Thomas Howells

We can all agree that everyone has certain songs or bands that they hear every now and then that takes them back to a certain time in their life. It could just be a core memory or the nostalgic feeling of being in school again with the old friends you’ve maybe lost contact with over the years. This strong rush of nostalgia gives you, as a listener, a warm and fuzzy feeling and reminds you of your own history almost like a soundtrack to your life. 

With this in mind, I’ve collated a list of 5 songs that remind me of my own childhood during the 2000’s in the UK.

Kate Nash – Foundations

Possibly most memorable from being on The Inbetweeners, Foundations was about a troubled relationship and a passive aggressive argument whilst out for drinks with friends. Obviously nothing a six year old Tom could relate to, but nevertheless, hearing the iconic piano intro still hits a certain sweet spot on every listen. The track reminds me of car journeys to and from my grandparents’s house with my mother, since she owned Nash’s debut album ‘Made Of Bricks’ which featured Foundations. Even seeing the album cover of Nash in front of a quirky yellow house, almost like a doll’s house, takes me back to physically holding the CD.

The Ordinary Boys – Boys Will Be Boys

During the 2000’s BBC show Never Mind The Buzzcocks was thriving. Hosted by Simon Amstell, Phil Jupitus and Bill Bailey, the show was tailored perfectly for any music or comedy fan. So when I saw Preston, front man of The Ordinary Boys, on the show I was glad to finally see someone I slightly recognised on a show predominantly full of musicians my parents knew of. However as most people know, Preston stormed off the set in a childish strop over Simon Amstell’s very minor jokes about Preston’s at the time girlfriend Chantelle Houghton. This is probably the only thing Preston is known for to most people, whereas I’d like to hope it’s for ‘Boys Will Be Boys’, an angsty song about boys… being boys I guess. The perfect tune for a young lad to listen to during his childhood i reckon, maybe still applies today to my 23 year old self. 

Kasabian – Club Foot 

As a child I absolutely loved video games. I had some great times playing on my Playstation  during a time where gaming consoles were only going from strength to strength. You had games like Call Of Duty, FIFA, Assassins Creed and Halo growing and growing each year. These were peak video game years in my opinion. But one game contained an introduction so exciting, easy on the eye and damn right cool. Tony Hawk Project 8. Maybe not the most well-known entrance to the Tony Hawk video game franchise, but the one that stuck with me the most as a child. Its intro started with the slow motion kick-flip with the rumbling and grungy sound of Club Foot by Kasabian. This was such a perfect song for the intro, a moody and borderline anarchist song that could amp up anyone with a set of ears. To this day, I cannot bring myself to skip this song and have to sing along with chest.

Arctic Monkeys – Fluorescent Adolescent 

This is a music list from the 2000’s, you knew for a fact that the Sheffield band was going to be mentioned. I’d argue that ‘Favorite Worst Nightmare’ is the most influential Arctic Monkeys album, featuring tunes such as Brianstorm, 505, Teddy Picker and Do Me A Favor. Released in 2007 the album meant the world to me and had to be played on every single car journey, it was addictive and still is. This is the album that made me fall in love with the band and I can happily say I’m still impressed by the newer music they create today, despite sounding vastly different. As an adult listening to Fluorescent Adolescent, the lyrics mean so much more to me now with the life experience I’ve gained and the emotions I’ve developed since growing up. But I also feel like a child again, like the perfect little time capsule to my past back to when the lyrics didn’t have any meaning and I simply enjoyed the attitude portrayed by the beat. 

Passion Pit – Sleepyhead

Released in 2009, Sleepyhead is the youngest song in my list. Used in the Advert for Sony’s Little Big Planet 2 in 2011, Sleepyhead is pretty much the perfect ear worm with its simple drum beat and dreamy high pitched voice in the background. The tune brings me all the way back to playing on the Playstation with my little cousin, spending endless hours on Little Big Planet. From screaming in fear from the user created levels to almost being in tears of laughter watching our helpless little characters on screen scrambling each other to get ahead, nothing brings me back to such a pure memory. We’d always been close but this bond we created in each other’s living rooms from playing the game together was so strong through just one video game. This song will always have a place in my heart and immediately send me back to being in stitches with my cousin. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, these are just memories, figments of the past. But just one second of a song that you associate with these moments and memories can transport you back to these times.  Sometimes it’s with a different and more mature perspective since the growing and learning you’ve done since then, but this doesn’t change these moments in the slightest. Whether you do get the warm and  fuzzy feeling I mentioned earlier or even a bittersweet feeling, these moments may define you or even shape you. So, if you get the time, I recommend listening to songs that meant something to you in your past and see how those feelings are now or just remind yourself of being a child again.