Music is an intoxicating entity; bewitching you might say, in the spirit of this past “hallow-weekend.” In my findings, it has the power to transport you to a past moment, feeling, memory. What ignites your reawakening of forgotten memories?
I think I can speak for the vast majority in saying that when we find a song we’re really in tune with (see what I did there?), we play it until we can not longer stand the sound of the title alone. That being said, the radio is something that is becoming obsolete in the age of Spotify and the beloved AUX cord, however, unless its “throwback Thursday”, stations seem to play the same ten songs on a loop. If, god forbid, we must rely on a shuffle selection with a chance of static, the probability that we will grow tiresome of the overplayed and over-hyped, mainstream beats.
And we cannot forget about the throwbacks of our parent’s and grandparent’s generations because they inevitably become our throwbacks. I can’t speak for the rest of my generation because I know there are certainly times when I throw on a 60s or 70s playlist and people just stare at me in wonderment. But I have just always found it interesting how a generation’s once top hit songs are passed down by music enthusiasts onto their unsuspecting children. Children that, at that time, may have moaned and groaned while being forced to listen to “the king of pop”, are now seen referring to it as a throwback of their own. All while unintentionally visualizing the twists and turns of their childhood as they sing along or sink into a state of nostalgia.
When you really think about it, music is timeless. It clings to its listeners, taking them on an individual journey of character shaping and self discovery. From this perspective, you might agree: “you are the music while the music lasts.” ( T. S. Elliot) It can be a friend to fill the empty room, a voice to fill the silence, a hand to guide your unsteady steps, and a calming breeze to detangle your most jumbled of thoughts. Music is, in a league of its own and a staple in people’s daily routines; ultimately going unnoticed.
So is it intentional or subconscious? It is something that most people go about without realization, just listening to what sounds good in that moment. Once I found the cause of my feeling a certain way when I hear a particular song, I went about life differently. Such a small detail, yet now I listen to music with intention; knowing that in the future I will hear this song and be instantly transported, to whatever mindset I was in when I heard it for the first time. Honestly, what are we still doing questioning or trying to decode the magic of organized sound? Get back to bumpin’ and break out those awkward dance moves we all know you are a well seasoned expert at exhibiting.
