I believe in music. I would describe my life as a music festival. Music is something that can bring everyone together. There are songs for every single situation, and for every single person in this world. I can use a song to describe each stage of my life so far. Childhood might relate to the theme songs of my favorite TV shows, or the loud drums and guitars my dad and I rocked out to in the garage. Songs can trigger memories that are buried deep in my past, that I would’ve otherwise forgotten about.
Every major event in my life can be tied to a song, even if the song wasn’t written for that situation.The album Melodrama by Lorde reminds me of playing the Sims 4 for some reason, but other songs are linked to deeper memories. “When I Was Your Man” by Bruno Mars is a love song, but I tie it to the point of my life that my dad was in the hospital in 2012 to 2013. Now whenever I listen to it, I can remember the room he stayed in and picture how I felt at that time. “Bleeding Love” by Leona Lewis reminds me of my aunt who was obsessed with Dancing With the Stars. We watched the performance of that song over and over when she would babysit my brother and I, and that’s one of the only memories I have with her. People may come and go, but music is something you have forever.
My favorite genre is everything and anything. My taste in music has fluctuated and developed as I’ve gotten older, but one thing stays the same. Every person in my life has a song or genre tied to them. Everyone has a theme song. Rock music for dad, 80s throwbacks and modern pop for mom. Rap for my brother, and Nicki Minaj for my best friend.
I make playlists for different situations I want to relive. If I’m feeling particularly nostalgic about middle school for some reason, I would listen to My Chemical Romance or Twenty-One Pilots. I met my online best friends last year, and I have a playlist for all of the songs we listened to while driving around together. I get nostalgic thinking about Five Seconds of Summer and Hannah Montana because of the weekends we’ve spent together. My Spotify account is full of memories. My playlists are my most prized possession.
Thousands of people gather in venues to listen to music together and bond. My mom and I use concerts to get closer to each other. We don’t have the same taste in music, but it’s the experience that counts. I’ve dragged her to more concerts that I want to go to than she has, but we both have a good time no matter what show we go to. Even if the music turns out to suck, we find a way to make the trip to the concert venue worth it. Now, when we listen to certain artists together, we get the memory of all of the concerts that we’ve seen together. Whenever I listen to Florence and the Machine, I can picture my mom and I sneaking out and walking to a bakery in the middle of Boston since we thought the show was awful.
I may not be musically talented, but music is one of the biggest pieces of my life. I wouldn’t be where I am today without it. Music brings people together and builds memories in ways that nothing else can. I wouldn’t remember some of my favorite memories if these bands and artists weren’t around. A random song playing in a mall or on the radio could trigger memories I’ve completely forgotten about until that moment. I couldn’t go a single day without listening to music. I would be an entirely different person without my headphones.
