My twin brother and I have a routine of playing an assortment of music when cleaning the table after dinner. The songs can range from “Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson to “Glow Up” by Meek Mill. We, the Toler brothers, don’t discriminate when it comes to music; if it’s on Spotify, we have likely listened to it.

Recently while listening to “Leave It All to Me” by Miranda Cosgrove, I seamlessly started to sing along. If the title seems familiar it’s because it’s from the popular Nickelodeon show iCarly. Listening to the simple melody brought back childhood memories of sitting on my couch with my brothers laughing at the fatuous jokes. I could go on and on about memories of watching iCarly as a kid, yet the playlist changed and “All In” by Nebu Kiniza came on. It’s interesting because this song brought back negative memories of 8th grade and the stress of applying to high schools. The next song was “Kickstart My Heart” by Motley Crue, a classic that has been the anthem for youth hockey for many years. 

So, the power of music — how does it affect people?

Music can help motivate, uplift or bring back memories of notable or hard times in one’s life. For example, when driving with my dad “Move Your Body” by Marshall Jefferson came on the radio. My dad, a huge fan of the genre house music, turned the radio to full volume and started to sing and smile as Jefferson sings “gotta have house music.” For my dad, this song brought memories of his senior year of high school and the feeling of stress that my fellow upperclassmen and I know so well. Whether you like it or not, music brings back memories. These can be memories of early morning hockey games or of studying for a stressful test. It’s important that we hold on to these memory-carrying songs because we grow old and memories start to fade, but music will always be around to help us reminisce about the golden days.

Stevie Wonder once said, “Music, at its essence, is what gives us memories. And the longer a song has existed in our lives, the more memories we have of it.”