***ADVISORY: Some of the songs and/or music videos linked below contain sexually suggestive content and/or images, as well as lyrics about drinking and/or drugs. Use your discretion.***

I'm pretty sure there are some songs that are meant to be listened to a certain way, that are supposed to invoke a certain feeling: I mean, no one really listens to "Set Fire to the Rain" by Adele when they're in a sunshine-and-rainbows mood and/or a happy relationship, right? But there are some songs that I think I'm always going to misinterpret, more or less, because they remind me of my friends, or of a certain event, rather than what the intent of the artist seemed to be. Here are six such songs and the reasons I'm always going to think about them differently than most people will.

My Chemical Romance - "The Sharpest Lives"

This is probably my earliest "I'll never think of this song the same" memory, because it happened when I was in 7th grade. One of my friends and I got bored in class one day, but instead of being disruptive or entirely distracted, we mouthed the lyrics of this song, one line at a time, to one another from halfway across the classroom. Because of course we had just entered our emo/punk rock/metal music phase and we loved this song, but I daresay we still know every single word of it.

In any case, it was deeply amusing. Even more so because nobody else knew we were doing it.

I'll always think of her whenever I hear this song because of that day.

Jason Derulo - "Talk Dirty to Me"

There are actually three things I think of whenever I hear this "jazzy" little number. The first is when my sister-from-another-mister and I were driving all over the place one day and it kept coming on the radio. Neither of us could really understand the words, but we kept singing the horn part to each other, because it was totally stuck in our heads.

Later that evening, after we'd treated ourselves to some elegant fine dining (read: carry-out pizza on her bed), we searched for the few lyrics we could remember, and found this:

Which we were then of course absolutely obsessed with. Or at least, I was. Not even a week later, as "Talk Nerdy to Me" was racking up the play counts on my phone, YouTube recommended this video for me, based on videos I had watched:

I thought I had died and gone to heaven, because of my love for acapella music and that they had turned this pop song into a barbershop quartet (well, quintet, because Kevin Spacey) number. I immediately sent it to my friend, and to this day, it is the sole

reason we know the original lyrics.

DNCE - "Cake by the Ocean"

And here begin the songs I associate with my sorority sisters instead of what they are written about! The first time I heard "Cake by the Ocean," I thought it was kind of dumb. Not gonna lie. After I found out what "cake by the ocean" apparently translates into, I was amused, but it didn't really change my opinion. But after I joined my sorority, I learned that for whatever reason--or maybe no apparent reason--one of my sorority sisters really loved this song, so instead of thinking about an ex-Jonas brother and some things happening on a beach that certainly should not be taking place in public, I think of sporadic, crazy dance parties to this song with the sister who loves it.

By the way, it's even better if you know that she and I can't really dance.

The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey - "Closer"

Another one of the songs that makes me think of one of my sorority sisters (you know, instead of two people making out all over the place. So I'm really okay with that). Again, I thought the words were kind of dumb when I first heard this song, though I was admittedly only half-listening because I was driving at the time. I think it was mostly the constant repetition of "we ain't ever getting older" that bothered me, really, because it still does a little (the song is about time passing and seeing a person you used to be so connected to after all this time so of course you're getting older! That's kind of the point! Although maybe you haven't grown older emotionally, I guess, but still! But I digress).

I actually enjoyed the music, so I listened to an instrumental version of the song before one of my sisters recommended it. After she raved that it was the "best song ever," I found myself hating it less and less--and even liking a phrase or a verse here or there--until I caved and bought the song. And then had it stuck in my head for about three whole weeks. So instead of thinking about the music video or a lost love, I think about the fun times I've had with the friend who recommended this song to me.

Genuwine - "Pony"

***WARNING - SEXUALLY EXPLICIT CONTENT!***

The last song that officially reminds me of one of my sorority sisters. The first really social thing I did after I joined my sorority was a "mixer" with one of the fraternities, in which we would, individually or as a group, lip-sync and dance to a song of our choosing. I had dressed up all nice. Sid, one of the girls who would come to be one of my dear friends, brought a horse mask and danced to Genuwine's "Pony." She pulled me out onto the dance floor and tossed her mask at me, so I donned it at did a few "moves" I deemed appropriate for the song.

I may or may not have stolen a couple of those from the "Gagnam Style" music video. (Which is okay because everyone has forgotten that anyway, right?)

In any case, that moment has crossed my mind every time I've heard that song since that day, to the point where I sent Sid a message when that song came up during a karaoke party because it made me think of her, and she sent me a video on Snapchat of her in her car jamming out to that song with a caption declaring that it was her "national anthem." It's so much more fun to think about my first (and by far not last!) fun night as a sorority sister than anything else when it comes to this song.

Kansas - "Carry On Wayward Son"

If, like me, you are a fan of the show "Supernatural," then you know why I don't think of this song the same way most people might, even if there isn't really a specific way it was written to be interpreted. Since its very first season, "Supernatural" has used this song at the beginning of every season finale, and there are many reasons it fits well: the main characters are two brothers who, until recently, didn't have a place to call "home." They were originally from Kansas. And when asked what he thought the meaning of life was, the older one replied "everything is dust in the wind," another Kansas hit. He happens to be the most dedicated to classic rock of the two, if that wasn't apparent.

This song has played behind some of the most emotional moments in my favorite show. Not only that, but people who gather at Supernatural conventions sing it as a tribute to the show and its actors, to the fans who struggle with personal issues, and as a symbol that, at least for the weekend, they are family, and they are connected.

Do it if you ever get the chance to be a part of it: it's an incredible experience.

But that is why I will belt out "Carry On Wayward Son" whenever it happens to come on the radio, why I will roll down my windows and jam out to it in my car, why it makes me feel better when I'm having a rough day: more than almost any other song, it makes me feel surrounded by love, and even if that's not something Kerry Livgren ever intended it to do, it has given the song a deeper, more personal meaning that will stick with me every time I hear it for the rest of my life.