So Alphaville’s “Forever Young” came up on my random playlist yesterday on my walk home from work. This song always sends shivers down my spine where I hear it. But it also puts a smile on my face.

It reminds me of a boyfriend from when I was around 18 or 19, Gary was his name. We had a very short, fun, but complicated relationship. I cared about him very much but, being a young male, he was kind of an asshole to me.

This song reminds me of our first date. It was a warm summer evening and we stood on the front porch of my parent’s home and chatted for an hour about everything. One of the things we chatted about was music. He mentioned to me that this was his favorite song. I believe I heard the song for the first time the night before at the party we met at, and I had to agree that it was a good song (probably made a little better by the good company). That evening was a very wonderful uncomplicated evening between us. It’s a good memory.

The reason why this song sends shivers down my spine is because about a year after this memory happened Gary died in a horrific car wreck. I find it very ironic that this was his favorite song.