Friday, May 16, 2008

Friday Madness


I usually listen to music while driving. And on Fridays, it's 89.9 Magic! Friday is nostalgia day with Friday Magic Madness, an old radio show playing 70’s and 80’s music---mostly new wave music of the 80’s. I always enjoy listening to Wishful Thinking, Summer of 69, Purple Rain, Second Chance, Highly Strung, Pale Shelter, I've Been in Love Before and the many great songs of the 70's and 80’s while in the middle of Friday traffic jam. I miss the songs of my 'youth', songs that bring back memories, songs to which I danced badly to but enjoyed nonetheless. Sometimes, while a song that I don’t like is playing, I’ll switch stations, and check out the jazz stations or 100.3 RJ. I could tell you what I was doing or where my life was when I hear a favorite song. I’m sure you have a song in your head, too.

Singing out loud while driving is a great way to forget the slow-moving traffic. It somehow lowers the stress level after some maniac cuts across my lane. Music calms me even when a speeding bus comes barreling down at my rear, or a motorcyle suddenly appears infront of my bumper, and a jeepney suddenly stops in the middle of the street without warning.

Oftentimes, there are ghosts in these old songs, a flashback of haunting memories. There are songs that remind me of long-forgotten dreams. Songs that remind me of growing up pains, and an embarassing time in high school. Songs that remind me of loss, grief and broken promises. Songs that remind me of long lost friends. Songs that make me breath deeply, as if anticipating pain, remembering a heartache that makes me reach out to change the station, then hesitate long enough to acknowledge a remembered ache. Songs that allow me to embrace life’s disappointments, sorrows, and joys, and how I dealt with them have shaped the person I am now. And so I sing along with this old favorite, softly.

Melissa Etheridge with Jewel
You Can Sleep While I Drive
Brave and Crazy album, 1989

8 comments:

Migs Bassig said...

I have been indulging myself in this recent fixation with old songs. "Old" meaning "before my time"; the 60s and 70s produced such great songs, and the world now needs to be saved from Simple Plan and Chris Brown. Ah!

That said, songs can be terrible depressants. You're right: the old places to which they bring us!

Thanks for sharing!

Unknown said...

Looks like I should be glad I don't know who Chris Brown and Simple Plan are!:D

Music has a strange effect...it can make us sad but in a good way, because while I'm singing along, it feels like I'm going to get happier.

Enjoy the old songs, and thanks for visiting, Migs.

Panaderos said...

Like you, each song that I love from the past is tied to a particular person, place or event that left a lasting impression on me personally. That's the reason why I can remember exactly the year a lot of songs came out because of what was happening in my life at the time.

Great post, Luna. :)

nutart said...

once, i had the very interesting opportunity to hear Prof. Jun de leon of the UP Humanities lecture on Harmonics. He said that certain combinations of notes invoke specific emotions---love, fear and anger. He supported this claim by playing songs or music (on the piano) straight from Bach, Mozart, the Beatles, Mancini up to very contemporary (usually movie themes) compositions---all with a certain common set of notes. It was just sooo mind-boggling! The arrangement is where it may sound different from each other!

Unknown said...

I guess your post "I'm Not In Love" inspired me to write this blog, Panaderos.:D

Thanks for visiting, and have a great weekend!

Unknown said...

As my lolo used to say, there's logic behind everything...we just don't realize it yet.:D It's as mind-boggling to me as music's connection to mathematics. The professor was probably using abstract algebra to analyze the notes, and how they impact the emotions.

Thanks for sharing, Bernadette.

 gmirage said...

May I use that photo for trainshots Luna? Please? ;-)

Unknown said...

Sure, Gizelle.:D