Some songs come from imagination. Others come from memories that never really leave you.
Like It's Yesterday is a true story about one of my first loves and a time in my life that I can still picture as clearly today as I could all those years ago.
The story takes place at Beck Lake in my hometown. When I was younger, my dad would take me fishing there. You had to walk through the forest preserve to get to it, and eventually the trees would open up into a clearing and there was the lake.
As I got older, Beck Lake took on a whole different meaning. It became one of those places where we kids would hang out—and, of course, a pretty good place to park when you were on a date.
At the time, I had a beautiful blonde-haired, blue-eyed girlfriend, and I was in love. We were together for almost two years. When I look back on that relationship today, there isn't a single negative thought attached to our time together.
One of the lines in the song says:
“Blue eyes, I remember you
And the way that we used to
Down by the lake in my Chevrolet
I remember like it's yesterday.”
And that's exactly how it feels.
When I think about that time in my life, I can put myself right back there. I can see the lake. I can remember the car. I can remember her. Everything seemed so pure and true, and everything between us came naturally.
I was young and naive back then and really had no idea what I was doing. All I knew was that it felt good every time we were together.
Life eventually takes us in different directions, as it usually does. But I'm happy to say that we still communicate every once in a while and catch up on each other's lives.
Maybe that's one of the wonderful things about getting older. Some memories fade away, while others somehow become even more precious.
For me, this is one of those memories.
It was a beautiful time in my life, and I'll always cherish it.
And if I could go back?
I'd do it all over again.
I remember like it's yesterday.