Reflection via Songs

Have you ever heard a song that you haven’t heard in a while? What types of memories did it bring back to you? You may have attended a class reunion in the past. When you did, what type of music was played? It is likely that it wasn’t modern. You heard music from your era. In fact, you and your classmates talked about songs when they started playing from the DJ or jukebox. People often state where they were when they first heard a particular song.

Many people will equate a song to a certain event. For instance, you may remember your first date and what was playing on the radio at the time. You and the person you dated, associated that song with that first date and thought about it each time you heard it after that.

Unfortunately, we can reflect on songs during darker times in our lives. You may remember what song was playing when a close relative or friend passed away. Or, it could have been something that was playing during their funeral services, etc. The bright side of this is you will think of the deceased person anytime you hear that song. It’s good to think about our loved ones who are no longer with us.

Judy Garland singing “Over the Rainbow” is one of those songs for me. It was one of my dad’s favorites, and I can remember dancing to it with him by standing on his feet and holding his hands. Dancing with my dad was very special because of the way things were in my childhood home. Whenever I hear it, I think of him, and I remember being a little girl with dreams.

Movies use music to carry the plot. It’s rare that you will see a movie without any theme music playing in the background. These songs may be ones you already know or they may have been written for the movie. This is a concept known as prosody and can add tremendous dramatic effect to the movie. Imagine how Star Wars would be without that driving music every time the Imperial forces entered the scene. It simply wouldn’t have the same effect.

Songs are an effective form of reflection. This is why radio stations come up with themed shows. They are quite popular with listeners. For instance, some stations will play Beatles music at noon time, calling it Lunch with the Beatles, etc. They may have themes based on an era or year, or they may choose a movement such as the British Invasion. Each of these themes is meant to spark reflections from the people who experienced that period.

Have you ever made a mixed CD or a playlist on iTunes? Many of those probably have themes associated with them representing a point in your life that you want to reflect on. It’s a fun way to remember the past.

 What songs help you reflect?

I mentioned dancing with my dad...well, today I’m thinking of him and humming “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” because it would have been his birthday.

Until next time...

Lisa

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