...play ‘80s songs on repeat and I promise I’d come back.
According to studies, music can give Alzheimer’s patients a cognitive buzz. Do you know that Alzheimer’s and dementia cannot touch the area of the brain where musical memories are stored? This means that listening to music from your youth can get you out of the fog. We all saw that scene in the Disney/Pixar movie Coco, right?
If that’s the case, if I ever suffer from that illness later in life (hopefully not), play me songs from my childhood and I’d probably be back doing the jitterbug faster than you can say, “Wham!”
People who knew me the longest will tell you of my love for the `80s to early `90s songs. Name it — pop/synth-pop, rock, new wave, euro disco, glam metal, punk—even the obscure ones. I can listen to it all day and it makes me happy.
If I want an immediate pick-me-upper, I’d just play these songs and it never fails. In my moments of sadness and even depressive episodes, my playlist can shift my mood and lift my spirits almost instantly. I mean why mope when I can dance along Wang Chung’s Everybody Have Fun Tonight? (“Everybody Wang Chung tonight!”—whatever that means.)
Have you ever felt that tingling sensation that crawls from your neck to your scalp when you hear a song you used to really love but haven’t heard in a long time? That’s the kind of feeling it gives me every time. So even if some people sneer at me because of my choice of music — saying it gives away my age too easily, or it’s a cheeseball — I don’t give a rat’s a** what they think. Instead, I plug my earphones and headbang to “99 Luftballoons” and get lost in my own rabbit hole.
It isn’t rare being told by people how hearing such songs reminds them of me and I like it when they say that. I’d probably win millions in Name That Tune under that category if ever I joined one. Frankly, it’s one of those trivial things I’m pretty good at.
My love for music is something that was hardwired at a very young age, almost like a default. We were exposed to many songs of different genres. My earliest memory was watching Video Hit Parade, a music video show on a local channel in the early `80s (remember this was long before cable TV where MTV became accessible to Filipinos). I’m like that little girl from the movie Poltergeist glued to the TV as if I was hypnotized with the audio-visual experience.
Don’t get me started with the artists from that era. They are a breed of remarkably talented people I look up to to this day. When I watch them on YouTube I’d always wonder who among the current artists can match them. Maybe Bruno Mars? Or Lady Gaga? I honestly don’t know anyone else. (That’s coming from me who didn’t even try to be cool by updating myself on the newer, ubiquitous genre such as KPop.)
I think I even learned to speak good English (well, not to discount my mother and school) because of these songs. So yeah, I might as well thank the likes of Tony Hadley, Simon Le Bon, Roland Orzabal, Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Whitney Houston and yes—even Madonna—for the education. Sometimes for the heck of it, I’d randomly recite the lyrics of some `80s song and people would go: “Wow, that’s deep”, without them knowing I just quoted lines from a Nik Kershaw song.
Growing up, I fantasize my crush would do a Lloyd Dobler outside the house (who am I kidding? I still desire for that to this day. Only the guy would have Chris Evans’ face and not John Cusack's). You don’t know how my eyes would glow and my heart flutters in very, very rare times I come across a guy who had the same musical taste. I gravitate towards them to the point na nagiging guwapo sila sa paningin ko.
Frankly, I don’t think I can even date a man who can’t stand my musical preference no matter how compatible we are on many other things. Disliking or critiquing my musical taste will be the impending doom of the relationship. As in, it will crash before it can even lift. I’d probably get bored at some guy who thinks Falco is a detergent bar.
If there will be a soundtrack of my life, then 80% of it will be `80s to early `90s songs. And it's going to be in volumes since I have a song for every feeling and every memory.
It has to be said, I know nothing about the music that younglings are playing and listening to these days. And I know I will sound like a music snob for saying this, but I don’t think I’m missing out that much anyway. I’m good with my own playlist that can last me for days even if the only ones who’d probably appreciate it are the people within my age bracket or older (or young people with good taste, I dare say).
So promise me that in my early stages of memory decline, plug this very playlist in my ears to bring me back.
