Did a personal experience ever RUIN a piece of music for you?

[Mike 03]

Some examples would be:

People who said they could never enjoy Beethoven's Fifth after seeing "A Clockwork Orange," or some Rolling Stones song after Scorsese put it to visual images in one of his films, or maybe you associate a particular song with a relationship you had, or the destruction of that relationship that no longer exists.

I'll give you one example from my own life. My absolute favorite girlfriend in the world had to tell me that she loved to have sex to side two of "Dark Side of the Moon." We subsequently broke up, and she actually later died, and to this day it's really hard for me to listen to that album.

I used to love that album and have many different associations to it.

Another: I love Nine Inch Nails' "Downward Spiral," but when I learned that the Columbine killers loved it to, it sort of make me sick to my stomach that I liked it so much. I will still listen to and enjoy that CD, but I did not enjoy learning that the Columbine killers listened to it as well and apparently drew inspiration from it.

I have others, but I would love to hear yours.

[mitchum]

1. No, it's just notes and chords

[DarkTirade]

2. I used to like Stabbing Westward. Dated a girl who also liked Stabbing Westward.

Then we had a horrible break-up. And the only angry break-up music I had in my CD portfolio... was Stabbing Westward.

:crazy:

[LeftOfSelf-Centered]

38. "Darkest Days" is pretty good break-up music though...

In the late 90s I listened to that album a lot one summer, when I found out the girl I liked was hanging out with me because she was interested in a friend of mine...

[NYC_SKP]

3. You mean like the Pretenders "Chain Gang" after your girlfriend dies an early death?

And you find a picture of her and think about the lyrics, "I found a picture of you..."

Yes, and no, I wouldn't call it ruined, but it was sure became a different experience to hear that tune after she died.

It was more than 20 years ago, it makes me thoughtful but not terribly sad.

:hug:

[mtowngman]

4. Not a personal experience but I used to love "Viva Las Vegas"

Before the Viagra commercial.

[LibraLiz1973]

5. YES. Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here

Long story, but some crazy bitch ruined it.

[driver8]

6. You mean like a roommate in college who ONLY listened to the Moody Blues?

Whenever I hear the Moody Blues, I want to jab ice picks in my ears!

[rockymountaindem]

7. A good friend of mine always got a kick of my renditions of "Angie" and "You Can't Always Get What

You Want". But, we're definitely not friends anymore. I wish we still could be, but I don't think we can. I haven't talked to her in well over a year. Those two songs always make me think of her and how I could make her laugh :(

[BeachBaby]

8. "Sweet Caroline".

One of my best friends in high school was a girl named Caroline. We used to sing the song to her, over and over. It drove her insane.

She killed herself in 1985, when we were 16 years old. I have to turn off the radio if the song shows up - and I've had to walk out of stores if it's playing on their system.

[scheming daemons]

39. For godsakes... don't go to any Red Sox games then....

They play it every game and the crowd sings along.

[LynzM]

9. One song and one artist:

I had a group of guys corner me in college and pretend to jerk off on me, while playing "Come on Eileen"... I HATE that song now. It's the only song that I refuse to listen to.

There was a guy I knew in college my freshman year who spent a lot of time hanging out in our room. The *only* thing he would listen to was The Doors. I can't listen to them anymore... serious overload.

[ThomCat]

12. I never understood how any guys think shit like that is

fun or harmless. :(

I'm sorry you had to put up with that kind of shit behavior.

[LynzM]

14. Me neither.

And in retrospect, I'm pretty pissed at myself for not standing up and walking out of the room... instead of cowering there and taking that.

:hug:

[ThomCat]

16. You can't be too hard on yourself.

You were young. I'll bet that either the guys were older and you were probably a freshman, or their was alcohol involved. Men in college usually gang up on attractive women in one of those two situations. :(

There is no point blaming yourself for what you might have done. What you did at the time is how you judged the situation at the time. :(

[Orrex]

25. You did nothing wrong

As you noted, they "cornered" you. I suspect that their numbers and the context of the situation made it difficult for you to escape their assault.

