There are a litany of stories and numerous studies that detail how and why music ignites memory and fires the physical pathways in the brain responsible for that memory. There are an equal number of stories, studies, and publications about the benefits of music in a therapeutic context; This is especially true when looking at the use of music therapy for people with differing cognitive issues.
I happened to catch a story from NPR on this very topic on the way to the office this morning; It got me thinking about songs that flood my brain with Memories or Emotions. It is EXCEPTIONALLY hard to narrow the list of potential entries down to a manageable number for a relatively quick blog post. However, after some intense consideration, here is my list of the songs light up my brain the brightest:
“Families can be together Forever” by Ruth M Gardener
“Cats in the cradle” by Harry Chapin
“Our House”, by Madness
“Long, cool Woman in a black dress”, by The Hollies
“Horse with no name”, by America
“Endless” , by The Birthday massacre
So what makes these songs light my brain up like the 4th of July? Simple! It’s the memories that surround them–the places, the times, the faces surrounding me and the events that they were a part of. Though the part these songs played in my life was often just a sliver of time not more than 5 minutes long, their impact continues to this day.
Most of these—all but one—are from my childhood and involved or made me think of members of my family. Four came around as my life came upon times when it saw a sea of change, or as the lives of the people I loved changed.
I started writing this with the intent that I’d just bang out a short list of songs that light up my brain. I quickly realized this plan wasn’t going to work out that way, as my brain exploded with memories and emotions as I wrote more and more. Instead of one mammoth post, I’ll be breaking this down into a series of 5 posts. Enjoy!
Portland, OR
October, 2024
Mr Curly's Adventures 