Music, at its essence, is what gives us memories. And the longer a song has existed in our lives, the more memories we have of it.
– Stevie Wonder
If I had to count the number of times music has helped me get through less-than-ideal moments in life, I would need a gazillion fingers and a time machine. Superficially, we all know that music has the astounding ability to evoke a wide array of powerful emotions within us, and one such emotion is nostalgia. All of us have experienced nostalgia at some point in our lives – the longing or sentimental yearning or feeling for the past – but whether it is bittersweet or melancholic depends on the person and their experiences. From time to time, certain songs or pieces of music may trigger vivid memories and transport us back to a particular period or place. A song associated with your first love, first heartbreak, a cross-country road trip, or something your mum and dad used to play at home – does any of this sound familiar? Well, in this blog post, we will be exploring that very connection between music and nostalgia and also attempt to explain why music has such a strong grip on our memories and emotions.
Now, contrary to popular belief, the concept of “nostalgia” has existed for centuries. It is even more interesting to note that the word “nostalgia” originates from two Greek words, “nostos” and “algos,” which mean “return” and “pain,” respectively. This makes sense because initially, nostalgia was thought to be a disease or medical condition, and it was linked to homesickness. But in the present day and age, we know nostalgia is not an ailment but a natural human emotion which can be triggered in so many ways – one of the most sure-fire triggers being music.
Now why is music so “nostalgic” to us human beings? Quick hint – it has something to do with our memories. Our brains have this innate ability to associate music with specific memories and emotions, and according to several leading research studies, it has been shown that music can activate the same regions of the brain that are involved in emotional and memory-based information processing. Scientists have also been able to prove that music “activates the entire brain,” which is super cool when you think about it.
Another reason why music is so effective in initiating nostalgia is that certain songs often tend to be linked to significant life events, all thanks to our limbic system (the system that stores all your fears and emotions). For many people, a favourite song may remind them, for example, of their first love or a special moment in their lives. Since these moments have a heavy significance in our lives owing to “high emotional intensity,” the music essentially gets intertwined like many other things (the color of your partner’s dress, the smile they wore, and so on), creating a powerful connection between the two. Consequently, music is known to create a sense of comfort and familiarity. Many people find that listening to music from their childhood or teenage years provides them with an “auditory haven,” a way for them to return back to simpler, carefree times. The reason for this sentiment is that the music we listened to during our yester-years becomes a part of our identity and shapes our perceptions of the world around us. So, if we hear the same exact song years later, it brings back those lived-through memories from our subconscious mind to the forefront.
It is also interesting to note that the relationship between music and nostalgia can be different for different people. While some people find that certain songs or pieces of music strongly trigger their nostalgia, the same may not be applicable to another individual, thus forming a degree of contextuality. Our memories, experiences, and emotions are unique to us, and that plays a massive role in the feelings certain songs may bring into our psyche.
Now, so far, we have been talking about music-linked nostalgia on an individual level but how can we take this to a broader scale? As of late, you may have noticed that many movies and TV shows use classical hits to create a sense of nostalgia and transport viewers back in time. Let me take two very memorable movies that use this trope to their advantage – “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Baby Driver.” For those of you who have watched these movies, you know very well the significance of music in them. Whether it be Star Lord’s Walkman or Baby’s iPod; the movies truly would not be the same without them. Additionally, the inclusion of these wistful songs creates a sense of nostalgia on a larger scale as audiences who have grown up with these specific songs will most likely connect on an emotional level.
To put everything in a nutshell, the relationship between music and nostalgia is complex and multifaceted. Music has the power to evoke powerful emotions and transport us back in time, reminding us of significant life events and creating a sense of familiarity and comfort. While the way we respond to music is unique to each individual, there is no doubt that it plays a very significant role in our lives.
Questions:
- What is a song that reminds you of your childhood? Was it a song you came across yourself, or was it recommended by someone else?
- How do you think the use of music in movies and TV shows contributes to our collective sense of nostalgia? Can you think of any examples of movies or shows that use music in this way?
- In what ways do you think music can be used to help us process and cope with difficult emotions like nostalgia and grief? Have you ever used music in this way, and if so, how did it help you?
Great blog here! Really enjoyed reading it, especially since both Baby Driver and Guardians of the Galaxy are two movies that are very close to my heart. I watched a lot of movies growing up, especially with my parents. Whether the movie is English or Arabic, whenever I hear a song I associate it with the movies I watched with my parents it instantly takes me back to my childhood and a lot of happy memories. “You’ve Got A Friend In me”, in the song in Toy Story, particularly brings out a very strong sense of nostalgia in me.
