Smelling me some TLC.

They (you know, "they") say that smell is the most effective sensory trigger of memory. A whiff of cinnamon magically transporting you back to your grandmother's kitchen as she preps he family-famous apple crisp. Your nose catching wind of something that reminds you of a former lover, bringing back a world of beautiful or painful memories.

Science will tell you that this is because your olfactory bulb is part of your brain's limbic system which is an area that is closely tied to memory and often called the "emotional brain"... This emotional brain calls up memories and powerful responses, nearly instantaneously, when triggered by a sense. When, that sense is smell, you know which is in the olfactory bulb, it's neighbor, smell ends up being the most effective trigger.

That's what science says. It's mostly right, because it's true.

To me, I think that sound, that song recognition is a stronger trigger of memory. Hearing a single chorus can remove me from my current place in time, to a vivid reliving of a time or times that I've heard that song.

The more I get of you,
The stranger it feels, yeah.


Wham, there I am ... 1994, traveling to Florence, OR in a rented RV, rocking to some Seal on my Sony Discman. Ready to embark on another family vacation where I would listen to that song, and the rest of the Batman Forever soundtrack at least 34 more times.

Here's another example, as the tunes of the following song drifted up (notes rise, like hot air, you know)within my earshot, I was magically placed back in the year of 1994. It's summer time and I'm stuck at home watching a lot of MTV, or VH1, depending on who was showing more videos (at this point in time, MTV showed videos, kids. I promise) learning some of life's important lessons through said videos.

That all forlorn young women, writhe in their pity, while hanging out in their apartment wearing soon-to-be chic glasses. I'm talking to you, Lisa Loeb.

Or, the fact that you can fit like 30 black guys, barbecue equipment and some basketballs in the trunk of a car (if I really wanted to draw a strong connection here, I'd go watch me some Fantastic Voyage and determine what kind of car it was. But, whatevs). On a side note, I found this to be incredibly not true, whilst in college. Oops.

And, lastly ... That all black women are super sexy, horny gamblers who may or may not be gay, if not definitely bisexual. Those tunes that I spoke about above, the ones that floated their way to my ears:


TLC - Red Light Special
Music Videos at www.blastro.com