Every song is a time stamp. A place in life, marked by the exact moment that it’s first heard. In this moment, your surroundings, circumstances, and emotions all become attached.
There’s a song for everything, from a single moment — like losing your virginity — to an entire year — like your last one in high school. Perhaps my childhood is such a blur because I never started listening to music until I was about 14; there was no anchor for my mind to associate with my experiences.
In preparation for my housewarming party, Trolley and I decided on a set of music to be played during the festivities. It was my idea to split the songs into two categories, day and night, to take us from the afternoon to the evening. We sat at his computer, and as we went through the list, I told him how to categorize each song. It seemed like such an arbitrary act to him, but for me, there was a distinguishing tone to each song that made it appropriate for a certain time of day.
Two examples:
The quintessential night, Bring Me the Disco King, by David Bowie, (featuring Maynard James Keenan & John Frusciante).
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
And the quintessential day, Another Sunny Day by Belle & Sebastian.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
I wonder if I’m the only who can hear it, because of my experiences and when I heard these songs first, or whether the order of certain notes express a certain connotation of sun and moon.
Accepting a song from someone, as opposed to finding something yourself, always puts the song in the musical context of that person.
The connotation then comes from this person’s experiences, your relationship with them, or both. You hear the song through their ears. It changes the notes, the chords, the core sound of what you’re listening to. From someone like Darren, a song is totally different than from Julie.
Music is thus another form of memory.
Music vibes of the sun and moon? Synesthesia by any chance?
I find that I do have a mild to moderate synesthesia actually. I see colours when I hear music. But I’m not sure if this is more of my mind relating back to the situation when I first heard the song.
For example, for the night song mentioned — Bring Me To The Disco King — I remember being in my living room very late at night on a weekend, looking up Maynard James Keenan’s projects when I came across that song. I also remember walking home after work during a warm summer day when I first heard Another Sunny Day.
Maybe it’s a combination of both.
Then maybe it’s not Synesthesia. I think Synesthesia is constant, and does not need memories or emotion to trigger an affect (though, that would make a nice theory). Can’t remember the scientific word of it, but two entirely different contents can have a similar relation in the brain, when triggered by an event that have them together. One of my favorites is that my mom would always associate in-door house plants with baby teeth.
I really like the Bowie, I’ve never run into it before, thanks. The other is SUPER sunny, perhaps too much so for me.… I have different choices for the day/night thing, but I do what you used to do on your iPod. I have up, medium, quiet, and Downright Dead lists besides some other ethnic lists on my iPod. I think for me that’s the determining factor of how much intensity I am up for at any given time. But I don’t connect music with others at all. I think because in my head I’m always trying to play them, thinking of actually making the music.
You may feel differently about the Belle and Sebastien song if you heard it during the summer. The listening context may be important for that one. I’m not so much of a mood listener anymore, since the only time I get a chance to actually listen to music is at work (or cooking breakfast on the weekends), so I just queue up a bunch of stuff regardless of how I’m feeling.
It’s nice to have a connection from music to people. Songs are gifts, and can intensify the experiences you have with someone.
song imprinted with person who from? erk. really? whoops. I think I have to make an overwriting mix tape for someone…
Hahahaha…if only we could have some much effect on other’s lives.
lol, put it that way, hm,
totally other sublimal message mix tape possibilities. :)
speaking of family, no we weren’t but you have and zoom is, the posts and comments there might pique your interest, or just be a rehash of similar observations you’ve made. http://knitnut.net/?p=1263