Earliest Memories of Music
Most of my earliest memories of music come from hearing my family’s favorite songs playing in my house as a kid. My dad especially loved to play his music loud enough that you could hear it no matter where you were in the house. I think it’s very likely that he has permanent hearing damage from those years. Whenever he was cooking, working in the garage, or in his office, you could hear his favorites: Corinne Bailey Rae, Regina Spektor, The Police, and sometimes a little bit of ABBA. My mom didn’t like to play music as much as my dad, unless she was working out, in which case she would always listen to either her favorite “80’s Greatest Hits” playlist or the band Ok Go.
Another kind of music that could always be heard in my house was my brother’s piano playing. He practiced at the piano in our living room every day, usually playing his favorite, Scott Joplin. When he was older he got an old electric keyboard that he would hook headphones up to, so all you could hear was the clanging of the plastic keys with no music. But when I was younger, there was almost constant piano music playing in my house.
Another distinct early memory of music I have is listening to ABBA in my grandma’s car when my mom would drop me off at her house for the day. We’d drive to the grocery store together, and she’d roll down the windows, pop in an “ABBA Gold” CD, and we’d sing along to it all the way there. Some of my favorites to this day are “Waterloo,” and “SOS.”
Over the years as people stopped using CDs and started listening to music on their phones with headphones, the house has gotten a little quieter. But I’m really happy that I got to experience a childhood with music around me. I think it’s definitely shaped the music that I listen to today, since nostalgia is a big part of my music taste. I wish I could magically create a playlist of all the songs my family listened to back then, since I’m sure I’m forgetting dozens that I would only remember if I happened to hear them again.
I love that you mentioned specific artists! When I was little, my dad also played a lot of Regina Spektor, so whenever I listen to her music (especially Begin to Hope), it feels nostalgic. You make an interesting point about the transition from CDs to headphones, which is something I've never really thought about until you pointed it out. I remember playing CDs frequently when I was younger, and I think it still kind of feels like that when I play music out loud at home, even if it's using Spotify.
ReplyDeleteI love your descriptions of the different types of music you'd hear in your house. My dad also likes to blast music while he's cooking and working. He listens to a lot of funk, and I often have to tell him to turn it down because I can hear him from across the house with multiple closed doors between us. I also always hear my brother practicing clarinet, and similar to your observation about headphones, I notice the quiet when he leaves for college and isn't practicing in our house. That also means his practicing feels extra loud whenever he comes home.
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