A Music Bath

                Oliver Wendell Holmes once said “Take a music bath once or twice a week for a few seasons. You will find it is to the soul what a water bath is to the body.” So this is my conversation with you as I bathe in music. As I sit here, I am listening to Pandora internet radio. It occurs to me that music is such a big part of some people’s lives. Most people have a favorite song or band. Little kids learn lessons through song, or watch shows/movies with music because it keeps their interest more than just words. I wonder why that is. I know virtually nothing about psychology and childhood development, but there has to be some reason children focus on music more. But from a general standpoint, it’s interesting. There is always that one song that every person remembers from their childhood. It may be a potty training song, a television theme song, or simply the itsy bitsy spider. The really great thing is that whether they mean to or not, parents will eventually sing their favorite songs to their children. That is how so many songs have stayed around for so long. There are exceptions though. For example, my parents didn’t sing the same television theme songs because they didn’t watch the same shows. There is even a difference between me and my little sister. Though, interestingly enough, I know the songs from her childhood as well as mine. It is also interesting how our parents’ musical preference shapes our own later in life. That is not to say that you will listen to your parents’ favorite music when you grow up, but that it will ultimately play some part. In an episode of Criminal Minds I recently saw, they discussed the age at which children started listening to what their friends liked instead of what their parents liked. This made me think because, just like those childhood songs, do you ever really forget the music you listened to as an adolescent? When I was younger, my grandmother listened to country music and Elvis. She had more favorites but those were the big ones. 

To this day, I do not like Elvis but love country music. However, I love the country music of that time frame. I am not a big fan of older country and rarely find the time to listen to newer country. So does that mean I am not a true country fan? The same can be said for 60’s music. In my early teens, my mother would constantly play her Spirit of the 60’s album. I grew to know the songs and even enjoy them, but if I hear other music from the 60’s I can’t say I enjoy it. So I don’t know what causes a person to like the music they end up enjoying, but I think your parents’ tastes play into it. If you were to look at my music library, you would find Melissa Etheridge, Alanis Morissette, Jewel and some 4 Non Blondes thanks to my mother’s tastes. You would also find older Tim McGraw, Dolly Parton, Etta James, and Bob Segar since those were played by my grandmother. And you would find my father’s influence as well in my collections of Dave Matthews, John Mellencamp, Guns ‘n’ Roses and Aerosmith. Yet my music library goes further. I do not know if this happens to everybody, but I have found that I have picked up new music from every person in my life. I have very eclectic taste, if you couldn’t tell. And most of the time I just play all my music on shuffle because I am not big on the same thing for long periods. There are, of course, certain songs/genres that I play at certain times. For example, Miles Davis relaxes me while 90’s hip hop makes me smile. Over the course of my life I have picked up more and more music. I can probably tell you where I got each one from too. As I have been typing this I have listened to Parachute, Aerosmith, Flo Rida, The Sugarhill Gang, Christina Aguilera, Frank Sinatra, and a song from The Little Mermaid. And yes, I listen to Disney music on a regular basis even though I am in my mid twenties. I don’t love all music but I am always willing to try new things.

 I think that music is the basis of everything. Friedrich Nietzsche once said “without music life would be a mistake.” I believe this one hundred percent. There are songs that are associated with movies, commercials, a place, a person, a moment, or even a feeling. Everybody has a favorite song that they will enjoy no matter what their mood. (Mine is Hotel California by the Eagles) Or a favorite band that they love to listen to all the time. (Mine is Aerosmith, old and new) There is a reason people put thought into things such as a graduation or wedding song. These are songs that you will associate with that moment forever. Even if a marriage doesn’t last, the song will always be associated with it. Music has meaning for everybody and can simply entertain at the same time.

 I highly recommend listening to music as much as humanly possible; it’s good for the soul. I once read a quote that said “music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life” (Berthold Auerbach). So take a music bath. Try a new genre, or just enjoy one of your favorites. Think about when and where you fell in love with music you choose to listen to. Or simply sit and absorb the sound and feeling of your favorite song. Either way, turn on some music and wash away some dust.