We all have a personal 'soundtrack' to our lives. Mine is different than yours. From the time of our childhood, we have stored up memories. Each of our five senses contribute to the memory pool. Sight: vivid imagery, like photographs, conjure up memories of the past. Smell: aromas can trigger memories. [I know you know where I'm going with this...] Taste: sinking your teeth into a pumpkin pie can catapult your thoughts back to a Thanksgiving dinner, and begin a whole train of thoughts that leave you reminiscing about 'the way things were.' Touch: this sense transcends words, and opens up whole new realms of feeling. And then there is Hearing. This is where the soundtrack of my life comes into play. If you are really honest with yourself, you will agree that people associate memories with songs.This association has been attributed to sentimentality. But I think it is more than that. People can listen to the same exact song, and be sitting in the same room, yet each persons' thoughts will wander to a different place. They are not remembering the same things. Their past experiences are flashing through their minds, resurrected momentarily by the strains of music that hang suspended in the air.
Music is powerful. It is one language that unites all of humanity. Even deaf people can feel the pulsating movement. So perhaps I was over generalizing when I stated that each of us has a soundtrack. There are always going to be exceptions. But I think it is safe to say that most of us have one. Songs that mean something to us - beyond just the lyrics or notes - because memories are attached to them.
I wonder, are you thinking about your soundtrack? Because I am thinking about mine. There are some songs that I don't want to remember. That are painful to hear. I don't orchestrate my soundtrack. I don't always choose the music. But once it is recorded, it is almost impossible to forget.
Your insight that memories are associated with music is very good. Can you imagine an application (for computers, for your car, for your home, for a memory scrapbook, in which this strong association of music and memory can be leveraged?
ReplyDeleteMannheimer
Wow, I can see that you thought a lot about this, and I really enjoyed reading what you have to say on the matter.
ReplyDeleteI thought that the idea of "music as a universal language" is very true. No matter what language you speak, no matter your background, music is something that everyone can enjoy.
Though like you stated, there are exceptions.
Very very nice post.
Steph
Thank you... I've talked to several people and we have all come to an agreement that music is one of the closest forms of a universal language that people can have. It has the ability to move us deeply.
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