The Power of A One Hit Wonder
The other day I was listening to a song* that brought me back to my days of junior high school (11 years ago). When I first heard the song, it made me feel a certain way and at that time, it meant something completely different to me. Both the song and I are still the same entity, but are they?
There are two things I am certain about; the song didn’t change but I did…
This time around, the song didn’t make me feel a certain way but it reminded me of who I was when I first heard the song. It reminded me of a road trip I was on and I can even recall where I was sitting in the car and what I was staring at out of the window. Now 11 years later I’m listening to the same song and thinking to myself, “Wow, my perspective on life has changed so much over the years”, and this realization occurred just because of one song.
Music.
It is a powerful thing but this is about the gift to remember. In this case, it’s the gift to reflect upon a memory and it goes like this; Isn’t it neat to encounter a situation in your life that makes you realize how much you’ve changed throughout your life? In other words, when I listened to the song a few days ago it reminded me of the time I heard it for the first time.
Of course you can dust off an old photo album and sift through the pictures of your youth, but you will only be able to say;
- I remember those days
- My teeth were so screwed up
- I can’t believe I played football
- I remember wallpaper and playing Sega Genesis and laser tag…
However, you cannot feel the way you felt in those pictures as you can with music. The pictures don’t pull you in like a special song. Close your eyes, let the music play and the melody work its magic.
Remembering how you felt at one point in your life compared to how you feel about it now… It is more of a realization than a distant memory.
While I am on this topic…
I will mention how music has the ability to really cheer people up. Music has the power to connect Alzheimer’s and Dementia patients to happier times that enable them to feel like themselves again, to converse, socialize and stay present.
I can vouch for this and I will never forget the time I was hired to play live music before a handful of old folks in a care center. One woman grabbed me by my guitar strap and whispered into my ear, “My son can really play too and I like him more”.
What else could I do but laugh and smile?
When you are listening to music you forget about problems, you forget about loneliness, you forget about depression.
—Alex Morales, Resident, Lemon Grove Care Center, Cal.
To learn more about the role of music on the medical front visit musicandmemory.org
And for all the money they are rasining to buy ipods for care centers, lets hope the older generation can jive to U2!
*Crash Text Dummies: Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm
