Something About It Controls Me

The First Time

I can still remember the first time music became a big deal in my life. I was in elementary school and my older brother would rock out to all of the great jams of the early 90s. I was jealous. In my head he was the coolest kid around and I wanted to be just like him. The worst part is he wanted absolutely nothing to do with me. I was that annoying little sister who copied everything he did and followed him everywhere he went. I learned in short time to keep at least an arms distance away because if I got any closer I would get attacked with all the muscle and energy at 13 year old boy could conjure up.

When my brother wasn’t home I would sneak into his room and turn on his boom-box to listen to his music. I attempted to dance around as I saw him do and sing lyrics which had no meaning behind the memorized words coming out of my mouth. I danced crazy. I sung at the top of my lungs. I was in a world of my own where no one could touch me. This was when I first realized music guided me into a world of my own, however loud or crazy I wanted to be.

Teeny Boppers

Oh boy did I love growing up in the 90s. One word… BOY BANDS!! Being a tween at this time could not have been better in my mind. Boy bands swept the nation and I was head-over-heels for all of them! Between N’ Sync and Backstreet Boys music was unstoppable at this age. All girls my age went wild over music at these heartthrobs singing love songs we’d like to think were dedicated personally to us.

I finally started listening to lyrics. Everyone did. Quotes of love and friendship would be pulled from songs and posted all over their lockers, AIM Away Messages and secret love letters to the boy across the room in English class. The young and talented artist Taylor Swift notes “… when you’re 15 and somebody tells you they love you, you’re gunna believe them.” At this age when you loved someone it was real and damn anyone who tries to tell you otherwise! Lyrics were extremely important to relate to my life. Hours, if not days, could be spent searching to find the best song to dedicate to that special guy in 7th grade. In order to express how I felt I used lyrics and their words spoke for me.

Music for the Soul

Now as I am older I know what kind of music I like and dislike. I don’t listen to certain artists to follow the crowd but listen to enjoy the music for what it is. Music moves me. It takes me away to another place outside of my own duties and worries and into a place of relaxation and mindless pleasure. I am obsessed. I know always know what artists I want to hear which will perfectly fit my mood or change it need be. Nothing else can control me the way music does.

One of the things I love most about music is that it is so diverse. There is a song to fit every feeling, mood, and lifestyle. Songs of love for both young and old, heartbreak, death, desire, lust, friendship, drinking, drugs, college life, working life, weather, and anything else you could possibly think of. Music is for everyone and tells a story. Some stories make me laugh and some make me cry. It’s the control it has over my soul. Music is one thing I know I will have in my life forever and without it I’d be lost.