I've always been a huge fan of music. Ever since I can remember, I would always have music around me. Tonight, there was a special on BET about Aliyah. She was an R&B artist that passed away in 2001 in a car accident. When I was in high school, I listened to her "One in a Million" album on repeat. The song "The One I Gave My Heart To" was my love anthem as all of those young love relationships fizzled out. The entire album was one that never left my side.
I titled this post "Every memory has a song" because it couldn't be more true. There isn't one memory I can think of that didn't have a song associated to it. Growing up singing "Mony Mony", cruising through Winamac listening to "It's a Hard Knock Life" or "Bow Down", spending almost every night at Wendy's house and every time we would fall asleep listening to Kenny Chesney or Def Leppard's "Vault" CD. We requested songs through WAZY in Lafayette like it was our job. My girl friends and I, in high school, even had a theme song, "Every Rose Has It's Thorns". Still not sure how that ever came about, but none the less, we associate that song with each other. :)
Fast forward to college and Nelly's "Country Grammar" took center stage. N'Sync and 98 degrees was still high up on the list when we need a good "bounce around the car with a bunch of girls" kind of night. Ain't no lie, baby, bye bye bye. :) After college, most people start thinking more about their life's direction and start listening to songs that have a little bit more meaning. A song that you can "relate" to. I can't even begin to tell you how many of those that I have. Every time I hear "Purple Rain", I can still remember the reasoning I first started listening to that song.
The first thing you do when you get into a relationship is finding the perfect song. A few weeks after Gregg and I first met, we had went to the movies one night and he had called me on the way home after he had dropped me off at my car. He told me to listen to the song "Gravity" by Josh Turner and then to call him when I was done. So I listened to that song, and called him and he asked me to be his girlfriend. I'll never forget that moment.
After listening to "The More I Seek You" by Kari Jobe, I turned my life back to Christ. That's another moment I'll never forget. I was browsing on Myspace and looking at different artists when her page popped up. I started listening to her music that night and found myself sitting at my computer bawling, knowing which way I needed to head. Knowing I needed to return to my relationship with Christ that I had abandoned years before. She's my favorite worship leader and in a way, I credit her with helping me find my way back to Christ. She'll never know that, but that's not the point.
The point is that we associate our feelings with the impact that songs have on our life. I didn't fully realize this until the other day when I was listening to "Someone Like You" by Adele. Don't get me wrong, it's an absolutely beautiful melody and its addicting to listen to. However, the song just saddens me. It almost depresses me. It makes me sad because I know there are hundreds of thousands of people all over the world right now, listening to that song, because it is a indication of something that they, themselves, are going through in their life. I can just imagine all of those people who have that song on repeat, thinking about what they once had and dwelling on the fact that they don't have it anymore. It will take them days, months, or even years to get over the way they are feeling, because they keep hanging onto to those feelings because they keep listening to the songs that are constantly reminding them of those times in their life.
I know when I'm happy, I like to listen to happy music. When I'm sad, I tent to listen to sad music. When I want to worship, I listen to worship music. Each person has the option to allow music to control their lives rather than their lives controlling the music. Make your own song, live your own life. If you are constantly complaining that you aren't happy, take a look at the music you are listening to. Changing that could change your attitude.
To Gregg, you are my inspiration and my song. I dedicate this to you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idnvgIRdYhc&feature=player_profilepage