This week’s blog posts are just terrific! Music is definitely one of the aspects in my life that helped me through the roughest of times and the happiest of times. To answer your second question regarding how I think the use of music in movies and TV shows contributes to our collective sense of nostalgia, I think that there are several ways in which the use of music in movies and TV shows contributes to our collective sense of nostalgia. One of which is emotional association. Music has the ability to elicit strong emotions and feelings in us, and hearing a song that we associate with a specific moment or period in our lives can elicit nostalgia. Hearing a song that was popular when we were in high school, for example, can instantly transport us back to that time and evoke memories of our adolescence. Overall, the use of music in films and television shows can be a powerful tool for evoking nostalgia because it can evoke emotional associations, set the scene, and serve as a cultural touchstone for a specific time or place. Great work Ausaaf!!
Really great post Ausaaf! It was such an interesting read. Although a lot of songs make me really nostalgic, I never really thought about the connection between music and nostalgia. It’s fascinating to know how our brain connects and associates music with our personal memories and experiences.
Interestingly enough, I have this playlist that is filled with every song I had been obsessed with, from my childhood till date, and I use it to revisit songs that evoke certain memories and emotions that I associate with that song. It helps a lot when I get too overwhelmed with the present and need to retreat back to the comfort of the past for some time.
To answer your questions, the first one is pretty hard to answer, if I’m being honest. I have a lot of songs I associate with my childhood but if I had to choose one then it would definitely be “No Ceiling” by Cody Simpson. I used to sing it with my childhood best friend every afternoon on our way back home from school :).
As for the third question, I used to always feel inclined to listen to sad songs whenever I was down to sort of feel the comfort of knowing that being sad was okay and normal and that everyone goes through it.
I truly enjoyed reading this, Ausaaf! I absolutely love the topic of music and its influence on us and our emotions.
To answer your first question, there are many kids’ Arabic songs, such as those from “Toyor Al janah” that instantly remind me of my childhood, as I grew up listening to them on TV and have videos dancing to them. One particular song that gives me so many memories is the following: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvBnOG274ss. This song in particular was one that my mom or dad would sing me to sleep every sing night, and since it was very hard to put me to sleep, this song never failed to make me quickly fall asleep.
As for your second question, I think that the music played in certain movies or TV shows helps us remember certain events or emotions we felt in certain scenes, which is why it feels very nostalgic. For instance, the background theme song played in the TV show, “Jane The Virgin” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezxZJaB_MnE) brings me so many good memories and calms me since it reminds me of my comfort show. I just imagine Jane having a cute moment with her mom or partner, which instantly brings me flashbacks of the different emotions I felt during such scenes.
Lastly, for your last question, I think that music could be a form of self-expression. It can put certain emotions into words that I might fail to express. Therefore, music helps me express myself when feeling down.
my taste in music has changed considerably over the years, but sometimes i go back to listen to a song i used to listen to and it’s like i’m back in the same mindset. i don’t know if I can call my teen years childhood though.
These Day’s by Nico in the Royal Tenenbaums is one of my favorite examples of music in film. it’s so melancholic but at the same time, sweet, and makes me miss the first time I ever saw that movie.
I think music is one of the most important ways to express emotion through art, and thus makes it a good way to deal with if you’re the audience. there’s a few albums I used to listen to when I was going through a hard time. Unfortunately, nostalgia prevented me from listening to it again because it reminded me of that time, despite being great music.
I think people us music as all noise that people have in order to not think too much about the situations. music could be replaced by simply people talking or some background noise
I definitely relate to this a lot, I don’t remember the amount of times a song started playing on my playlist, and it reminded me of many many memories. Music can definitely be linked to so many things, and can definitely make you feel so many ways. Great blog post, very nice relation.
Thank you for this fascinating blog!!! I mentioned before a study that examined the fact that modern music is often associated with a lot feelings and emotions while the essay argued that it takes way from the longevity of modern music. But, I argue that because of nostalgia, modern music becomes more precious to people. Personally, I’ve been listening to a lot of Arabic music from the early 2000s and the late 1990s because I grew up with these songs thanks to my mother, and because of nostalgia, we almost have the same taste in Arabic music. I think that movies and tv shows not only use nostalgic songs to enhance the watching experience but they also they add context to songs and make me them nostalgic. For instance, many people associate the song “slipping through my fingers” by ABBA with the “Mamma Mia” film. In the discussion last Thursday I mentioned that we can see certain songs used in edits where they gain new context and are associated with different things in people’s mind. One example was Mitski’s Me and Husband. A part of this song was used on TikTok in a romantic context. The thing is that the song is about a woman who is quite dependent on her husband, and you can tell from the song that their relationship isn’t as good as she makes it out to be. Due of the significant differences between the two interpretations, this is an extremely fascinating topic that I could talk about for hours.
