Music memories

Think about a time when you heard particular songs being played at memorable times in your life.

When we hear these songs now, it’s not unusual for our minds to automatically go to the same place and relive the same experiences. We may also face some of the same emotions we had at the time, even if only for an instant. And what about the people that were with us?

We sometimes remember exactly what it was like and other times, a new emotion may have replaced what we felt at the time.

Whether the memory is wonderful, neutral or more challenging to digest, it’s impossible to deny that the way we experience music is purely subjective – not just because we hear music differently in general, depending on what we tend to focus on in a song.

The emotion and experience it brings are entirely ours.

The other day, I heard someone say (as they were listening to a rock song of the 70s) that they didn’t know where they’d go to hear new music that’s quite like the music of the last six decades or so. And of course, it’s true.

On the one hand, our kids won’t be able to experience hearing these powerful songs for the first time with everyone else and they won’t necessarily be able to go and watch the original bands perform the songs live on stage.

But will it matter in the long run?

I wasn’t around in the 60s and 70s and to be fair, I barely took note of some songs I now love that were released in the decades that followed, though I have been extremely fortunate to see some bands play older songs live.

It’s up to us to keep the music alive for the generations that follow.

What a magical time to be alive, to have experienced some of these older songs in real time, to still be able to discover new songs of this millennium and to know which songs of the past are worth sharing space with the memories in our minds.