I have fond memories as a child driving down a dirt road, heading to my grandpa’s for some holiday, and listening to music from the 90s with my mom, singing and laughing and just being a kid. My mother introduced a lot of different genres to me growing up, so I was exposed to not only music from Disney movies but music that my mom listened to while she was growing up, such as songs by Boyz II Men, KC & Jojo, or even rap music by Eminem or 2Pac.
I also remember being at my grandma’s house and listening to Spice Girls through headphones from a CD player because back then we didn’t have iPods or fancy phones that had music on them. I remember blasting Shania Twain, holding my grandma’s hands and moving our arms back and forth, dancing and laughing.
When I got older, my tastes in music grew with me. I still get nostalgic for Disney songs, but when I got to my teenage years, I started listening to video game music or anime soundtracks. I couldn’t sing Japanese music to save my life, but I belted it out like I knew every word. I also love video game music because now it just gives me happy memories of playing The Legend of Zelda with my best friend at the time. Sitting in his living room, watching him play, enjoying each other’s company.
Or when we would blast Lil Bow Wow in my room and sing and just be crazy kids with no worries of life after childhood. Music is powerful like that; it can make you remember things, good and bad, and that is what makes music so great because you take a song and instantly remember something that happened twenty years ago.
Music can be like time travel, and the good songs that bring back happy memories make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The best music is the one that makes you go “Yeah, I remember that.” and gives you a feeling of peace. Music is good for the soul!
