My Gen X Playlist: Photographs and Memories – Jim Croce

When I lived in the city, I loved to go to the Melrose Trading Place over the weekend. This is an outdoor market open every Sunday, selling antiques, vintage goods and collectibles. It was fun walking through rows of yesterday’s reminders and there was always something interesting for sale. Over the years I’ve bought small pieces of furniture, original art and photography for my walls. Most times I’d walk away with nothing, but it was fun digging around and hanging out in trendy Melrose.

The last thing I remember buying were pictures from a local photographer. He didn’t always sell his work there. This particular Sunday, I was fortunate to catch him. I liked his collection of black and white photos of Grand Central Market in downtown Los Angeles. I’m not sure if he sold many that day, but I’m glad I caught him and enjoy his photographs hanging from my walls.

Today’s song is another one I’d hear as a child, in the car, listening to music from my mother’s radio station. Jim Croce released Photographs and Memories in 1972. It’s a beautiful song, simply accompanied by an acoustic guitar.

“Photographs and Memories” is a song that wasn’t released as a single, but it is a great song just the same. The song has the singer looking at photographs of a love that has ended and reminiscing about all the good times they had, and the photographs are all that remain. There are beautiful guitars playing that whiffs throughout the song, enhancing the lyrics of a love that ran its course.

– spinditty

There is a beautiful art, the way some people are able to frame a moment through their lens. The captured moment remains still, yet able to move something inside. Sometimes you can hear the silent echoes, other times feel it’s expressions or the weight of sorrow or joy. Eventually there is a collection of these single moments that pile up on the living room table and I find myself flipping through them, one by one, reminiscing about yesterday. It seems that I do this more often as I get older. Melancholy and nostalgia are close by and we are comfortable sitting together in silence among the photographs and memories.

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For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

Photographs and memories
Christmas cards you sent to me
All that I have are these to remember you
Memories that come at night
Take me to another time
Back to a happier day, when I called you mine

But we sure had a good time
When we started way back when
Morning walks and bedroom talks
Oh, how I loved you then

Summer skies and lullabies
Nights we couldn't say goodbye
And of all of the things that we knew
Not a dream survived

Photographs and memories
All the love you gave to me
Somehow it just can't be true
It's all I've left of you

But we sure had a good time
When we started way back when
Morning walks and bedroom talks
Oh, how I loved you then