Raymond Yu, Q4 Week 3 - Music
Q4 Week 3 - Music
By Raymond Yu
(Image of multicolored music notes floating away)
Memory and language are interconnected, memory is not fully dependent on language. To further the discussion on the relation between language and memory, languageless memory must be discussed. My most vivid memories without language have been with music. Although I have poor memory relating to sights, I have often gotten memory callbacks from music. One of my most memorable is how I have tied a piece of music to a piece of fiction. Although the piece of music is completely unrelated to the fiction, I used to think about how fitting it was for the webtoon whenever I practiced playing the piece and it has now been permanently etched into my memory. Whenever I hear the music, Victory by Two Steps From Hell, I think of the webtoon, Tower of God.
Another instance of this has occurred when I play a song on repeat while studying a topic. Oftentimes, when I listen to the song again, I think of the topic and recall information about it. This type of memory, however, is only applicable when I am listening to music. I have much more difficulty relating memories to various sights, with it only occurring at very emotionally significant places. One of the few visual memories I have is of a summer camp that I have attended and staffed for 3 years now, still ongoing. The site was a very transformative experience and I can remember the various experiences I had with my friends there whenever I imagine its various unique locations.
Are there any strong memories that you can recall through music or sights? Or perhaps even through other senses like smell or taste?
Image Source:
https://www.vectorstock.com/royalty-free-vector/set-of-musical-notes-on-a-five-line-clock-colors-vector-14614521
Hi Raymond,
ReplyDeleteI forget when this was, but when I was sick and stayed home from school, I only played Tetris for an entire day. That night, I had intense fever dreams consisting of me being a T-piece and painfully T-spinning into slots. I know it doesn't make sense, but now, whenever I play Tetris, I start feeling nauseous and sick.
As for music, whenever I hear "SOMEBODY LIKE" by ASTRO, I immediately think of the summer of 2021.
Sincerely,
Sean Wang
Music brings. back emotional memories rather than living memories. The best example for me is this one chinese song called "某某." I listened to this song on repeat during my first SAT. I would listen to this song while I half-*ssed my practice tests, and the melody would keep playing through my constant attempt to comfort myself. In the end, it would keep ringing in the back of my head as I hummed it to sleep. After failing my first test, I continued to listen to it. I spent my whole thanksgiving break studying, but in the background "某某“ would still be playing. It haunted me just as much as my failure haunted it. After my second, more successful SAT, I let go of that song and the playlist where it was hidden until recently as I am studying for APs. The level of unsuspecting nostalgia that hit me probably made me tear up more than I needed. It almost seemed to bring that period of anxious failure to the forefront of my living memories. So in a sense, life has its own original soundtrack made for the sake of each season.
ReplyDeleteHi Raymond,
ReplyDeleteA song that brings back strong memories for me is "Challa" from the movie Jab Tak Hai Jan. My mom and I are huge fans of the movie since it stars our favorite actor: Shah Rukh Khan (SRK). The song is played in the movie when SRK loses his memories and becomes a guitarist in London, and the tune is unbelievably playful and uplifting. We would play it on repeat during roadtrips, and whenever I want to reminisce on those days, I plug in my headphones and listen to the song.
Sincerely,
Krish
Hi Raymond,
ReplyDeleteMusic means a lot to me. To answer your question, my freshman year reminds me of a multitude of songs that I could not stop playing. Specifically, a song called 五月天- OAOA by Nikki Chau. During the first few weeks of school, my Chinese teacher played this song as we walked into class. I didn't understand what it was saying as I was (and still am) just a beginner in Chinese, but I fell in love with the music. I visit that song again just to remind me of those times.
Hi Raymond,
ReplyDeleteFor me, I know a ton of songs because I listen to them from either the radio or from movies, but I don't ever remember the names of them. So at moments where, for example, I am super happy, A happy song is played in my head. The song that gets played, however, is always random.
Sincerely,
Vivan Waghela
Hey Raymond, I also relate music to memory, but unfortunately it hasn't helped me study as far as I can tell. I have a few songs that I hold close to my heart because of their connection with what I would call my core memories (Inside Out reference). I do feel like sight plays a pretty big role in memory for me at least. I'm a person who experiences deja vu on a very regular basis (it's kinda scary how often and how accurate it is), and it usually manifests itself in a setting I've seen before or a scenario that I felt I've already lived through. This was a pretty interesting topic; thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHey Ray!
ReplyDeleteMusic also means a lot to me and has shaped a large portion of my memories and I think it is cool that the same applies for you and so many others in our cohort. The same easily applies to visual stimuli of places (like how we know how to get somewhere without an address!). It is super natural for us as humans to connect audible and visual cues to the moment in which we experienced them. I find it a super endearing quality in all people and I really enjoyed the way you spoke about this. Thank you for sharing and good luck on your AP tests this week<3
Hi Raymond,
ReplyDeleteI think it's very interesting that you would bring up "languageless memory" as it really is an aspect that I haven't really considered. In a way, Music is indeed the perfect example of said "languageless memory." It is incredible that we as humans are not only able to differentiate music, but also feel different types of emotions emitting from the sounds, and even create memories associated with these sounds. A little off topic, but I always really appreciate the little bits of satire that you throw in your posts, this time being the image caption of the stock image.
Yi-Kuan C.
Hi Raymond,
ReplyDeleteMusic seems to be a very common topic for this quarter's blogging theme. I agree that music can be tied to some of our fondest memories. For example, a song that reminds me of one of my favorite childhood memories is is the Wii Sports Resorts theme song when you first load the game. This song has made up many memories with my brother over the summers and with my aunt on the weekends. It also reminds me of the times I've spent with my friends in elementary school, showing off my Wii bowling skills and three-point competition prowess.