The Power of Music

It's not a secret that I love music. I love to play, listen to and especially sing to almost any kind of music. Lately I've been more aware of how much power music has in our lives. One of the definitions of power is 'to have influence over'. So I think saying the 'power of music' is quite fitting.

Music has a physical power over me, when a song has a strong, quick and lively beat I just can't help but move to that beat. Involuntarily my arms go up and my legs and hips begin to move in a way that only happens when I'm dancing. I honestly can't help it; I no longer have control as my body takes in the beat, the lyrics and the feelings of that song and moves in a way to express that.

It is also no secret that I am an emotional person so I guess it should be no surprise that the strongest influence music has over me is emotionally. It can instantly make me feel happy, sad, mad, melancholy, regretful, reminiscent and even depressed. I am not the kind of person that just listens to music, I listen to the individual notes and chords that are used to make a melody. I listen to each word being sung and try and figure out the meaning behind each song. Why was it written? What's the story? What's the hidden meaning behind the web of words that often don't make sense when put together? This habit of paying close attention to the lyrics of songs is often what gives music the power to completely captivate me. Each song is a story and I become emotionally connected to songs especially when the lyrics describe anything I've ever been through and feelings I've personally felt.

For example: A few weeks ago I was driving back to Provo after spending a weekend in Blanding. My car does not have an MP3 hook up or a tape player for a converter so I have no way of listening to my ipod while driving. While I was at home I found a big binder of all my old cd's I had made in high school so I took those back with me. With each cd I put in my mind was flooded with memories. Memories of making the cd, the reason behind the selection of songs, and people involved. There was one cd in particular that hit me pretty hard. It was a cd I had made when I was dating a certain boy. It was made up of love songs with a couple silly songs that were inside jokes and it was interesting to me how I felt when I was listening to this cd. For just a moment it was as if all of the years that have passed since then hadn't happened and I was taken back to that summer when I fell in love for the first time. While I listened to the cd I remembered and felt all the emotions that were associated with memories in my mind; everything from twitterpation to first kiss to falling in love and even the hurt, betrayal, and anger of breaking up.

A similar experience happened just recently when I was cooking in my kitchen with my itunes playing on shuffle and all of the sudden an ABBA song came on and within a split second I felt so happy. Not only is ABBA awesome but I associate any ABBA song with my best friend and all of the times we have been driving blasting the ABBA Gold cd on illegal sound levels come to mind. Even as I type this I am smiling. I can't help but feel happy.

And isn't it weird how you want to listen to music that is in sync with your current emotion. We listen to upbeat re-mixes at dance parties and hymns at church. Music should be used appropriately with the right music in the right circumstance. I mean nobody wants to listen to ''Sunshine on my Shoulders by John Denver when they feel like throwing something at the wall out of anger. Nobody listens to 'Two Less Lonely People in the World by Air Supply' when they just broke up with someone. And obviously no one listens to "We are the Dateless Losers by Reel Big Fish' just after an amazing date that ended with a goodnight kiss. Yeah, no one does that. People will search through all the music they have to find that "hate music" when their furious about something, their "love mix" when they get a boyfriend, and their "Girl's Night Out Jams" when they just want to have a little fun.

I love music, I think it's awesome how it can bring out your bad side, good side, silly side and the child within you. It can express what words alone cannot describe.