:hug:

[LynzM]

36. Yeah...

It was a strange situation, and it feels more threatening looking back at it than it actually did at the time. I was visiting a male friend at his college, and it was him and a couple of his friends. They thought it was hysterical, I felt ashamed and just wanted it to stop, but didn't do anything to that end. I think that they thought it was in "good fun" so to speak... I wouldn't go so far as to call it assault, I guess.

[Orrex]

37. You seem to have a good perspective on it

And you certainly have a better understanding of the circumstances than I do!

I would still maintain that you did nothing wrong, though I'm glad that it wasn't as threatening an experience that I inferred it to be.

:pals:

[GOPisEvil]

23. Holy shit, dude!

Man - that brought back some old bullying memories for me.

I know how that feels. :hug:

[DarkTirade]

29. Being a guy I have to say... there are some situations when a kick to the nuts is COMPLETELY

appropriate, warranted, and okay.

That was one of them.

[LynzM]

35. Yeah...

I should've... ah well.

[PassingFair]

30. Weird.

Sorry about your experience...

But that song DOES have a weird
subconsciously threatening tone
about it. . . maybe it's just the
video...

But whenever it comes on, my kids
and I laugh about dressing up like
the people in the video, getting a
boombox, and surprising, harassing and threatening
people at the mall.

This is a frequent comic scenario, as
we are a non-threatening family of Mom,
Dad, and two daughters.

I can see why you won't listen to it,
having had an actual threatening experience
while it played.

[Taverner]

10. My dad used to beat the holy hell out of us kids to classical music

Actually, it was in the car

He could manage to hit us while driving - talented!

Anyway, it was always Wagner, Mozart or Beethoven playing.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

27. ...

:hug:

[rug]

11. i suffered erectile dysfunction while Afternoon Delight was on the radio.

Everything was fine after I turned the radio off.

[kwassa]

18. Skyrocket in flight?

[bluedigger]

13. "Amy" by Pure Prairie League

Ex - 'nuff said.

[Inchworm]

15. One of the worst ass whippings I ever had...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWf1MdHv80Q

I wasn't allowed to listen to music as I went to sleep. I got busted listening to KC and the Sunshine Band one night by my dad...

I felt it nessesary to tell dad that it was no big deal and reached to turn it down... a bit.

The next 20 minutes were a li'l fuzzy lolz.

:D

[Aristus]

17. "A Clockwork Orange" featured Beethoven's Ninth, not his Fifth.

And it did the opposite for me: I think Wendy Carlos's rendition for Moog synthesizer is the coolest!

The movie also featured Rossini's 'The Thieving Magpie', which I had never heard before seeing the film. That's a terrific piece, too.

[Orrex]

19. "A Clockwork Orange" sort of features the Fifth

Check out the author's doorbell chimes!

[mitchum]

21. Damn you, Orrex!

I was gonna point out the doorbell chimes

[Orrex]

22. Don't hate me because I'm real horrorshow

[madinmaryland]

20. Rush. For the obvious reason...

:puke:

[OmahaBlueDog]

24. "Time of Your Life" by Green Day

It was playing in the vets office while we were putting our cat, Bandit, down. I can't stand to hear that song now.

[abq e streeter]

26. Not ruined exactly, but sang Thunder Road at the funeral of one of my best friends

at his wife's request ( still to this day , can't handle thinking of her as his "widow").... Tom was killed in a dirt bike crash 10 months after we'd gone to Phoenix to see Bruce. One of my all-time favorite songs by anybody, ever, but now is always bittersweet to hear it... Just saw the E Street Band last month for the first time since Tom and I in 2003, and they did Thunder Road, which was of course , magnificent, but couldn't help thinking about how Tom would have probably been at the show with us...

[annonymous]

28. I absolutely despise Short People by Randy Newman

Bullies used to sing this song to me in 9th grade because I was one of the smallest kids in school. I am so glad they banned that song from the radio.

[southpaw]

31. I understand the negative association

Many people took that song the wrong way. It's basically satirizing bigotry by making it look foolish.

[PassingFair]

32. Lightning Strikes by Lou Christie....

Used to like it as an oldie, until the
day that my boyfriend sang it in the
car a few days after I found out he was
cheating on me.

