When I listen to great music, I don’t hear it. I feel it it inside of me. It’s an immersive, all enveloping experience. My eyes close. My head bobs up and down. I’m drumming in the air, on the steering wheel or on my thighs. I feel the music in my chest. It makes me swell up with excitement or collapse inward in sadness. It makes me jump up and down with rage. It stirs up passion, love and enthusiasm. It makes my body sway contentedly.
Great music makes me feel:
- Like I’m walking in the sunshine on a warm summer day.
- Like I’ve got that pleasant buzz from the first drink of the evening.
- Like I’m basking in front of the fireplace on a frigid winter night.
- Like it is Christmas Eve and the presents are all under the tree, the lights are twinkling and everyone’s happy.
Sometimes music (even music I hate) is inextricably linked to a memory so strong that they become inseparable.
- Madonna’s Like a Virgin will forever remind me of the heartache I felt when I was 17 and my girlfriend dumped me.
- Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd evokes our 3 man high school drinking parties with Seth and Bill while we laughed, joked and recorded our antics on a tape recorded to listen to the next day.
- Disco Pop and R&B draws up memories of free roller skating on Wednesday nights at the local Boys and Girls Club
I could add to this list by the hundreds.
What’s fascinating is that my list continues to grow even today.
MGLN recently introduced me to Portishead.
I can’t stop listening to their 3 albums. They make me feel alive, excited, joyful & enthusiastic. They make me think of MGLN and what’s she’s brought to my life in the short time I’ve known her.
Musically, I love the instrumentals, the drums and especially the lead singer’s voice.
They have quickly risen to the top of my all time favorite bands.
Strangely, I don’t love going to concerts. Some live performances are great – I liked seeing the Pittsburgh Symphony play live. I love seeing small bands and solo signer/guitar players perform in restaurants and bars.
Big loud concerts filled with thousands of fans don’t do it for me. It’s Too much. Too loud. Too crowded. Too hard to see.
I’d rather put in my earbuds and listen in the privacy of my own home.