Comfort, safe-zone, dynamic, entertainment, escape, vibes, nature, culture, purpose, memories, feelings, emotional, reminiscing, expression, relief, tranquil, peace, getaway, happiness, acceptance, motivation, fuel, life, therapy, distraction and home.
These are 26 words people around the world described what music means to them.
Having been in existence since primal times with so many languages, genres, sub-genres, singers, bands, composers, writers, and more, music is one of the most diverse arts to have ever existed. It’s even in a sense one of the few things left in the world that isn’t classist, that doesn’t separate people. In fact, despite how cheesy this may sound, it unites us. Coming from a country with a lot of poverty, I’ve seen people from the lowest classes sing along to the same song the richest businessmen love. There’s an inexplicable quality to music that brings everyone’s walls down and lets them get lost in the world they build in their head through whichever piece of music they’re listening to. Of course, science tried to describe what that thing is here, if you want to get technical.
Moreover, besides allowing people from one place get together, music unites people all around the world. Before, there were newspaper columns and magazines about music. Now, we follow blogs and twitter accounts. Fandoms are increasing day by day and creating everlasting friendships. With the rise of social media and ease of access to music (through YouTube, Spotify, iTunes, etc), music has become a special part of today’s youth more than ever. Also, we’re at an advantage because we get to listen enjoy modern day pop while loving good old 70’s rock. Who said you can’t listen to a little bit of One Direction and Queen in one day? Or even better, Kanye West and Bach?
Now what I find is the best quality about music out of all of this, is how it’s there to make the good times even better and how it’s there to cushion the fall during the worst times.
“Just drink some water, do some deep breathing, put your headphones on and listen to music and take your time to calm down” is the advice I find myself giving to most of my friends when they are facing a hard time for whatever reason, because I cannot think of a single better escape than a beautifully constructed song that can take you somewhere else you didn’t know existed.
A wonderful thing about music is that as I said the last line, probably everyone reading it thought of a different song that could transform their brain as described. For me, I thought of “A Letter to Elise” by The Cure and “Scene One” by Sleeping With Sirens, and I know to my friend it was probably a Spanish song and though she doesn’t actually know what the lyrics mean, she can still get lost in the moving rhythm and the singer’s soothing voice.
As a person who struggles with anxiety, I can’t imagine a day, let alone my life, without music. Since I don’t drive, I take the metro everywhere I go. However, crowded places make me anxious so I make sure to never leave my house without my earphones. Then, as I start to feel overwhelmed by the amount of people around me, I know that when Chris Martin’s voice surrounds me during “Fix You”, everything will be okay. Also, when I was struggling with the kids at school, and I came home and I felt like crying everything away, I let myself drown in music instead. Even if it was sad songs, it still took the weight off my chest knowing someone so famous and loved now knows my struggle.
I also can’t study without something playing in the background, even if it’s something that’s strictly memorising. I don’t think I can preform as half as well as I do if it wasn’t for music, which is something many people can’t quite grasp. I also play music in my head when I am in an exam hall just to get me through the paper, it’s how my brain is functioned. It’s functioned around music.
And I’m sure I’m not the only person who feels this way.
As a music lover, and as I’m sure many of you are, because music is such a great thing to look forward to, here is a list of 1001 songs you must hear, and another list of 500 best songs of all time just to please your ears. And always remember to enjoy the music you like and never to fall into peer pressure of liking or disliking any kind of music because music should be the only real thing everyone has complete freedom and control over.