And because sharing is caring, click here to be zapped to a time of big hair, nasty shoulder pads, acid washed jeans, plastic bracelets, leg warmers and great music. Trust me, there will be one, two or more songs you haven’t heard in a long time.
You’re welcome.
If that’s the case, if I ever suffer from that illness later in life (hopefully not), play me songs from my childhood and I’d probably be back doing the jitterbug faster than you can say, “Wham!”
People who knew me the longest will tell you of my love for the `80s to early `90s songs. Name it — pop/synth-pop, rock, new wave, euro disco, glam metal, punk—even the obscure ones. I can listen to it all day and it makes me happy.
If I want an immediate pick-me-upper, I’d just play these songs and it never fails. In my moments of sadness and even depressive episodes, my playlist can shift my mood and lift my spirits almost instantly. I mean why mope when I can dance along Wang Chung’s Everybody Have Fun Tonight? (“Everybody Wang Chung tonight!”—whatever that means.)
Have you ever felt that tingling sensation that crawls from your neck to your scalp when you hear a song you used to really love but haven’t heard in a long time? That’s the kind of feeling it gives me every time. So even if some people sneer at me because of my choice of music — saying it gives away my age too easily, or it’s a cheeseball — I don’t give a rat’s a** what they think. Instead, I plug my earphones and headbang to “99 Luftballoons” and get lost in my own rabbit hole.
It isn’t rare being told by people how hearing such songs reminds them of me and I like it when they say that. I’d probably win millions in Name That Tune under that category if ever I joined one. Frankly, it’s one of those trivial things I’m pretty good at.
My love for music is something that was hardwired at a very young age, almost like a default. We were exposed to many songs of different genres. My earliest memory was watching Video Hit Parade, a music video show on a local channel in the early `80s (remember this was long before cable TV where MTV became accessible to Filipinos). I’m like that little girl from the movie Poltergeist glued to the TV as if I was hypnotized with the audio-visual experience.
Don’t get me started with the artists from that era. They are a breed of remarkably talented people I look up to to this day. When I watch them on YouTube I’d always wonder who among the current artists can match them. Maybe Bruno Mars? Or Lady Gaga? I honestly don’t know anyone else. (That’s coming from me who didn’t even try to be cool by updating myself on the newer, ubiquitous genre such as KPop.)
I think I even learned to speak good English (well, not to discount my mother and school) because of these songs. So yeah, I might as well thank the likes of Tony Hadley, Simon Le Bon, Roland Orzabal, Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Whitney Houston and yes—even Madonna—for the education. Sometimes for the heck of it, I’d randomly recite the lyrics of some `80s song and people would go: “Wow, that’s deep”, without them knowing I just quoted lines from a Nik Kershaw song.
Growing up, I fantasize my crush would do a Lloyd Dobler outside the house (who am I kidding? I still desire for that to this day. Only the guy would have Chris Evans’ face and not John Cusack's). You don’t know how my eyes would glow and my heart flutters in very, very rare times I come across a guy who had the same musical taste. I gravitate towards them to the point na nagiging guwapo sila sa paningin ko.
Frankly, I don’t think I can even date a man who can’t stand my musical preference no matter how compatible we are on many other things. Disliking or critiquing my musical taste will be the impending doom of the relationship. As in, it will crash before it can even lift. I’d probably get bored at some guy who thinks Falco is a detergent bar.
If there will be a soundtrack of my life, then 80% of it will be `80s to early `90s songs. And it's going to be in volumes since I have a song for every feeling and every memory.
It has to be said, I know nothing about the music that younglings are playing and listening to these days. And I know I will sound like a music snob for saying this, but I don’t think I’m missing out that much anyway. I’m good with my own playlist that can last me for days even if the only ones who’d probably appreciate it are the people within my age bracket or older (or young people with good taste, I dare say).
So promise me that in my early stages of memory decline, plug this very playlist in my ears to bring me back.
You’re welcome.
I don't think I've ever met anyone who loves the 80s as much as you do. (And I mean that in a good way!)
ReplyDeleteNo offense taken. I wanted to be remembered that way. :)
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