After almost two years of Covid madness, where I barely listened to music because I was too busy listening to podcasts, watching videos, engrossed in all things “Pandemic,” I started listening to music again, tempering the harsh reality of our current situation with wonderful uplifting music from my youth. Born in 1959, I grew up listening to Motown, Broadway Showtunes, and popular music of the 1960s.
Before I started kindergarten (there were no preschools back then), my mother’s brother, known as Uncle Sal, gave me a transistor radio. The youngest of four children, I was left behind at home while my three older siblings started school. Our maternal and paternal grandmothers were our caretakers, but they were busy running the household while my mother worked. I didn’t have playmates until my siblings arrived after school, so I was left to my own devices for entertainment.
Other than eating my lunch of soft boiled eggs with a crumble of saltine crackers, Deviled ham or peanut butter sandwiches (staples) on the floor right in front of the TV (a vivid memory), watching Dr. Kildare, my first crush in black and white, most of my time was spent on the swings in our backyard, listening to music on that transistor radio, singing along. I learned the lyrics to just about every popular song, especially the ones that moved me to sing along. I grew up with some of the best music I’ve heard to date, and I listen to a vast array and genres of music: R&B, Jazz, Spanish Guitar, Pop, Latin, Classical, Contemporary Christian (I used to sing in church in my 40’S) Devotional yoga music and mantras.
By age 6, I was performing Dionne Warwick’s Walk On By and Petula Clark songs for our second or third cousins. We didn’t have cell phones, laptops, or many toys. We improvised and had a great deal of fun. I also learned several Broadway Showtune lyrics as did my siblings. My brother, the eldest of the four, would line us up and teach us the latest Broadway songs. We would sing and dance too. Guess what I wanted to be when I grew up? At age 50 I finally sang and danced for fun on stage in Broadway Dance productions of Mamma Mia and West Side Story. I did not enjoy being on stage, front and center, one bit, but loved the rehearsals and camaraderie of theater culture.
What I discovered (years ago), is that when I listen to music from my youth, waves of joy and nostalgia wash over me as well as a newfound youthfulness. I have had my share of trauma and hardship starting in early childhood, but my happy memories far outweigh my most difficult ones. I know the body stores trauma and ACEs, but I know it also stores our happiest and fondest memories. Music is one of my favorite sources for accessing these memories and for revitalizing my psyche. Music is my therapy of choice.
How about you?
Yes Music - Sanity Saver Myriam. I was borned also in the 50's and I remember well Dionne Warwick’s Walk On By and Petula Clark songs ( Downtown and all the others). :)
As I aged I noticed I'm reading less books and listening to less music. Instead I'm embracing ambient sounds, experiencing gaming immersion and taking more nature walks for my mental health. Our brain is constantly "trimming" and some experiences are more optimal re our chronological age and stage of digital immersion.
My only clear incentive to listen to music is going to the gym with Spotify. This is partially also simply because I have trouble resonating with new trends in music.
White noise and ambience sounds to concentrate is great though, sometimes YouTube in the background.