Today we’re talking music.
Music is probably my favorite form of art, and I think it’s so special because it’s something you feel and not see. I like to listen to a song and conjure up my own images as it plays, allowing each song to become special and unique to me. At the same time, I can relate to the artist through their lyrics. Even when songs aren’t in English, I can still feel the emotions in them. Music is so powerful in that way. It connects us through shared experiences.
I’ve always been sensitive to music, and I mean this in the way of my physical and neurological reactions. Like many others, I frequently get goosebumps when specific songs play, but the most interesting thing to me is that I love some songs so much I can’t listen to them anymore. Some of these songs include:
- “Robbers” by The 1975
- “About You” by The 1975
- “Funeral” by Phoebe Bridgers
- “Graceland Too” by Phoebe Bridgers
- “Cornfield Chase” from Interstellar
- “All I Want” by Kodaline
It didn’t always use to be this way. In fact, I used to listen to these songs all the time. But as I got older and experienced more in life, I began to tie these songs to very specific moments or years. Some still hurt a lot, so I won’t get into those, but I can give an example of one. “About You” by The 1975 is a reflection upon a past relationship: one that continues to hold a grip on you for one reason or another. Funnily enough, neither the meaning nor the lyrics of this song have anything to do with my attachment to it. The actual music in this song is what does me in. I swear they injected nostalgia into it somehow. On top of that, I have heard this song live with my best friend three times. Sharing those moments with her has made this song all the more special. I don’t really know when it happened, but one day it felt like a switch flipped. I put the song on and had such an overwhelming and visceral reaction that I had to turn it off. It felt like I was experiencing so many emotions on full blast all at once. Ever since then, I have not been able to listen to this song.
Naturally, my curiosity got to me, and I researched this. It turns out it’s called emotional overstimulation. Basically, the combination of memories, volume, and emotions becomes too much for the nervous system to handle and can make you feel anxious. From there, the fight-or-flight response kicks in. Clearly, my brain has chosen flight. I’m sure there are ways to re-introduce myself to these songs so that I could listen to them again, but I listen to so much music that I’m okay with letting these few stay tucked away. I’ve never claimed to have a normal brain or nervous system, so I can’t say I’m surprised by all of it. Oddly enough, I think it’s kind of beautiful in its own weird way.
That’s really all I had for today, but I would love to know if anyone else experiences this with certain songs. Maybe I’ll find some solidarity in that lol. In the future, I would love to choose a song and talk about what it means to me. Music is so important, and without it I wouldn’t have met some of my best friends or made some of my favorite memories. I’ll leave you with some of my favorite songs at the moment (these change on a daily basis lol):
- “Eternal Life” by Jeff Buckley
- “SEEIN’ STARS” by Turnstile
- “Thirteen” by Big Star
- “Cure for Emptiness” by Matt Maltese
- “Girls & Boys” by Blur
Happy listening (:
IMAGE SOURCED FROM THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART
Not an Artist 