Albums that Have Stuck With Me (a shorter list)

Rubber Soul - My main association with Rubber Soul is listening to it with my brother when I was in second grade. Since he was in 12th grade and moved away shortly thereafter, it was one of our few common childhood experiences. Fighting over potato chips at lunch and Easter candy (back when we got Easter baskets) were the others, and since my brother was much bigger and quicker, they were obviously less pleasant memories.

A Day Without Rain - When I originally got this album for my birthday in middle school, the music was soothing and relaxing. Later, when one of my best friends and I used it as comfort music after our childhood cats had died, I began to associate it with losing pets. Not a pleasant association, but one that persisted for quite a long time.

Moulin Rouge soundtrack - One of the few cases in which I heard a movie soundtrack before seeing the movie. After seeing the movie, I was swept up in the music, the costumes, and the story. Being an idealistic 14-year-old, the romance of the "bohemian revolution" seemed very attractive, even though the artist's lifestyle is very, very hard. Having grown up (somewhat), what remains attractive is the connection between music and emotion, particularly love.