I’m one of those people for whom songs are tightly associated with a memory or a specific period in my life — perhaps everyone is one of those people? The theme of the song usually has nothing to do with the memory itself, it’s just a soundtrack. A random spin of my iTunes playlist reveals “I Ran” by Flock of Seagulls which makes me think of sitting on a beach in Destin, Florida, one summer of high school … “Brian Wilson” by the Barenaked Ladies, which reminds me of a really rainy Tuesday night when I went to a local bar to have a few drinks with my old roommate … “You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morrisette, which reminds me of summer camp in middle school … and “The Mystery Zone” by Spoon, which reminds me of those two weeks I lived and worked in NYC last year.

Those memories are a mix of significant and mundane, but they all stir up strong emotions nonetheless. These days I don’t seem to create as many song-memory associations because I’m often horrible at making myself discovering new music. I don’t listen to current radio very often, so what I do find is usually a result of the internetz bringing it to my attention.

I don’t know that I’ve ever tried to preplan an association of music and memories, but I can’t help but think that wedding of ours that’s less than six weeks away and all the events that precede it is something that I’m going to want associated with music. I want to hear a song five years from now and feel whatever it is I’m going to be feeling over these next few weeks. So forced association it is.

Enter my fabulous blog friends. Several years ago — oh God, three years ago? — I held my first annualish Modern Gal Musical Mission because I needed some new tunes in my rotation. It was probably the best thing I’ve ever done in association with this blog. I asked the readers for some song suggestions and then burned them on a CD just before I took off for a road trip to D.C., and that music has stuck with me ever since and, of course, makes me think longingly of that road trip to D.C. I’ve done two other music missions since, and they were both successful at adding songs — and memories — to my playlist.

Therefore, YOUR MISSION, should you choose to accept, is to suggest in a comment on this post ONE SONG (and one song only) that you are loving right now and you think needs to be on my playlist. There is no theme to this playlist, just pick a song you love. The newer and more upbeat, the better, but whatever you’ve got is fine because variety is good.

I will download every song that’s suggested and make a playlist out of it probably the week before Memorial Day so I can digest it on my drive to Memphis for my bridal shower and get-last-minute-shit-done weekend with the Modern Mom. I will continue to listen up to June 18th and probably on the airplane to our honeymoon destination (Have I not mentioned where we’re going? Oh, I guess I’ll get around to that 😉 )

I’ll probably even burn a copy or two on a CD to be sent to a randomly selected blog friend or two who suggests a song, although no promises that will happen any time before the end of July.

Let’s hear what you’ve got!