Arushi Naidu - Week 14: Song and Memory
My entire early childhood was filled with music, like many of you. But there are some tunes that remain ingrained in my memory, not just lyrically, but emotionally. My maternal grandmother came to America after my mother gave birth to me to help take care of me. Every morning, at the sun’s early rays, or so my mother says, my grandmother would wake me with a Marathi song and start my routine. Even now, I associate this song with the comfort of my Aaji’s soft hands and gentle voice and I suddenly feel the promise of a new day, void of worry and stress. I feel this inexplicable protective force around me whenever I hear my mother sing this song.
Furthermore, as a baby, I would refuse to go to sleep. Eventually, when my mother had reached her wit’s end, she began to sing me an old lullaby from a Hindi film. Little did she know that her last effort would finally put me to sleep. It’s crazy to think that when I hear this song now, I fall asleep almost instantly.
I honestly feel that there wasn’t really anything special about either of these songs. But the fact that they were sung to me by two of the most important people in my life at the time is what my memory attached itself to. Music elicits emotional responses that run so much deeper than words and these are only two examples of songs that will be cherished by my memory forever.
Until now, I’ve never thought about how music can influence my mood or feelings. However, now that you mention it, I can see how my day-to-day mood can be so easily changed by what music I’m listening to. When I’m trying to get in a work mode so I can finish my homework, I put on fast-paced anime music so I feel excited to get work done (I’m doing that right now!). When I’m trying to relax and slow down, I put on calming guitar music (I’ve linked my go-to album for this—Cat Steven’s Tea for the Tillerman). I play specific music depending on the mood I’m in, so I’ve come to associate these types of songs with those moods.
ReplyDeleteAdding on to your argument, I think other stimuli besides music can be used to get a person in a certain mindset. When I’m trying to get motivated to do homework, I may listen to a college lecture on Youtube. Depending on the way the professor presents the subject, the lecture may make me feel excited to learn about that subject, or even provide new insight on that subject that helps me understand it better (I find this especially useful for my anatomy class). Similarly, car rides make me drowsy—I’m so used to sleeping in the car that a ride can put me to sleep quickly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrKAe4d46mk&list=PLTCQaP5gg3dfgbQ9ufEEZ4THwOfi__0z2
DeleteHey Arushi, the part about you not going to sleep without music is super funny because throughout my childhood I'd force my parents to put on the Desi Boyz title track every day to both wake up and go to bed LOL. But I completely agree with your blog, because now whenever I hear that song, it takes me straight back to the crib in Colorado. Hearing old classic Bollywood music reminds me of late nights sitting with my grandpa on his big backyard swing in the breeze as hundreds of vehicles pass by the road. Listening to 2010s pop hits reminds me of the carefree nature of our elementary school years, where we didn't know what lyrics meant, but the feeling they instilled within us still live on today...
ReplyDeleteHey Arushi, your blog is so interesting! I always love reading the stories you write about your Aaji in your blogs. She seems so sweet, kind, and I can tell how much you love and care about her. What you’ve written about the correlation between songs and memory is so true! I haven’t experienced this myself. However, my younger cousin has experienced something very similar. When she was inside my aunt’s womb, my aunt would constantly play the Hanuman Chalisa. She played this song literally every single day. Then, as a baby, my younger cousin would refuse to go to sleep just like you did. The only thing that would get her to sleep was playing the Hanuman Chalisa. So, I completely agree that music elicits emotional responses that run so much deeper than words. Reading about the way you associate a Marathi song with comfort was also very interesting. The same way individuals can associate happy feelings with a certain song, I am sure there are also individuals who associate sadness with a specific song due to certain experiences. I loved reading your blog this week. Good job!
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