I remember when I first took up song writing, the community I joined had a discussion which had a scientific report attached regarding music and the fact it helps us remember things and recall memories which would be hard to job back alone. I've always been interested in the musical side of things and playing song's which I enjoyed as a kid to bring back important memories which I've forgotten since.
Do you ever do this?
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I'm always personally interested in recalling fun times from the paste and it's funny how many songs bring back these and the feeling I felt at the time.
One of the song's a remember is - Ocean Colour Scenes - The Day We Caught the Train or The Lighthouse Family - Ocean Drive. Two songs which my grandfather used to sing and I like playing them to remember times we're I've heard them, as they're some of the best memories which I remember.
Does music help you remember memories or recall feelings? Music is very powerful and often moves people without actually noticing.
Thanks for reading,
~Joey
[question posted by joey_matthews]
responses and comments:
When I was in school, I used to play music while studying for exams. I don't know if it helped me pass the exams but it helped me concentrate and probably also remember what I read. Nowadays instrumental music helps me to relax after work and it helps me overcome insomnia sometimes, that's why I don't play it at work since it will make me sleepy! Yes some songs reminded me of my first break ups etc not necessarily because it was played when we broke up but because of the lyrics. [LittleMel]
Music has had a HUGE impact on my life... "ONly the GOod Die Young" by Billy Joel made me feel like I must not be a good person, because I was still alive. "Glory Days" by Bruce Springsteen taught me to make every day better than the one before, lest I live my entire life looking back at the past. there are lots of stories like that throughout my life where music has had an impact on me, or struck me specifically... [cassidy22]
I think that's why music isn't just something which is listened too. We allow it to get inside us and we store the lyrics, sometimes without noticing and find out that we're sing when your parents shout "shut that racket up!" oh least mine do. *rolls eyes, Thanks for sharing cassidy :) BR is coming your way soon enough <-- that's so I remember, laugh out loud. [joey_matthews]
Usually when I play something from the 70's or 80's my mind can't help but drift back. It is nice to have memories, especially when you get older [fraser65]
The song that I remember from the days that I was a baby was La Vie en Rose, the original not the latest version by grace jones. I remember she would rock me to sleep singing that song. There was another one called "You can't pick a rose in december" and that is why my trademark is the blue rose today my nick is winterose. [winterose]
Yeah music do bring back all the memories. During the time like the dating with girlfriend and suddenly a song been played and both like the song, and whenever the song is played, it will instantly bring back the memories of togetherness and the environment while enjoying the music. My bring-back-memory song is the My Baby You by Marc Anthony. It is when i post out the lyrics to my ex (as we stay very far apart) and she really like it so much and everytime the song played, i can think of her (what a pathetic i am) LOL. [xabimaru]
Definitly music is some thing that enters your soul and keeps you cool, thinking and working. If you see the history you ll found many scientist anciant ages, were also musicians. Mostly mathemeticains were musicians. [Salmanshaheen_88]
Yes music cn remember memories for me. But only slowly music and nice to hera for me. [serizawa]
I believe music can have a vaired effects on our brain. Here is one thing that I definitely has to share with you. When I'm still pregnant with my eldest daughter, I always put on my walkman near my tummy playing some lullabye songs. This may sound weird but I can feel my baby inside my womb moving toward the music. When my daughter turned 2, I happened to play the lullabye songs again and my daughter told me that she remembered all the songs. I was incredulous because I had never played those songs again after I gave birth to her. Pretty amzing is it. [charms88]
Music related Memories....my mom use to sing one poem for us while sleeping.That poem ahh....so much emotion,sadness;Actually that poem was in Marathi language (my mother tounge)so u will not get that impact which we use to get. It was about a blind begger,demanding for wharever left over form ur lunch/dinner. She was expert to express those beggers feelings with her voice, that made us cry,n then sleep. Still we always use to demand for that poen only... **"Sometimes we find happiness from tears too".** This is the best example. [shilpaum]
Music is just one way of bringing back memories. It's one great way, at that. Ahhh the nostalgia... I love looking back happy memories and somehow, some songs have become like a theme song to some of the events that happened in my life, like they were some scenes from a movie. :) [silentwill]
Music in your head creates a rhythm the brain responds to and that makes it easier to record information which must travel the 'brain waves' to the right part of the brain for memory. It's always easier to learn and remember something set to a rhythm or music. This past weekend when I was traveling south, we were on the road for five hours. The local radio station was counting down all the top l00 hits from the year 1969. What a year that was! So much happened to change the world and every song brought back a different memory. My husband and I had a great time singing along together and swapping stories. I think we learned more about each other because of listening to that music and sharing our memories, than we have learned in the time we've known each other. It made the trip really fun and actually brought my husband and I closer together! [itsreallymefifty]
Your discussion immediately brought one song into my thoughts. It's called "I been through the desert on a horse with no name." I don't recall who sang it, but it reminds of a happy time in my childhood. I remember and elderly lady that took care of me for awhile played this song a lot, she was a grandmotherly type of women full of lots of love. I was only four years old and while I can't recall many images I feel all warm inside when ever I hear this song. Thank you for the happy memory. I don't hear this song to often as I believe it was originally recorded in the late sixties. LOL [beaniefanatic13]
