Demi Lawrence is a freshman telecommunications journalism major and writes "Demi's Diems" for The Daily News. Her views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper. Write to Demi at dnlawrence@bsu.edu.
Music is a huge part of our society today. In almost every TV show we watch, there is background music to add to the tone of the scene. Look around today and I promise you’ll see more people than not walking around campus with headphones in.
We associate music with cultures, genders, time periods and so much more. I didn’t realize until I thought about it, but all the people I surround myself with share a similar taste in music with me. Maybe that’s just because my music taste is so broad, but regardless, music plays such a key role in our world today, and it’s so often overlooked.
Music can sometimes bring back memories that are so vivid it’s like we are back in the moment living them over again. When I hear the beginning seconds of “Clouds” by One Direction, tears immediately come to my eyes. That was the song they started off their concert with the last time I saw them before they broke up — which I’m still salty about, by the way. My heart was racing when the fireworks erupted and the boys took the stage that night, and I can almost feel the ground shake below me whenever the song comes on my shuffle to this day.
We associate some songs with people. Picture this — your best friend just had a terrible day and needs to hear “their song.” Without hesitation, I am sure all of us know at least one song that defines those closest to us. I know if I ever want a good laugh out of my three best friends to just put on “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver; the shift in mood is like night and day. I don’t even really like the song that much — I actually really dislike country music. It’s just a fun song and, somehow, my best friends and I know every single word.
Then there are the songs that make you cry. And not just tear up a little because they’re kind of sad, no. I’m talking about the songs that make you ugly cry, the kind of cry that’s felt deep inside your bones.
“Wait” by Tanner Swift.
The kind of cry that you don’t even try to hide because you know it’s no use.
“Forgive and Forget” by A Day To Remember.
These are songs where you feel like the artist stalked your life for a week or so, and then decided to try and write about it.
“If You Don’t Know” by 5 Seconds of Summer.
Sometimes it's hard to listen to these songs. Sometimes the pain is too much and we end up skipping over them to avoid the hurt. I do it all the time. Lately, though, I’ve been challenging myself to tough through those songs. As terrible as it sounds, I force myself to endure the pain.
My logic behind it is that if I play the song enough times, that maybe I’ll become numb to those emotions and it’ll stop hurting someday. Music is such a beautiful thing, and I refuse to let anyone or any situation ruin what were once such great songs for me.
We can associate music with times in our life, too. Any rap music I hear makes me think of the summer before I came to college, because that’s all I listened to during that time. Heavier music makes me think of my freshman and sophomore years in high school — oh, those were rough times. It’s like a little adventure when those songs appear in my life now; I get taken back in time to those moments through the songs that defined those chapters of my life. I can’t think of anything else that is able to do that for me quite like music.
I’ve made some of my greatest friends through music, too. I met my best friend nearly five years ago in a group chat for people who liked the same band. She lives halfway across the world, and we bond over things other than music now. But what initially brought us together was music.
One of my friends on campus formed a band during first semester, and since then I’ve found myself sucked into going to every show and loving every second of it. Sure, they’re all my friends and I want to support them, but the bond is even stronger because I enjoy the music so much.
Imagine late night car rides without music to blast out of your open windows. Imagine your hardest days without music to cry to at the end of them. Imagine not hearing a song and being instantly taken back in time to a certain moment, completely immersed in it and forgetting the real world for a second. Without music, I know I would just be a mere shell of who I am now.
Whether it’s sad, happy, nostalgic or any other emotion, music makes us feel. Artists make music to share their experiences and emotions with their fans, and I like to think they share it in the hopes of dragging us along with them in their experience and emotions. Music is almost like an artist taking off their glasses and putting them on us, allowing us to see the world from their angle, even if just for a second. Music can elicit change, evoke emotion and sometimes even define a generation.
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