Life is Better as a Musical
“Live your life as if its a musical” is a quote my best friend uses to describe the way she lives her life and her love for music. You can always find her singing and karaoking while cooking, gaming, working and making memories by soundtracking everything she does. This perfectly encapsulates the way I think we should live our lives too-singing, dancing and making memories. How fun and magical does that sound?
I love music and have always been interested in the way music stimulates our brains. I am always listening to music. Music fills me with this intense energy and instantly changes my mood soundtracking that particular experience or taking me back to relive a memorable moment. To me, music feels like a sacred space, a space where I can enter a state of mind where nothing but the moment matters. This quote by Albert Einstein perfectly describes my take on the power of music:
“If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music.” ― Albert Einstein
There is something about music that makes me see my life and the world differently. I see music as my filter to the world-sometimes it is bright & colourful and sometimes it is black & white. It’s like letting your imagination take a bunch of pictures and letting your brain do the documentation adding the music like creating your very own music video. I sometimes run and when I run I listen to music. At the start, music helps me to immerse myself into the environment around me in complementing the sounds of the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Exhausted and wanting to give up, on the final stretch of the run, Tokyo Drift by Teriyaki Boys gives me that extra adrenaline fuel push to keep going. If you have ever put the right song at the right moment, you know exactly what I am talking about. So I put out this question to my friends “ What does music make you feel and what adventure does it take you on?” to get to know the soundtrack to their lives and here are a handful of them.
“I feel like music can sometimes portray emotion in a way far more powerful than words. I love music because it can do so much. It can make me feel so alive, help me escape, or take me away to a place different. In the same way as reading a book or watching a movie, to me music can create a whole different reality to which I can escape for a while. I think the power of music is often underestimated, I can’t go a day without listening to music — my life needs a soundtrack behind it.”- Rosie, 22, UK
“There are so many words to describe how music makes me feel, one of the words that stands out the most however is CULTURED. We all know how music always tells us a story, it expresses emotions or even opens up a door to a society that is different from ours and I love that. I go on an adventure through the vocal expression of an artist, the different kinds of acoustic features, and so on. All these tiny bits of details that are added to a piece are what make it a story worth listening to, thus allowing me to gain an understanding of something that I don’t know of or maybe even something I can relate to entirely! AH! I love music!”-Maysoon, 19, Jordan
“I’m very particular when it comes to music and it’s very personal to me. Music to me needs to be done properly. The album cover, the way the artist sequences the songs to build the tempo tells a story. I love to see the evolution of music and how sounds have changed over the decades. Listening to them is like a musical journey and I’m invested in understanding every note and every lyric to get a sneak peek into the inspiration behind the music composed. Music can both move and comfort me. It soundtracks my everyday routine and also serves as an escape from all my problems.”- Molka, 24, Tunisia
“Music makes me feel like a part of my soul has lightened up to match the mood of whatever I have been listening to while adding a little spice to my life that is filled with experiences. I enjoy making playlists because it feels like I’m preparing content for my future self to vibe with. My inspiration behind the playlists can be anything but it’s usually one song and from there I begin curating my musical journey.”- Gülşah, 21, Turkey
“Music has and will always be a part of my everyday life. From the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep and all the moments in between, I am listening to music. I am soundtracking my experience when I’m cooking, showering or going for an afternoon stroll in the city park. At the moment it’s 4:30 pm and I’m typing this on an 80s typewriter listening to Opera which is just a perfect accompaniment as it always is. In a way, I feel music gives me an escape from everyday life and spices it up which makes me feel like I am living in a musical or at least a movie where I am the main character of sorts. I love listening to 40s music when I am shaving. There’s just something blissful about listening to Glenn Miller or Cab Calloway when I am trimming my moustache for some reason. 70s soul & funk is my soundtrack on sunny afternoons & cool fall days. It’s hard to explain why I associate certain sounds to certain moments buts it’s an interesting topic worth exploring.”- Sabri, 21, France
“Music gives me the power to face my problems head-on and properly live them. Music helps me express my mind with words or feelings I couldn’t display before. It’s, as corny as it is, a way of healing, or coping or just finding balance and calm in your thoughts and feelings. It can, as it has times before, change my mood upside down, but that’s not what I expect it to do, it’s more about making me live in the moment a little bit deeper and longer. However, I do agree that some songs are linked with some dear memories, listening back to them takes you back there to relive them. I don’t usually like musicals but there’s something I find inspiring about people, and the way we bond so often over music and express ourselves without having to use actual words.”- Marouane, 21, Morocco
“When asked the question, “What does music make you feel and what adventure does it take you on?”, I quite often refer back to ‘Ring a Ding-Ding’ by Frank Sinatra. The reason why I refer back to this song is because it put me on the journey of the songs I love and adore today. As a 20-year-old, you would quite often think I listen to rap or anything of that matter, but in fact, it couldn’t be further from that. Delving into the old music of Swing Jazz and soul/blues, I just couldn’t believe the meaning of these songs. These songs not only sound good, but they have a purpose and an inspiring meaning to which anyone could relate to. If you’re feeling sad or longing about a past lover, “I’m a Fool to Want You” by Frank Sinatra would be an emotional listen, but if you’re feeling swingy “That’s Amore” By Dean Martin would be great! Although this is just one big preference by me, I feel as if it’s an important preference. If 75 year old me could look back at my life and recap what I have done, I would be first proud. I have had fine friends, a great family, and everything in between almost like a Hammerstein and Rodgers musical. Inside of this musical, I feel as if there needs to be a body of songs, ups, and downs of one’s life to recap. Having an introduction song, such as “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” by Frank Sinatra, really sets the tone because it interprets the start of my life and what is to come for the future. The second song to meet in the middle of my life I would want no other song besides “For Once In My Life” by Tony Bennett. This song provides a sense of love and the responsibilities I needed in mid-life. Lastly, I would end on the note of “It Was a Very Good Year” by Frank Sinatra. This song sums up my life as a whole, for the good and for the slum times I feel as if it’s important to highlight my overall time here on earth. So enjoy life, and live it a song at a time. The stories to be told through them are limitless.” — Louis, 20, USA
It makes sense now, doesn’t it? Every note, every beat, the tingling sensation in our ears and the moment our heartbeat syncs with the beats and vibrations of the song push us to see the world differently and become better versions of ourselves-singing, dancing and celebrating life. People are like radios, they pick up music signals. Indeed life is much better as a musical. So my fellow costars & band members, let me ask you this question “ What adventure does music take you on and how do you plan to share that adventure with the world?”
Music can set the tone for the day so here is a playlist of songs that make me and my friends live life like a musical. Please feel free to add your songs too!
