“I’m kind of a music freak.”

I remember trying to explain my choices to the DJ that was hired for my wedding. “What does that mean?” he asked me, and I pulled out a pages-long final draft of every song my fiance and I wanted to hear at our wedding reception. Not only was it every song we had spent weeks together handpicking each selection, it was in chronological order, and meant to fill the entire 5 hours.

I really gave him the step-by-step instructions for every song to be played and when. Was I being extra? 100 percent. But music is so important to my husband and I that we didn’t want anything that didn’t feel like us. One bad song - yes, I banned ABBA - would have changed the whole mood.

Although surprised, the DJ was cool and actually pretty stoked to play some songs that weren’t part of the traditional wedding playlists. Selections included: “Touch the Sky” by Kanye West and Lupe Fiasco for the grand entrance, “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” by Otis Redding for the first dance, and for the bouquet toss? “Let Them Hoes Fight” by Trina, of course.

All those songs have an even deeper meaning to me today. I can listen and connect with those same feelings of joy, peace, and excitement for the future. Music has the most profound way of touching our nostalgia and accessing our emotional core.

May 15th is “Relive Your Past By Listening to the First Music You Ever Bought No Matter What No Excuses Day,” and other than having a ridiculous, unnecessarily long name, I love this idea because of the happiness and healing that I personally get from music.

To observe the day, "Think about the first album or singles you ever purchased. Listen to those recordings and think about what was going on in your life at the time. Do you still enjoy this music? How have your musical preferences changed over time? Can you follow the path from what you listened to then to what you listen to now? Perhaps you could share online the first music you ever bought, and ask friends what the first music they purchased was as well."

So I asked my At The Roots friends and they totally stepped up!

Teresa

I'm the youngest of 7 so I had my mom all to myself while all my siblings were in school. She and I would sing along to nursery rhyme records. My favorite was a tiskit a tasket by Ella Fitzgerald.

The first 45 record I got was a gift from Santa when I was about 7. It was Rock Flowers that came with a groovy hippie chick doll - Heather. I wore that thing out. I was not a doll girl, but I loved Heather and still have her!

My uncle played bagpipes ( Irish heritage in my Dad's side) and my aunt played the accordion! I have a lot of relatives and once a year we'd have a family reunion. They'd play and we'd sing and dance (think ~100 people dancing in the gravel driveway of my patterns farm)

My dad played polka and classical music while milking cows.

Then I discovered Led Zeppelin and it was all over for me. Robert Plant is my guy.

Now, my Spotify is full of anything, trending between Bon Iver and Staind.

Courtney

The first album I can remember buying was Britney Spears - Britney; when I was a young teen! My life was really difficult (parentification and adult things happening) and Britney spoke of what it was like to be her, in between being a girl and a woman, which really resonated with me. I do still listen to Britney's older music but my preferences have 100% changed; I listen to rock, indie, and pop now, but I still stick to music I can find and feel greater meaning to. I do tend to focus in on the words more than the instruments behind them.

Emilie

The first album I ever "purchased" wasn’t from a store. I carefully peeled the Columbia House stickers, stuck them to the order form, and shoved it in the mail, hoping my mom wouldn’t find out. I got twelve "one cent" albums, but none mattered to me as much as Blood Sugar Sex Magik by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

I was in third grade, and for some reason I couldn’t explain, that album just hooked me. I didn’t fully understand the lyrics, but I sang along anyway. I sang loudly and badly (still do), and I didn’t care (still don’t).

What really got me were the liner notes. Remember those? I’d unfold them like they held some kind of secret, flipping through the tiny print and blurry photos. I memorized lyrics, pored over every word, and felt like I was in on something secretive. I couldn’t tell you what the other eleven albums were, but that one really stuck with me, and I can still bust out every line to "Give It Away."

Mike

The first album I bought was Adrenaline by the Deftones. Still a big Deftones fan. They seem to have an album for every mood. I haven't really wandered too far off that line of music. I go between punk and hip hop depending on the day. Rakim to Rancid and Pennywise to Joyner Lucas. And The Deftones land pretty close to the middle of my music spectrum.

Renee

I can't remember for sure but the first TAPES I recall having was Vanilla Ice (my older sister destroyed it because she thought it was corrupting me... lol) and maybe Color Me Bad or Starship. But I was too young to have purchased them on my own. If we're talking first purchased ones, again fuzzy memory (shocker), I'm going to guess either TLC or Sublime. And, fun fact, I'm pretty sure all of these still make an appearance on my playlist.

Derrick

I think my first cassette tapes I ever bought were Motley Crue Shout at the Devil and Def Leppard Pyromania…yeah I was that kid. No I don’t listen to them now, kinda embarrassing. The Beatles, the Kinks, Metallica, Jimi Hendrix, Michael Jackson Thriller and Van Halen 1984…were all in the mix too when I was very young…

Brynn

Paula Cole - This Fire (album)

"Where Have All The Cowboys Gone"

Did I always think she was singing "where is my Mambo-ing man" when actually it's "Marlboro"? Yes. I was 9.

I think this song resonated with me because I felt like I wanted to be saved by anyone who would have treated me right. Whether they rode a horse or not was secondary.

I still enjoy songs that can make me feel something.

My preferences have just evolved with time and growth, but lyrics and masterful songwriting will always be the through-line. Songs that feel like they were written just for you are timeless. Music time-stamps our experiences in life and it's the gateway back to those memories.

Lacie

Seriously, the only thing that makes my heart happy like my favorite music is hearing about what other people love to listen to.

Like Emilie, I also took advantage of the penny CDs. The year was 1998, and I just got my first CD player. In the mail, I received “No Way Out” by Puff Daddy & the Family - Diddy, for you younger folks - “My Way” by Usher, “Rated Next” by Next, “E. 1999 Eternal” by Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony, and the Dr. Dolittle soundtrack, only so I could play “Same Ol’ G” by Ginuwine and “Are You That Somebody?” by Aaliyah on repeat.

I still listen to a lot of these songs for a stroll down memory lane, but “E. 1999 Eternal” gives me a feeling I can’t describe. I can picture myself in my bedroom, looking amazing with baggy jeans and frizzy curtain bangs. I can smell the incense. Their songs’ impression on me is as special as their sound. Nobody has a flow like Bone Thugs, and I will die on that hill.

Since then, my musical taste has grown and changed, but ultimately leans a little hip hop, a little soul, depending on the mood. Currently I’m into IDK, Jamila Woods, and Ray Lozano.

What songs give you a rush of nostalgia? What songs were the first to impact you emotionally? Comment below to share! I’ll be waiting to add your songs to my nostalgia playlist.

Relive Your Past with Music