for as long as I can remember.
The song was released when I was in kindergarten. I remember my teacher would play it for the class every day that the sun was out during the warmer months of the school year. She would even sing along sometimes. When I hear this song I can see my teacher from kindergarten, in her earth-tone, floor length dress, dancing around the classroom snapping her fingers trying to get all of us kids to dance with her.
The song has an easy flow and mood, it almost reflects what it's like to be a child in kindergarten. When you're in kindergarten you're about 5 years old and life is a breeze. You don't have homework or tests, you're not stressing about grades or getting into college. At 5 years old, the only thing you're worried about is whether or not you're going to have apple juice at snack time.
Every time I hear "Soak Up the Sun", whether I'm in my room at home or in the car driving through town, I'm taken back to kindergarten for 3 minutes and 50 seconds. I'm taken back to a simpler time.
The opening beat of the song is enough to put a large and toothy smile on my face. If the song comes on my car radio, my windows are down and the volume is cranked up as loud as my ears can take it. People look at me funny when they see me screaming the lyrics when I'm at a stop light, but they can stare and judge all they want, I'm too busy remembering what it's like to be a kid again.
Music is such a powerful tool. Music can tell you things about yourself you never even knew, it can describe a situation you're in perfectly and it can make you happier than you ever thought was possible. It's important to find the songs that make you feel something, whether it be happiness, sadness or even anger.
If you can find a song that reminds you of a good time in your life then you'll always have a place to escape to when you need it.
