Past Time But Still In My Mind

 

 Hi guys! This is Songul. I was born and grew up in Istanbul. I have been in Silicon Valley , California since 2018. I am studying ESL now. I am going to study at De Anza College in January.   For my playlist, I chose to focus on my past life. This list consists of my bad and beautiful memories in my past life.  I hope when you listen to this playlist, you feel what I feel.

1 - In My High School Years

Song: Avril Lavigne - I'm With You

"Isn't anyone trying to find me?

Won't somebody come take me home?

It's a damn cold night

Trying to figure out this life

Won't you take me by the hand?

Take me somewhere new

I don't know who you are

But I, I'm with you

I'm with you"

This song is important to me because I had listened to this song while I was in high school. This song is mine and my classmates’ most popular song. We loved it. Whenever I hear this song, my high school years come to my mind and I remember how after we took a break into class, we would listen to this song. We sang a song chorus part together.

2 - Travel by Ship

Song: Baris Manco - Musaadenizle Cocuklar

"Wave your hand, wave your hand

Wave your arm, wave your arm

Wave left as you show right, wave left as you show right 

Dash a shoulder and overtake from the right side."

This song makes me very happy and emotional because I always travel to my childhood. My family and I used to go to Marmara Island by ship every summer, and the ship played this song while it was coming near the island every time.  All the passengers climbed up the sides of the ship and they shook a large napkin and the island people waved their hands. This is a traditional greeting between island people and the passengers. When the song chorus says, “wave your hand” (2 times) all passengers and island people wave their hands, and when it says, “wave your arm”(2 times) all passengers and island people wave their arms. When I hear this song, I travel to that moment. I missed those days so much that it moved me to tears. 

3 - In My Childhood

Song: Tarkan - Gul Doktum Yollarina

"Come, let’s be day and night.

Come, let’s be stars in the sky.

Let’s run to joyful tomorrows.

Come,  let’s be happy together.”

An important event for me  when I was a kid was to go to a concert for a charity event. Everyone was sitting at round tables in the open air. It was  in the amusement park’s garden. While all the adults were sitting at the round table, we kids ran around. I was very happy because all the people I love were there. Then a song played in my ear. The song lyrics are moving and lovely. The song says “ your eyes say, you love me. Your words betray you, you want it too. Sooner or later, you will be mine, come on don’t be coy. You will find love and affection with me, don’t throw it away.”  This song recreates my present happiness. There are these lines in the lyrics that bring back memories of the event to me, “ Come, let’s be day and night.  Come, let’s be stars in the sky. Let’s run to joyful tomorrows. Come,  let’s be happy together.”

4 - While leaving from company for coming California

Song: Eagle - Hotel California

"Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year (any time of year)
You can find it here."

This song reminds me that I decided to leave my job.  While I was listening to Hotel California, I decided to leave the company to come to California.  Actually I didn't decide to leave my job because of this song but I realized that I was listening to this song as I was thinking about leaving the job . I wonder if this song helped me decide to leave :)) Anyway, when I listen to this song, the moment in the office comes to mind.

5 - 17th August 1999 earthquake in Turkey

Song: Ayten Alpman - Bir Baskadir Benim Memleketim

For the air, for the water,

For the stone, for the soil of it,

Thousands of lives are sacrificed for just my one friend.

Every corner of it is a paradise for me,

I yearn for it,

My homeland is so different.

This song reminds me of the 17th August earthquake. There was a big earthquake on 17th August, 1999.  While it happened, my mom, my sisters and I were in a different city for summer vacation so I didn’t experience that earthquake but my dad was in Istanbul. My neighbor woke me up early in the morning. She asked me if I saw the news. She continued “If you haven't seen it yet, immediately, you must watch it. And then I ran to the living room and I turned on the TV and I was shocked. All the news channels were saying the same thing, “ Istanbul was razed just by an earthquake.”  While I was watching the news, this song played in the background “ For the air, for the water, for the stone, for the soil of it, Thousands of lives are sacrificed for just my one friend. Every corner of it is a paradise for me, I yearn for it, My homeland is so different.” I don't know why channels played this song while all people were watching the news. This song was a trauma to me.

Thank you for reading my playlist. I realized that I have a lot of childhood songs to make me feel very happy and one of them make me sad.  I hope you like reading my playlist. I definitely recommend you to create your own memory playlist. If you make a playlist like mine, please share with me, I will listen to your playlist with great happiness.