there’s a beauty in music that cannot be shared through other forms of media. music is transformative; it takes you back to a moment in your life, to an emotion, to a memory, to an experience, to a person. it does this in a way that photographs do not. pictures capture a moment, but the experience is limited to what you see. music, however, is expansive. it’s associated with what you feel.
there are some songs that have been so heavily associated with poignant memories in my life that as soon as i hear them, it evokes an uncontrollable array of emotions. an array of emotions that transports me back to the moment the song was first imprinted in my mind. sleeping sickness by city and colour is one of those songs. it’s the song i listened to on repeat in 2015 when i was broken. “someone come and someone come and save my life,” - a lyric i cried to. screamed to. hoped to. this was the darkest period of my life and it was in these words from dallas green that i found hope. that i felt understood.
a similar feeling was experienced to pink’s the great escape. “because the passion and pain are going to keep you alive someday.” during the same period of my life, i was hurting, a lot. death felt near. the great escape desirable. but pink’s lyrics offered solace. it offered a light at the end of the tunnel. meaning to my suffering. as much pain as i was in, it meant i was alive. and to experience great highs, one must experience great lows. my passion is my high, my pain my low. pink captured the essence of this feeling.
songs aren’t always associated with pain, sometimes they can be associated with love. as i write this, i’m currently listening to “yellow” on repeat by emmit fenn. a song that transports me back to early june, 2021. this was the time when i first discovered i had feelings for my now partner. that i loved my now partner. and it was this song that helped me realise that. it was this song i played on repeat the night i picked her up from a party and asked her if she had ever thought about me as more than a friend (her reply: yeah, as a best friend!). listening to this song now, i’m reminded of those feelings. i’m reminded of the deep love, admiration, and appreciation i had for her as a person. the feelings i still have. “your skin, oh yeah your skin and bones. turns into, something beautiful. for you, i’d bleed myself dry. you know i love you so."
when you connect with someone over music, you’re connecting with them over more than just words. you’re connecting with them over feelings. and it’s this power in music that i find so beautiful. so when someone shares a song with you, they’re sharing more than just a good beat; they’re sharing a memory. a feeling. they’re sharing a part of who they are.
so what’s a song that has significantly influenced your life?
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