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My Gen X Playlist: Follow You Down – Gin Blossoms

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I was reading Singing Gecko’s blog and she posted beautiful photos of cherry blossoms in her area. It reminded me of my time living abroad.

When I lived in Japan, the locals suggested I enjoy ohanami in springtime.

Ohanami, or cherry blossom viewing, is the centuries-old Japanese tradition of welcoming spring by gathering under blooming sakura (cherry blossoms) trees to enjoy picnics, parties, and the fleeting beauty of flowers.

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Apparently, cherry blossoms bloom only for a short period of time and the Japanese gather to celebrate their fleeting beauty. Being a young twenty something dude at the time, I scratched my head and silently asked myself, What’s the big deal?

I met friends in Tokyo and we were cruising around the city. We heard Ueno Park was a good place for ohanami. What the hell, I might as well see what all the hype was about.

When we got there, it was crowded, people sitting on blankets eating and drinking sake under the trees. As my friend was recording video, a group of locals invited us to join them. They spoke not a word of English, which was a perfect match because we didn’t speak a lick of Japanese. And somehow, it didn’t matter, it worked. We drank sake together all afternoon, laughing and having a wonderful time as cherry blossoms slowly seesawed back and forth, floating to the ground. I slipped away and came back with a few more bottles of sake and the joyous reaction from our new found friends was priceless.

Amidst this entire experience, it dawned on me that ohanami wasn’t only about the beauty of cherry blossom in spring. It was also about the connection shared among friends, even new found ones, recently met. That day proved that some things transcend language barriers. We did find a few words we all shared in common. Kanpai! Cheers! Ohanami became one of my priceless memories I brought home from Japan.

Are there any songs or bands related to cherry blossom? Probably not. Gin Blossoms? Close enough. I’d forgotten about them and had fun reconnecting with their music. It’s been decades since I last heard them. I have a few friends that may give me a hard time for liking them, but I don’t care. Here’s Follow You Down from 1996. Enjoy.

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For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

Did you see the sky
I think it means that we've been lost
Maybe one less time is all we need
I can't really help it if my tongue's all tied in knots
Jumping off a bridge, it's just the farthest that I've ever been
Anywhere you go, I'll follow you down
Anyplace but those I know by heart
Anywhere you go, I'll follow you down
I'll follow you down, but not that far
I know we're headed somewhere, I can see how far we've come
But still I can't remember anything
Let's not do the wrong thing and I'll swear it might be fun
It's a long way down when all the knots we've tied have come undone
Anywhere you go, I'll follow you down
Anyplace but those I know by heart
Anywhere you go, I'll follow you down
I'll follow you down, but not that far
How you gonna ever find your place
Running in an artificial pace
Are they gonna find us lying face down in the sand
So what the hell now, we've already been forever damned
Anywhere you go I'll follow you down...

19 thoughts on “My Gen X Playlist: Follow You Down – Gin Blossoms”

      1. I live in DC–it’s happening as we speak–and it’s unbelievably gorgeous. I’ve only been here 5 years, but it’s definitely the highlight of living here. And the fact that the cherry trees are gifts from Japan make it even more special.

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  4. So happy my post stirred beautiful memories like this one. Your story captures the spirit of the gathering. The fast passing of the blooms makes us celebrate being alive together, even such as the world is. Nature is so wise. 🙂

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    1. I little bit of alcohol and good cheer can always bridge the divide. Google translate would’ve been helpful, but glad we made due without. Funny how a few drinks can create an understanding between people.

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  7. What a neat encounter, spending an afternoon in good company despite the language barrier. Sounds like a wonderful experience. I wouldn’t have recognized the song from its title, but remember it well.

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  8. I was in Amsterdam last year at springtime visiting friends who took us to a park on the outskirts of the city to see the cherry blossom and just like your experience there were families having picnics under the trees, couples enjoying romantic moments as the blossom floated down around them. I guess the Japanese tradiotn is making it’s way access the world.

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