Life Scripts

Mining Memories and Delving into Life Stories

Jefferson A. Singer, Ph.D. is a professor of psychology at Connecticut College and a clinical psychologist in private practice. He is the author of Memories that Matter: How to Use Self-defining Memories to Understand and Change Your Life. See full bio

April 9, 2008,

Meet the Beatles of your Memory

Where do the Beatles fit in your personal memories?

Where do the Beatles fit in your personal memories? Do you have a favorite memory of hearing one of their songs, seeing one of their films, or of discussing which Beatle was your favorite? Now the English memory researcher, Martin Conway has created a website where you can log your memories.

     The address is www.magicalmemorytour.com and with a few questions answered, you can enter an account of your favorite Beatle-related memory. The website is a collaboration between the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA) and Drs. Martin Conway and Catriona Morrison of the University of Leeds. The results of the survey are available in different categories (e.g., songs, albums, films, news items) on the website and will displayed on a huge projection screen during the BA festival of Science in Liverpool from September 6 to 11, 2008.
     My own favorite memory is going to see the Beatles' film, "A Hard Day's Night" in 1964. I was only 5 years old and I got to sit on a pony outside the theater before the movie. Once we were in the theater, we never heard a single line of the film due to the non-stop screaming that commenced at the first scene of the "Fab Four" running from the crowds and did not stop until the credits began to roll at the end.
     It is nice to think that one of my best recent memories is sitting with my teen-aged daughters, watching "Across the Universe" and hearing my 18 year-old Olivia tell me that it was one of her favorite films.
So go to the website, submit your memory, and then copy it and paste it to this blog to share with us. Here is a sample memory to whet your appetite:

The first time I saw a picture of the Beatles was in a magazine, Glamour, I think - the same picture that was on the Meet the Beatles album. I was immediately drawn to their appearance - so cool, but then when "I Want To Hold Your Hand" hit the States, I knew I was in love. Their music not only defined me and my generation - it affected every aspect of my life, literally consumed me.