Amazingly, I must still be mad about
this, because I became angry thinking
about it!

:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:

Listen to me, baby, you gotta understand
You're old enough to know the makings of a man
Listen to me, baby, it's hard to settle down
Am I asking too much for you to stick around

Every boy wants a girl
He can trust to the very end
Baby, that's you
Won't you wait but 'til then

When I see lips beggin' to be kissed (stop)
I can't stop (stop)
I can't stop myself
(Stop, stop)

Lightning is striking again
Lightning is striking again

Nature's takin' over my one-track mind
Believe it or not, you're in my heart all the time
All the girls are sayin' that you'll end up a fool
For the time being, baby, live by my rules

When I settle down
I want one baby on my mind
Forgive and forget
And I'll make up for all lost time

If she's put together fine
And she's readin' my mind (stop)
I can't stop (stop)
I can't stop myself
(Stop, stop)

Lightning is striking again
Lightning is striking again
And again and again and again



Lightning is striking again
Lightning is striking again

There's a chapel in the pines
Waiting for us around the bend
Picture in your mind
Love forever, but 'til then

If she gives me a sign
That she wants to make time (stop)
I can't stop (stop)
I can't stop myself
(Stop, stop)

Lightning is striking again
Lightning is striking again
And again and again and again
Lightning is striking again
And again and again and again

[Rosie1223]

33. The Pretenders: My City Was Gone

Liked that song until Rush Limbaugh started using it in his radio program. Now when I hear it I think of him. <shudder>

[meegbear]

34. House Of The Rising Sun ...

When I was a small child, I would be called in from playing to be told "We're having a party in the backyard." The "party" were all adults with me being the only child. I was told to sit and not bother anyone unless they spoke to you - which meant I was alone watching a group of people have fun.

A cousin would bring her acoustic guitar over and play songs. "House of the rising sun" was the only one I remember and I hate the song to this day.

[Bennyboy]

40. "After The Goldrush"....Two men kissing.....

At the "Rust Never Sleeps" Show in 78. I turned around durning the song and there were two guys swapping spit, right behind me. The first time I ever saw two men kissing. I gotta tell ya, when I hear that song, that is all I can think of.

[Patiod]

41. Pink Floyd - too many boring stoner parties

where that was the soundtrack.

Your "Dark Side of the Moon" reminds me of an odd experience I had recently - ran into an former roommate from college, and she told me that she remembered that I had sung the praises of an obscure album of jazz saxophone (Jon Klemmer's "Barefoot Ballet") as a soundtrack for sex.

She said she had worn the album out using it for that, and had gone through a lot of hoops (ebay, etc) trying to get a new copy of it.

Yikes.

A soundtrack for sex is for YOURSELF and your partner - kind of bizarre when a friend adopts it for her own.....

(you don't know it, but you've all heard stuff from Barefoot Ballet - I've heard it used a lot as the intro to late-night radio shows)

[Rob H.]

42. Everything by Pink Floyd

I have a friend who used to listen to them all the time and nothing else, and when he wasn't listening to their music, he was talking about their music. He's broadened his musical tastes since then, but I'd be thrilled to never hear a song by them again.

[insanity]

43. Angie, by the Rolling Stones

I dated a girl named Angie, and one time during a massive fight she had that song play on repeat for like 20 minutes while she balled her eyes out. Lots of bad memories, both about her and about the way I used to act, get conjured up when I hear that damn song.

[dembotoz]

44. you can go your own way--fleetwood mac

was used by a girlfriend who was in the process of dumping me.

Actually i never really did like that song...
does it still count?

[sammythecat]

45. Yes

I have one sibling, an older sister, and she had one child, a daughter, Carolyn. I lived with her until she was 9. Even though I was just a teenager, I was the only "stable" influence in her life because I was the only person in her life that wasn't nuts. No virtue on my part. I just wasn't nuts. She died of a drug overdose at 17. Her parents were abusively neglectful. Raising a child was not their priority.

When she was little, she loved the Beatles' "White Album". I heard it all the time. I can never hear any of those songs without thinking of her. For better or worse, I try to avoid all things that stir up sad memories.