Do You Remember Your First?

My music collection is like a time machine. Certain songs have the power to transport me back in time or evoke strong memories from days gone long past.

My iTunes library has over 7,000 songs from around 2,700 albums. The other day I was thinking about some of the oldest tracks and where they came from.

My First Tape

Growing up in Southern California, The Beach Boys were something I was raised on, like sunshine and smoggy air. I bought Endless Summer some time during 1984—it was the first album I ever bought. I loved The Beach Boys’ harmonies and remember singing along to every track.

You can download Endless Summer on Amazon or iTunes.

My First CD

When I was in junior high (against my parents’ better advice) I signed up for one of those record clubs which were all too prevalent in those days. You know the type, pay a penny for one CD today, get 10 for free later, and then buy 100 more at 1,000 times their normal price.

The first CD I chose was Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em by MC Hammer. It hasn’t held up well, but its lead track U Can’t Touch This could be the soundtrack to my 7th grade year.

You can download Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em on Amazon or iTunes

My First iTunes Download

In 2001, the iTunes Music Store launched. I didn’t even have an iPod, but I was curious to try it out as a legitimate alternative to all the peer-to-peer filesharing that was going on at the time.

One day I scored a promo code for a free download from a soda I’d downed, so I installed iTunes on my Windows 98 clunker of a PC, and perused the store for something I didn’t already have, but wanted.

The selection wasn’t nearly as comprehensive in those early days as it is now. However, I did find something I liked and downloaded Live Forever by Oasis.

The song reminded me then, as it does even now, of countless hours spent listening to the “World Famous 106.7, KROQ” during my high school years. Of all the music discussed in this post, Live Forever is the only song that’s in regular rotation on my iPod.

You can download Live Forever on Amazon or iTunes.

Thank you for joining me on my musical time warp. What was the first album or song you ever bought? Do you even remember? What memories does that song bring back? Sound off in the comments below.