Everyone’s got one. Music is probably the most powerful memory recall assistant there ever has been. Whether it’s time or place, person or feeling, there are dozens of songs that make me stop what I’m doing and mentally wander away.

So here we go:

1) Take a Minute – K’naan
God bless you Sarah Young. Miss you very much. She introduced me to this song and K’naan in general. Hearing it makes me feel joy for that reason, but also the sorrow I felt while in a drunken daze at his concert. It was the last time I had a sip of hard liquor.

2) Burial – Alexisonfire
As chronicled in a previous entry, I first heard Alexis’ new album driving down highway 41 through central South Ontario on the way to Murray’s cottage. The album is obviously incredible, but hearing the first dark, country and western film-esque guitar chord strike of this song blew me away. Despite this song’s sadness, it reminds me of beautiful summer scenery at dusk. It makes me want to get in my car and just start driving…

3) Amsterdam – Anberlin
Anberlin is one of the few bands that I’m actually surprised has remained so constant with me over the last 6 years. Amsterdam is a beautiful dreamy song that reminds me of sitting on the subway with it playing in my ears on the way to my first live show in Toronto. Probably not the best way to get pumped for a gig.

4) Fight Song – The Appleseed Cast
I came across the Appleseed Cast by accident in my first year of university. Easily one of their best songs, Fight Song reminds me of sitting alone in my dorm room during some of the most difficult times adjusting to a university work-load and trying to not to drown. The song seems to give me strength despite its apocalyptic tone.

5) Right Now – Van Halen
The ultimate football pump up song. This was a pregame ritual for many years and ultimately makes me get all softy when I hear it these days. Specifically I think back to 1994 and playing football at camp.

6) Dry County – Bon Jovi
This song is so epic that I can’t really associate it with just one moment. It makes me feel like that 12 year-old kid again who was trying to learn how to play piano. Back then, this song represented all that music could be to me. To this day it continues to remind both my brother and I of growing up.

7) Wake Up – Coheed and Cambria
The rare Coheed ballad that came out of nowhere. I actually didn’t notice this song the first 3 or 4 listens through the album; it’s that subtle, simple and unexpected, yet so pretty. I covered this song in a September 2008 show and the line, “I’ll do anything for you, kill anyone for you,” was deemed “shocking” by close friend Angelique who hadn’t heard it. Nowadays it brings up a lot of emotions for me depending on where I am and how I’m feeling. It seems to have a certain universality in that sense.

8) Warning Sign – Coldplay
One of Coldplay’s unnoticed beautiful songs. It puts me back in late 2002 walking through snow listening to it on a discman (remember those?). It tends to make me think of old girlfriends—probably why I rarely listen to it anymore.

9) Remember to Breathe – Dashboard Confessional
Yes, I liked them just as much as the next young person 5 years ago. This song, particularly the live version of it done on the MTV Unplugged album, reminds me of sitting in front of my computer at my grandparents house when I lived there temporarily in my final year of high school. A lot was unknown then. My mom was trying to get back on her feet following my parents divorce. We sold our house and had to move in with my grandparents for 6 months before moving into the house my mom currently resides in. The song makes me feel uneasy.

10) What Sarah Said – Death Cab For Cutie
This song reminds me of my friend Harriet from university for some reason. It might just be a timing thing. H—you’re still my favourite and my best. The song incorporates some of the most creative piano and guitar melodies I’ve ever heard.

11) Transatlanticism – Death Cab For Cutie
Yeah, Death Cab gets two because I can’t forget about this song. This song is paralysis-in-8-minutes for me. Like Dry County, it is one of the most epic songs I’ve known. It reminds me of my dearest friend Nina, who I fought with so intensely during the summer of 2004 over stupid things. And just when the summer was coming to an end, I realized I had wasted it all.

12) What a Catch, Donnie – Fall Out Boy
I have no explanation for this one, but for some reason I was listening to it a lot while I was in Africa. The album had come out just before I left so I figured I would get it to listen to on the plane rides. I ended up throwing it on repeatedly while traveling in trucks down Kenyan highways. It reminds me of poverty but also hope because of its gospel feel. Plus, you can’t help but applaud the band for pulling off the outro where they bring back lyrics from previous hits in one big send-off.

13) Name – Goo Goo Dolls
An easy one. This song would make anyone sit down and reminisce about something, even if totally unrelated and disconnected. Me? This song reminds me of sitting in my basement learning to play guitar and discovering the idea of alternative tunings. I thought it was the coolest thing since discmen (remember those?).

14) Sweetness – Jimmy Eat World
Dear Paul Karpiak: thank you for introducing me to my favourite band in the foyer of Sir Robert Borden High School in the winter of 2002. There I was just sitting there and he throws this song on the speaker system. No one knew it. No one paid attention to it. But my head immediately shot up as soon as I heard the “whoa-ohs” of the chorus. The rest is history.

15) Ten – Jimmy Eat World
Obviously Jimmy gets a few. This song oddly enough reminds me of driving a motorboat on the Ottawa river. Yeah, I know: weird. I remember singing the bridge of the song (one of my favourite Jimmy bridges) out loud knowing no one could hear me over the sound of the motor. It is a perfect specimen to represent what Clarity is to me—my favourite album of all time.

16) 23 – Jimmy Eat World
This one reminds me of trying to overcome challenges. It is like others on this list, sad but hopeful. After the summer of 2004 I needed to repair a lot of friendships and this song puts me right back there. Either there or driving in a car at night, alone.

17) Running For Home – Matthew Good
In my circle, this song became popular in 2002, but I had been mesmerized by it since 1999. It evokes several different memories: sitting in my room on Arbuckle listening to Beautiful Midnight for the first time, learning to play the song in my basement and of recording music in high school. It was also the inspiration for my Song for a Friend.

18) She’s Got a New Disguise – Matthew Good
I could probably say something different about every single song on Last of the Ghetto Astronauts (or every MG song for that matter), which is funny because it’s MGB’s forgotten record. But I suppose after listening to it religiously in the summer of 2000 that might happen. I used to listen to this song to go to sleep and it reminds me of waking up in the middle of the night and hearing it play softly in the background.

19) Blue and Yellow – The Used
This one brings me back to the summer of 2003. Thanks Josh Brown.

20) One Year, Six Months – Yellowcard
This song also has the power to make anyone want to reminisce. For me, it reminds me of traveling in Israel on a bus from place to place. I often listened to it on repeat. It also reminds me of Steph, the person I’ve always wanted to sing this with, but never had the chance to. She, however, knows I’m always around if she ever changes her mind.

So that’s my list, what’s yours?