Nostalgic Songs

Nostalgic songs work less through a shared tempo than through shared memory: tracks that defined a particular moment and still carry it with them. Classic rock leads this page, with Queen's “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Eagles' “Hotel California,” Led Zeppelin, The Beatles' “Hey Jude” and Lynyrd Skynyrd, alongside '90s Britpop from Oasis and alternative staples like R.E.M.'s “Losing My Religion” and The Verve's “Bitter Sweet Symphony.”

Country brings John Denver's “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” Kenny Rogers' “The Gambler” and Deana Carter's “Strawberry Wine,” while '90s and 2000s R&B and hip-hop include TLC, Usher, OutKast, Wu-Tang Clan and The Notorious B.I.G. Eurodance and trance from Eiffel 65 and Robert Miles sit next to later favorites from MGMT, M83 and Glass Animals, and K-pop throwbacks like Girls' Generation's “Gee.” Pick the song that takes you back furthest; its page surfaces others from the same era and feel.