Unexpected Summer Nostalgia

As I left the Redwood City store last night and officially entered the Fourth of July weekend, I searched for the perfect song on YouTube to blast from my car speakers and cruise to on 101 North. It wasn't hot or balmy on the Peninsula, so I wasn't looking for something too celebratory or rock and roll. There was a slight breeze in the air and the lighting was a tad forlorn beyond the mellowing. There was a hint of sadness in the sky; a tinge of wistfulness. I knew what the melancholy moment called for: Henley. Boys of Summer. No doubt. Let's rock.

I hit play and began to accelerate through the merge lane when I heard the familiar intro of the lone drum beat, the rapping of the electronic hi-hat setting the pace for that timeless, descending three-note synth. And then it hit. But something was off. Or was it?

"This sounds like Double Dragon!" I thought to myself. "Or maybe even Ninja Gaiden." There was no mistaking that classic NES groove as visions of Rygar, Megaman, and Contra flashed through my head. I glanced down quickly at my phone and saw that I had mistakenly selected an 8-bit cover uploaded by a video game fan who specializes in Nintendo-ized versions of popular hits. Suddenly the nostalgia was two-fold. It was a double dose of eighties heartbreak as I sat there reminiscing both the on the haunting melody of my youth and the hours spent trying to master R.C. Pro-Am in my bedroom on a warm summer morning. I think a tear began to form along the edge of my left eye. 

That was some drive home.

-David Driscoll