The other day, I was driving to work and listening to one of my favorite recent albums, Mazes, by Moon Duo. Every time I get to this song, I get distracted:

Each time “Scars” come on I wait for the next two notes of this song:

This phenomenon of “Proactive Interference” happens to me a lot—my listening to the later song is impacted by my recollections of the earlier song.

I’m guessing that this happens to you, too. I’m also suspecting that this tendency contributes to some listeners not really wanting to seek out a lot of new music. (“It just reminds me of the older stuff.”) Or for you musicians out there, have you ever found that you have a difficult time learning to play a new song because you are recalling an older, similar song (“Proactive Inhibition”)? Do you have other songs that you can share with us that demonstrate these cognitive processes and drive you to distraction?