The Power of Music

I'm often told that I have an eclectic taste in music. In fact, I'm told that at least once a week at work since I leave my Spotify account on shuffle in my office. Anyone that comes into my office almost always comments on the music that is playing.

While, yes, some songs that can be found on my playlist may be considered odd, there are often a lot of songs that can be considered mainstream. It all depends on you're own personal views and where you go to find music.

Music is a powerful thing. It can be used to invoke emotions, to make you think, to have fun, to memorialize and so much more.

Songs are played at events to mark times of happiness or sadness. To spread a feeling of togetherness. Special songs chosen for that person, a bride and groom dance together at a wedding. A song chosen just for them, to share their bond with their family and friends. Songs of togetherness are sung during strikes or lockouts. The national anthem is sung before sports events to show the togetherness of a nation.

Movies and television often use music in the background of scenes to help spread the message of what is being portrayed. The addition of the music makes the message that much more powerful, what would a movie be without the swell of music in the background as the hero saves the world or as the couple shares their first kiss after a long hard road to finding love?

On the opposite end of the spectrum, silence can often be as powerful as music. An episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer comes to mind, in episode 16 of season 5 (The Body), Buffy is going through the motions of her mother's death. The show, which is often filled with a range of different music to build suspense, amp up fights seasons, mark happy or sad occasions, was markedly different when the episode was completely without music. The silence that stretched through the episode was extremely powerful.

Music has the power to turn a mundane task such as chores into something fun. Who hasn't turned up the radio and sang loudly while doing the dishes or on a long road trip to break up the monotony of the drive? Even most business have the radio on during their business hours, whether this is to boost staff morale or to drown out the silence.

Awhile ago there was a challenge going around on Facebook. There was one question a day for 30 days about what song you think of for this event or what song makes you feel a certain emotion. A lot can be learnt about a person from questions like this. Music is a very personal experience for each of us and it these tastes can reach into what makes each of us unique.

I do have an eclectic taste in music but I know the power that lies within it. At my finger tips lays the choice of what I want to feel, what I want to share with the world. In an episode of Rick and Morty, season 3 episode 6 (Rest and Ricklaxtion), Morty puts it perfectly when he says "We should listen to one random song a day, you know? We’d end up hearing more songs we didn’t like, but we’d discover a lot more that we did."