You know how certain smells can take you back in time? Well, for me it is the same with music. I suspect that many people feel this way. Music transcends time, gets to a specific part of our brain that knows no time.
These the tunes of my early life. Formative. Affirming.
Of course there was new music later in life, as I'm always curious and open to new 'sounds.' Even hip-hop and rap provide inspiration at times. "Girl" bands, like The Clicks, shot adrenaline into my bloodstream when I was in my 50s; the Indigo Girls rocked my world in my 40s. Artists like Janis Ian came back on the scene and sparked my imagination once again. My husband re-introduced me to classical music (he is a fan, and very knowledgeable) at a much deeper level than I had known before.
Our new home provides even more avenues for music appreciation: we have regular concerts of every genre. Last week we saw a group called "Horns A Plenty" which blew me away. Look them up on YouTube. They are great.
In these times of the utmost cray-cray and craven politics, let music be your balm, your inspiration and the fire that gets you marching in the streets. I'm thinking of the music of Les Miserables. The Song of Angry Men. To the ramparts!
Just looking at these album covers brings back music and memories from the 1960s and early 1970s. Thank you for reminding us of the power of music.
ReplyDeleteGoing back into my music memory, the first music I remember hearing was on television. The William Tell Overture on "The Lone Ranger." "Happy Trails to You" on "The Roy Rogers Show" (1953-1954). And"It's Howdy Doody Time." There was no singing and no musical instruments in our home. The Mickey Mouse Club and Walt Disney brought a variety of music into my life through television. Between 1954 and 1957, I first heard Elvis Presley and rock and roll on television and then listened closely to the rock and roll on the radio for years following that. Those old rock and roll songs bring me back to memories of grade school.
But what stands out most is the moment when I heard Mahalia Jackson singing on television in the years between 1954 and 1957. In 1957, I was 7 years old. There was something in Mahalia Jackson's voice that entered my heart and showed me the strength and power a woman could embody. As a child, I was unaware of the religious source that moved her. What I was aware of was that there was something new and powerful in the world as I experienced it. Hearing her voice brings back how it felt to be a 6- or 7-year-old girl who felt hurt and powerless and then witnessed and heard the voice of a woman who did not feel powerless.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hv6uxj7hQBs
Thank you for your affirmation of our individual and collective power. No action too small.
oh, thank you for the link. Yes, I can imagine what it must have felt like to see/hear a powerful female voice back in the day. She probably inspired many a little girl.
DeleteI have loved being reminded of the music of our younger days. I love the lyrics those days.
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