I guess that's why the song 'Everywhere' by Fleetwood Mac has a special 'impact' on me because it reminds of my first 'love' and you always remember your first love with fondness and feeling and Everywhere does it for me, it conjures up everything about them and hearing the song their image appears as clear as a reflection in the water. I actually have a 'song' for my past relationships song which have deep and profound meaning also help me get over them and the words as well as the song relate to how I felt about them. Songs also remind me of happier times in my life and when I get down and depressed I listen to songs which help me remember the 'positives' and why life at times can be 'wonderful' [wolfie34]
Hey, I'm with you on 'Everywhere'. When that album came out my daughter had just been born and we had some good friends in the same situation and we would sit at each others' houses and just play the grooves off that lp. Whenever I hear Fleetwood Mac now their tunes are so intertwined with things that happened to us in our 33 year marriage. Fulfilled a lifetime ambition when we saw 'em live at Manchester a few years ago. [Noot54]
I agree that music has special power to help and heal. My daughter crammed for her exams whilst listening to loud music and she claimed it helped her to study. I can believe that. I was child of the 60's, love, flower power and all that. But the music was king in those days. So many evocative memories. Hearing a certain song transports you back 40 years to a time you recall so well if you hear the music but just isn't in you day to day life if you don't. [Noot54]
It is true, music is very powerful.In india people sing different types of songs on different occations,they have the marrige song,holy songs baisakhi songs,birth songs,bhajans,garbas,raash,folk music,love songs,sad songs,even at the time of death also they invite some group tosing sad songs in that persons mamory.Music helps to remember the things that we are forgetting. [kmdvmd]
yaaa i agree with you that music is power ful it had the power of healing human heart.... it makes us feel happy..and we forget all our tensions...whwnwe listen to music... [d4deepaksurya]
Yes, I agree music is somewhat mind altering. The powerful memories a song brings up can instantly change one's mood. Some songs that do that for me include "Daydream", "Since I've Been Loving you" and "Love is Blue". [awonderfullife]
yeah, that is true i think that is included in the Behavioral Theory by Bennet. Its like conditioning a stimulus to react a specific response if condition to be. me always remember a certain whenever i heard the song 'love moves in mysterious way" though it is not a romantic scene but the time that sceneario orinanally happen i heard that song. its like i was condition to response whatever i felt on that day whenever i heard that song. its like an association. we associate the song to the thigs we do in a certain time. [lossforredwords]
I've always been drawn to music but never formally taught till this year. I am now learning piano and guitar (sorta) for the first time. Also tap dance which IS music but to the feet! Its very interesting looking back at piano things I learned by notes not by knowing WHAT note. I was just playing a few today including Jesus Loves Me, and 3 Blind Mice. Things I knew by heart at one time but now seeing them on paper brings back memories. I am just HAPPY to finally be learning the notes without having to see the notes with the letter written in. Piano CAN be a lot of fun. I cant wait to learn more! Hurray! And it brings back many memories as a kid... i still love music :)) [monkeywriter]
Yes I agree with you totally. I have noticed when listening to older music it always brings back old memories which I have forgotten for along time. Music is pretty powerful. [7nicole1]
There is one Rolling Stones album - Tattoo You - that came out the year I graduated from high school. When it was on vinyl, and there were 2 sides, the songs from the different "sides" of the album make me think of different things. Side 1 rocked hard! But Side 2 was totally slow ballad, make out music. The entire album was played at every party and get together throughout my senior year and seemed to be THE soundtrack of that time. My best memory that album brings up is my all-night senior party. About 2 or 3 am, everyone piled into one room - guys and gals - and just crashed out. No sleeping, just cuddling your guy/gal if you had one there, otherwise just hanging out horizontally and talking all night long. By this time the conversations were pretty crazy, as we had all been awake waaaay too long. Every time I hear one of the songs from that album on my iTunes, I still remember every party I ever heard it at. [blondbat]
I gues it does. there are some musics that make me remember some moments of my life. Like "with or without you - U2". ;) [juoanna]
I feel that music is a very important part of life and I use it as a soundtrack to my feelings and memories. I write songs as well and I'd love to maybe share ideas or something like that. [La_Bella_Vita]
Yes, I can recall things through songs. Sometimes I recall exactly where I was the first time I heard a song and exactly what part of my life I was in. Songs that are especially evocative are: Miss American Pie, MacArthur Park and The end of The Innocence. [irisheyes]
Oh I love music and I think alot of the music we listen to in our lives relate to memories. There's probably too many to list here of my actual memories but it's silly how you hear a song on the radio or wherever it may be and BANG you're jolted back to a place in history. Even silly things like songs we used to play back in the day when we first passed our driving test and would drive round for hours. The one I can vividly remember is 'Push it' by Salt n Peppa and I can still picture my daughter singing it in the back seat and I was shocked she knew these rather rude lyrics for a 2 year old (well she was at the time!) (I can remember looking in the mirror, what road I was on at the time and what car I was driving) Great Discussion! [Bizziebod]
yea good times, bad times, things i regret...i relate a lot to music, my memories, mainly bc there is always some kinda music playing around me. [tinam13]
There are a couple songs that when I hear them take me right back to my teenage years - I remember laying in my bed with listening to the radio . . . Most other songs may remind me of a place or a person, or where I was when I heard it, but Summer Breeze takes me immediately back to my bedroom when I was like 16. [ShadyGrove]
It seems to me that my life is marked by music. If I hear a song that reminds me of something that was happening in my life I can tell you the year of the occurrence by the song. When I started dating and when I met the man I would marry the song on the radio seem to be made for the occasion. I agree music is a very powerful tool. [carolanne07]