It’s funny how music evokes poignant memories, isn’t it?
Last week I heard ‘If you leave me now’ by Chicago and my heart missed a beat. I was instantly transported back to the 70’s and my very first slow dance with a boy called Neil.
It was a very chaste slow dance at the school disco. I rested my head politely on his shoulder and he placed his arms around my waist. We swayed in time with the music, not really moving from the spot. There was no groping or kissing. We were just two spotty teenagers beginning our journey into a new world. As the music faded and the lights went up, we looked at each other rather sheepishly. I muttered a quick goodbye and went to meet my parents who had come to collect me. Neil and I never danced again and I wonder if he even remembers me now.
Music has studded my journey into adulthood.
Some people remember where they were when Elvis died, but I remember where I was when I first heard Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells. It was in a strange tee shirt emporium in Brixham, Devon. The air was filled with the smell of cheap clothing, cheaper perfume and sweaty bodies. The music was blaring through a dreadful old speaker which vibrated with every heavy bass riff. Ah… memories.
Memories and nostalgia.
Certain classical pieces have the same effect. Karl Jenkins ‘The Armed Man. Benedictus’ always makes me cry. Respighi’s ‘Pines of Rome transports me to the Proms, sitting in the grand circle, watching my Dad conducting with his imaginary baton. Brass band music always sends a tingle up my spine and takes me back to drill days as a girl in the Red Cross! Why we had to learn to march I have no idea. As far as I am aware, marching competence is not a prerequisite for being able to provide first aid. But I loved it.
I wonder if the kids will remember me with a smile when they hear certain tracks. Will they shriek with laughter as they remember my attempts to sing along with the Spice Girls for instance? Will Satchmo and Stephane Grappelli transport them back to evenings around the firepit?
Meg says I’m being a sentimental old Hector, but I would really love music to evoke memories for them as it has for me.
What memories does music bring back to you? I’d love to hear.
