Tags
bangles eternal flame, blues, Burnning Ring of Fire, Eternal Flame, feelings, I'll tell my Ma, Jonny Cash, memories, miscellaneous, music, quotes, random, reading, The Bangles, thoughts
Yesterday afternoon I took a moment and sat outside in the sun with a mug of tea and a few magazines. As I relaxed on my purple chair outside my front door and watched the life on my street unfold, I flicked through the National Geographic and Psychologies reading about lost languages and how to be a better me.
I had my CD player on and as blues, jazz and chansons drifted through my open window my feet tapped in time and a smile settled on my lips. As serendipity would have it my eyes flitted across an article aptly named “Music to your ears”.
It told me all about the effect music has on the brain, particularity the reward-center, giving us joy and sometimes even making the hairs on the back of our necks stand up. Music helps us access emotions, even ones that we keep buried deep within us. So it doesn’t really seem surprising that we prefer happy songs when we are in a good mood and sad ones when we are upset, especially because it takes more mental effort to listen to joyous songs when we feel a little blue. Surprisingly sad music triggers the production of prolactin in our brains, a chemical that we produce to give us a mental hug, so when we are feeling low the blues really does make us feel better.
Like smells and images, music can remind us of the past, lets us relive moments and experiences in our lives. This is why we especially love the music we listened to when we where in our teens and early twenties, the most formative time in our lives.
And then of course certain songs may remind us of people, like listening to Jonny Cash’s “Burnning Ring of Fire” reminds me of when I was 5-6, dancing around to the song and singing all the lyrics. with my sister. Or “I’ll tell my Ma” by the Dubliners makes me think of my daddy singing it to my baby brother making him giggle. Or The Bangles “Eternal Flame” takes me back to kissing my first love with butterflies fluttering in my stomach.
But no matter what song makes you feel what emotion no one really knows why music does what is does, why it can make us react the way we do. Maybe that is the magic of music, we all have our own tunes that our hearts beat to and our own rhythm our feet dance to. As Leo Tolstoy said so wonderfully:
Music is the shorthand of emotion
My last post was about the same thing! Music bringing memories of days gone by.
I have been a bit lacking on reading lately will check it out 🙂
Great post!
ah thanks 🙂
So true. Nothing like music to transport you back to an exact day from your past. Or if not an exact day, certainly a time period.
i know … singing mamma mia as I type and dancing to the summer of my early childhood
So true. You know I love my tunes…especially on Tuesdays! 😉 And Johnny Cash rules!! Enjoy your sunny day!
lol … yes but now the rain cam out I am indoors listening to the blues
Oops! Missed the window…oh well. Enjoy the cozy blues!!!
🙂
Music lifts us up and transports us back to sweet and bittersweet moments. It’s always been a huge influence in my life and I love that quote by Tolstoy. Great post, J.
ah thanks … yeah love the quote too
Well done, J!!!
thanks … you are always so lovely
I read something recently…came to mind reading your post…”When we’re in a good mood we enjoy the music…when we’re sad we understand the lyrics”or something like that. I probably messed it up but you get the idea. I enjoyed this thank you for sharing 🙂
you are welcome and I think I read that somewhere too … not sure who said it though
I’m not sure who said it either…still I find it true for myself. 🙂 I heard a lot of songs today on the radio today and kept thinking about your post. I love it when you read something and it really sticks with you! Thank you again 🙂
Blessings and best wishes for a wonderful night/day! ~
ah thanks … and have a great sunday
It’s true..the music I most enjoy listening to is that of my teenage and my 20’s ages….Diane
I know when certain songs come on it takes me back to spending all night out dancing
Listening to show tunes as I read and my toes are tapping and in my mind I’m there on stage.
yeah .. sadly the sun has not been so nice today