As you have all learned from my former posts, particular songs and artists serve as bookmarks for me when I yearn to turn the pages back to certain times in my life that remind me of significant memories. Music for me is a way that I can express myself. Artists like the Backstreet Boys and The Spice Girls bring me back memories of my goofy younger years, while artists like John Mayer bring me back to my senior year at Byram Hills High School. However, I would like to shift the focus of this blog to explore music in a different light.
Now that my bloggers understand the way that I identify with music; the question now becomes, how does the rest of the world interpret music? How do you, my bloggers, perceive music? When other people scroll through their i-tunes libraries, what do they feel? These questions, in my mind, will never be able to be answered because although I can ask my peers, I will never be able to jump into their bodies and feel if their hearts, too, speed up when the introduction to the song Viva La Vida by Coldplay blares out of a set of speakers. The appeal to a song like this, to me, is the way that the way that the steady, fast beat makes me want to bob my head like they do in the movie Night at the Roxbury. However, for all I know it could draw emotions of frustration or anger from the stranger sitting next to me at the library due to a memory of a horrible time in his life that is instantly brought back whenever this song starts to play.
What brings forth these strong emotions? Is it the lyrics of the music we listen to? The melody? Both? Neither? I know that whenever I am feeling lonely and upset, I automatically go to my "sad" playlist on i-tunes. Though this sounds depressing, the lyrics to the songs on this playlist bring me comfort. I can't help but wonder if my feeling of comfort is the same feeling of comfort that athletes feel when their "pump-up" playlist permeates a field or arena on a game day.
My best friend, Liza, was captain of the varsity soccer team at our high school and she took it very seriously (a little too seriously if you ask me). Anyway, when it was our senior year, the girls varsity soccer team made it to sectional finals, which is an extremely big deal. The opposing team warmed up to the song "Let it Rock" by Kevin Rudolf ft. Lil Wayne. They repeated the song over and over again for the duration of the half hour warm up session prior to the game because they believed that this song would bring them good luck and help them win the game. Sure enough, the game went into double overtime and our team lost. Although the song probably had nothing to do with the reason why we lost the game, Liza refuses to listen to the song "Let it Rock" ever again. If we are driving in a car and it begins to play on the radio, she will immediately change the station. If it begins to play at a party, she will cover her ears and run out of the room.
Liza epitomizes the idea that music has different meanings for different people. The meaning of music is defined and tailored specifically to each person. There are endless types of music whether it be punk, rock, pop, classical, show tunes...etc, there are countless songs and artists who's messages are delivered, yet received differently by each individual person.
I plan to take the time in between this post and my next one to explore different genres of music that I do not typically listen to and see if it sparks any emotions or interests. I think it is essential for people to find their comfort zone when it comes to music, which I clearly have; however, I think that in order for me to fully understand all dimensions of the way that music affects my life, it is necessary to experiment with different types of music to see what impact that they have on me.
I hope that you, my readers, will set aside some time to think about the music that reaches into your soul, the music that makes you want to jump and scream, the music that makes you want to break down and cry, the music that makes you angry. How do you value music and how does it play a role in your life? What's your tune?
