The Perfect Song for a Mood
Sometimes all you need is that perfect song to put you in a good mood. It amazes me how certain songs from my past and present evoke such great memories and feelings. I was in such a miserable mood this morning at work and popped a CD in my computer. My mood changed almost immediately. Thank you to that certain song for changing my mood! I needed it after a difficult morning.
Many years back, I went on a trip with my sister Sheryl to see Mom in the Florida Keys. Everytime now that I hear Gloria Estefan's album gloria!, it evokes such strong memories of that trip with Sheryl. With a Caribbean dance theme, the music takes me back to 1998, driving down US Route 1 south through the Keys, the car CD player blasting, smelling the salt air, the warm ocean breeze, passing palm trees, resorts, and marinas. What a wonderful time!
On the flip side, a certain song will also bring me to tears thinking about Mom. There are songs that she listened to which remind me of my childhood with her. There are songs which I associate with when she passed away that I cannot bear listening to. Sometimes I do listen to them when I feel the need to express my grief.
Songs from the 80's remind me of high school. Dark songs from The Smiths or The Cure remind me of depressive times in college. Guns and Roses and Motley Crue remind me good times at my fraternity parties and tailgates. Certain club music reminds me my party days in Philly and New York in the mid 90's. Frank Sinatra, Michael Buble, Tony Bennett, or Diana Krall singing the Standards just completely relaxes me.
That's the joy of music. It is a part of our day to day culture and life. Certain songs stay with us and can also influence us. Almost like a drug, they are mood enhancing and often mood changing. If you ever find yourself in that sad mood, listen to one of your favorite "up beat" songs and don't be surprised if you are feeling a little better. Who needs therapy? Just give me a good song!
Many years back, I went on a trip with my sister Sheryl to see Mom in the Florida Keys. Everytime now that I hear Gloria Estefan's album gloria!, it evokes such strong memories of that trip with Sheryl. With a Caribbean dance theme, the music takes me back to 1998, driving down US Route 1 south through the Keys, the car CD player blasting, smelling the salt air, the warm ocean breeze, passing palm trees, resorts, and marinas. What a wonderful time!
On the flip side, a certain song will also bring me to tears thinking about Mom. There are songs that she listened to which remind me of my childhood with her. There are songs which I associate with when she passed away that I cannot bear listening to. Sometimes I do listen to them when I feel the need to express my grief.
Songs from the 80's remind me of high school. Dark songs from The Smiths or The Cure remind me of depressive times in college. Guns and Roses and Motley Crue remind me good times at my fraternity parties and tailgates. Certain club music reminds me my party days in Philly and New York in the mid 90's. Frank Sinatra, Michael Buble, Tony Bennett, or Diana Krall singing the Standards just completely relaxes me.
That's the joy of music. It is a part of our day to day culture and life. Certain songs stay with us and can also influence us. Almost like a drug, they are mood enhancing and often mood changing. If you ever find yourself in that sad mood, listen to one of your favorite "up beat" songs and don't be surprised if you are feeling a little better. Who needs therapy? Just give me a good song!
Nice post Mark...I can relate....appreciate your sharing of this memory.
ReplyDeleteMy mother wrote the lyrics to all her favorite songs on 3x5 cards and had them in a box like a recipe box. The songs were recipes for her many moods and she'd take them out and sing them when the mood struck her. By chance, the cards, yellowing with age, are within my reach right now. I will pull them down and see how many of the songs I can remember from the 30's and 40's. Thanks for stimulating this memory.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great memory Muriel! Thanks so much for sharing with me. I love this!
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