The week before I left for Europe last year I was standing in my friend’s apartment chatting with her roommate, a girl I’ve known since I was in grade school, and she asked me what my travel anthem was. I didn’t have one, was my response. She told me I’d figure it out. That when I heard the song, I’d just know.
As I sat stuck on the plane on the tarmac at JFK, waiting for maintenance crews to fix whatever was wrong with the brakes and just let me get to Europe already, AirBerlin’s intercom was incessantly playing “Caught Between the Moon and New York City.” If that wasn’t ironic, than I don’t know what was. I certainly was stuck not going ANYWHERE. Once we landed, three hours later than scheduled in Frankfurt, again this song came on. Was this going to be my travel anthem? Luckily the song was only stuck in my head for two days after.
It took me nearly six weeks to pick up a travel anthem and let me tell you, every time that song comes on my iPod, it’s a trip right straight back to walking down the streets of Amsterdam, Barcelona, Seville and Granada with this song blasting in my ears, to bus trips across various terrains, a plane trip from Brussels to Santander, Spain and everywhere in between. It’s a great song, a song to pick you up and make you dance. To watch scenery fly by you. It totally captures the transformation I was undergoing from angry, depressed New Yorker to happy, carefree adventurer.
I’ve spoken about songs that capture memories. This song captures an entire three months. Listen to the lyrics, especially the chorus. I am so glad that my friend told me to rock an anthem while traveling, I highly recommend doing the same!
I present to you: Objects of My Affection by Peter, Bjorn and John.
Do you have an anthem for your life? If so, what is it and why did you choose it?
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Classified’s “Anybody Listening?” became my anthem (kind of travel anthem, more like just life anthem) when I first left my job in November. I immediately spent a weekend in Chicago before coming out to Colorado to start scoping things out. The song is super upbeat, and I played it over and over walking through airports, down Michigan Avenue, and in between times. It’s such a celebratory song and I remember having this moment in Chicago where I just felt RIGHT about all of the big decisions I’d just made. I even wrote about it – http://doniree.com/2010/01/07/dancing-down-michigan/
And PBJ? GOOD STUFF
I’m so glad you introduced me to that song! Love it
My anthem has been and quite likely always will be the theme from “The Wonder Years”.
Why mess with perfection?
Ohhh that’s a classic!
I love the idea of having an anthem. I don’t know that I can pick just one song, I have many songs that remind me of different points in my life and various places I’ve been.
Love, love, love me some Peter, Bjorn & John.
The entire Writers Block album is great.
I LOVE the idea of having an anthem! It’s so difficult to choose but what immediately sprang to mind was “Hard Times” by Patrick Wolf maybe?