When I miss someone, I listen to their music. When I am reminiscing about a pastime, I will turn on the playlist I made while living my said memory. Music is the way I relive the best summers of my life, the way I am brought back to times when my best friend was still around to go on walks with, the moments when my childhood pets were still alive and even the melancholic days of winter. When songs conjure up strong emotions felt through memories, the power of lyrics and emphasis leads to a vivid image of times I only wish to live through once more. 

“San Tropez” by Pink Floyd is, for now, the song I love the most. I have never ridden a wave in the break of an old sedan, nor have I ever been led down to the place by the sea, but I have had peaceful mornings and quiet nights while listening to this old tune. It is the love I have found in mundanity, and the enamored excitement that Roger Waters sings about that has made this a song I will remember for a lifetime. Although this is a bright example of the power music has over my emotions, there are many examples of songs that have the opposite effect on me. 

“Harmless” by Swing Lynn is the one song I cannot voluntarily listen to because it reminds me of just how horrible I felt as a 13-year-old cooped up in her room for what felt like an eternity when in fact it was actually just the year of 2021. 

My favorite symphony —“The 1905” by Shostakovich — brings along a similar feeling but in a much different way. I first heard this piece three years ago, performed by the Oregon Symphony. Its spontaneity and genuine horror created an environment around me that I always yearn to feel again. These sorts of experiences I’ve felt throughout my entire life, and I know I will feel them even when I’m senile and old. It is the ingenuity and beauty of music that lets me embrace my memories through pieces at whatever time I wish.