Nice work, Ausaaf! This is such a well-written post and the deep dive into music and nostalgia was fascinating. The connection between music in film and tv and memories is so interesting. I can think of so many soundtracks that just bring me back to simpler times. What I also love about the relationship between music and nostalgia is how it applies to shared memories. For example, the first beat of a certain Atif Aslam song will have all my cousins smiling, reminiscing the crude jokes we made about the lyrics while listening to the song as 7 of us were stuffed in one car, several years ago. We don’t have to look at each to know we’re all thinking the same thing. I was also thinking about how we associate music with places, as the song Faded reminds me of school because it used to play every morning and after break times as our bell. Waltzing Matilda was our lockdown drill song, Rock Me by One Direction was what we all danced to on Kindness Day. Thank you for this blog post, it awakened so many wonderful memories!
Great post, Ausaaf! I really enjoyed how relatable your post is, but also how you provided historical and scientific context – it was very enlightening and interesting to read! I agree that music in shows and movies can be quite significant, not just in using familiar songs but the theme songs themselves. Hearing the theme song of a childhood show can evoke very strong emotions (including nostalgia). As you mentioned, music can be tied to memories or even loved ones. Blank Space by Taylor Swift reminds me of 6th Grade, as my teacher used to play it almost every morning. Also, I have been told by a couple of friends that they always remember me when Maybe (Luck of the Draw) by the Vaccines comes up on their playlist, as I recommended it to them. Overall, this was a lovely post – both in its content and style of writing.
I loved this post! Music is a significant part of Indian culture and so I’ve grown up listening to various genres, learning to sing tradition classical forms, playing instruments and dancing too! Music always adds an extra dimension to anything as it triggers our senses and emotions. Having had so much experience with music, it has acts as a mode of stress release for me. This article here discusses the power of music in calming the mind: https://www.unr.edu/counseling/virtual-relaxation-room/releasing-stress-through-the-power-of-music. I also want to comment on how music triggers a sense of nostalgia. Every time I hear the theme songs of my favorite cartoons, I’m catapulted into vivid memories of these cartoons which is a feeling that I love to experience! It’s interesting how the music is a lot more memorable than the content of the cartoon. The music alone is enough to remind me of the good times!
Great post, I really enjoyed reading it and it was very well put together! I agree with the notion that music can evoke nostalgia as I experience it many times, with multiple 2000s and 2010s songs reminding me of times past with family and friends, in the car, at home, or in the background while playing basketball. I used to think that music, when used as a background noise, could be replaced with conversation or white noise but its something about the ability to replay old songs many years down the line that you cannot do with a conversation. And I really doubt anyone is feeling nostalgic listening to “Ocean Waves: Sleep With Relaxing Music Under The Moon” or “Rainy Jazz Cafe – Slow Jazz Music in Coffee Shop Ambience for Work, Study and Relaxation”.
Amazing post! I really enjoyed reading this blog post, and I feel like I have so much to say, but I will just focus on the question, “In what ways do you think music can be used to help us process and cope with difficult emotions like nostalgia and grief? Have you ever used music in this way, and if so, how did it help you?”
I think music is an amazing coping mechanism because it allows us to revisit and relive specific periods of our life that we miss and think of constantly. As someone that finds it very hard to visualize certain memories to relive them, music helps me relive the emotions and provides me with a sense of comfort.
I personally do not have any song I listen to that induces nostalgia for me. There are not any songs that I can remember, off the top of my head anyways, that remind me of my childhood. Usually, the songs I would listen to are songs that I know would get me in a particular mood that I would need to be in (i.e.: I usually listen to songs with philosophical lyrics when I want to think about how a character would proceed with a difficult choice). Perhaps, one could argue that the songs that get me in the mood of reminiscence cause nostalgia and there would be an argument there for that. However, other than that, there is little else that ties nostalgia and music to me.
As for dealing with difficult emotions through music, I can agree with that. To be accurate, I can agree with the lyrics of particular songs having a sort of a reflection upon the situation/life. I would imagine that if I am able to use those lyrics to get into a particular type of mood, others can use other songs’ lyrics to get out of such moods or reflect upon the life they are living.