4 Songs That Perfectly Capture the Feeling of Nostalgia

Eric Church says in his iconic song, “Springsteen,” that a melody can sound like a memory. It’s one of the most succinct and powerful ways anyone has described the heart-swelling sense of nostalgia we get from our favorite songs. Many songs evoke nostalgia, but some songs actually discuss the concept itself. Find four songs that perfectly capture the feeling we get when we look back on our lives below.

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“Springsteen” (Eric Church)

We all have that one special song that takes us right back to where we were when we first heard it. For Eric Church, that song is something in Bruce Springsteen’s discography. In his iconic track, named after the rock legend, Church revisits a youthful fling he had in his teenage years. When I think about you, I think about 17 / I think about my old Jeep / I think about the stars in the sky / Funny how a melody sounds like a memory / Like a soundtrack to a July Saturday night / Springsteen, the chorus reads. Many people in Church’s generation likely share similar sentiments about The Boss’ music.

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“Summer of ’69” (Bryan Adams)

Though we may not have all been around in the summer of ’69, the sentiment in this Bryan Adams song is relatable no matter what generation you come from. As kids, we all lived for summertime—two months of uninterrupted memory-making. Because of this, summertime can be a nostalgia factory for songwriters. Songs like “Summer of ’69” remind us of our summers that seemed to last forever.

“1985” (Bowling for Soup)

Mid-life crises are fodder for nostalgic episodes. The titular woman in Bowling for Soup’s “1985” is going through that experience. Her two kids in high school / They tell her that she’s uncool / ‘Cause she’s still preoccupied / With 1985, the band sings in the chorus to this pop-rock hit. Many people in similar situations will listen to this song and feel a sense of recognition. We all face the painful reality that time only moves forward at some point.

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“Photograph” (Nickelback)

While the other songs on this list are upbeat (either sonically or in sentiment), Nickelback’s name-making song, “Photograph,” highlights the somber sides of nostalgia. Look at this photograph / Every time I do, it makes me laugh / How did our eyes get so red? / And what the hell is on Joey’s head, frontman Chad Kroeger sings in the opening line. A physical totem of our past is a beautiful thing to have, but it can also be a heartbreaking reminder of what we’ve lost.

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