Mood, Memories and Music

I’ve been pondering lately the interesting dynamic between mood and music, as well as the way music can be used to reinforce certain memories. I have found that I will listen to different types of music according to mood, as well as listening to a certain type of music to reinforce the particular mood I feel like being in. Which for manic-depressive me, often tends toward the depressing/side of things; a funny thing, considering that most of my “episodes” have been of the manic variety in the past few years.

For great depressing lyrics, listen to Alice in Chains. I have always loved their music. The pace of the music also suits me because of my tendency towards hyperactivity. I have to be in a particular state of mind to be able to enjoy the slower-paced songs.

I must have a melodramatic component to my personality as I’ve always been drawn to songs with lyrics or melodies that tend towards the dramatic. Alice in Chains talks a lot about suicide; my newly discovered fondness for Johnny Cash (evidently a large portion of his songs talks about killing people).

Hard as it may be to believe, I also have a healthy dose of the romantic in me, although that part of me does not manifest itself very often. When I’m in one of those moods, I pull out the oldies but goodies. Like Christopher Cross’s “Think of Laura,” .  Or Hall & Oat’s “Sarah Smile” and their “I Can’t Go for That” .

~ by antipretzel on November 3, 2007.