Oh dear. Too many. It's always unfortunate when you can't listen to certain songs again because of exes who ruined it or whatever.
Tim Buckley's Song to the Siren (but also This Mortal Coil's version) reminds me of an incredibly stressful time period (thanks to my family) during my junior year in high school. I was sick all the time and I would play this over and over. It's still my favorite song of all time. It holds a magical quality for me, because I began listening to it around the time I got really into reading old esoteric texts as a way to pass the time.
Lots of She Wants Revenge, Interpol and Depeche Mode songs (Black Celebration, In Your Room, Rush, Question of Lust) remind me of various drunken odysseys from my early 20s. And anything by Sonic Youth, especially Wish Fulfillment reminds me of a much older man (he was great but I moved away) I briefly dated who would let me pick out music while he cooked amazing meals.
Anything by Metric (The Police & the Private and Sick Muse especially) reminds me of my now-estranged lifelong best friend. We would always listen to it in the car at night while we drove aimlessly around the city and discussed all manner of odd things. It was a very peaceful and surreal time period which I took for granted.
The Scientists' "Be My Baby" (a surprisingly good Ronettes cover) - A long-distance boyfriend sent it to me, which I played on repeat during the 48+ hour greyhound bus ride to Los Angeles. I can't listen to it anymore because it ended badly.
Un Nombre de Mujer by Los Zafiros reminds me of him and that whole ordeal, too.
Pretty much anything by Nina Simone (Lilac Wine, Blackbird, Little Girl Blue) and Irma Thomas (Breakaway, Cry On) bring up painful memories of a rather bad year in a Louisiana hellhole with an alcoholic ex boyfriend.
Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" - A long long time ago, I had a close friend who was bipolar. (Bipolar I w/ psychosis, the whole nine yards) Any time he'd stop taking his medication, he'd immediately become manic, and he would play certain songs incessantly, claiming that they were written about him. I haven't heard from him in nearly a decade and have started worrying that he's dead (many in his family have died due to mental illness) .. The song has been following me everywhere lately so I've been thinking about him often.
..and The Boxer by Simon & Garfunkel reminds me of his father. (who died shortly after my last visit 9 years ago) It was his favorite song, and once we played it for him in the dark to help him fall asleep after he had a bad panic attack.
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