Musical Nostalgia

Music and its Emotional Power

Music has the ability to modify emotions and release emotions that correspond to an individual’s feelings of grief, tension, or even enjoyment. Music can also elicit strong emotions, which attract people from ancient Greece to the present day. The intriguing thing is that certain songs live on even after their composers and descendants have passed away. Classical music appears to have strong roots in today’s age. The most influential or deeply rooted classical music in today’s generation is that written between the 1960s and 1970s. The composers during these times are the likes of The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Byrds, Chubby Checker and many others. Most people enjoy these songs for some reasons (Juslin, Patrik N., and Daniel Västfjäll).

The Power of Musical Nostalgia

Neuroscientists and psychologist in their quest to understand why people enjoy music from long ago recently uncovered evidence that supports the notion that the human brain binds an individual to songs the person heard in the formative years. The formative years, in this case, are the teenage years for an adult. The phenomenon could also be referred to as musical nostalgia. The phenomenon leads an individual to continue loving a song even if there taste has changed over time (Stern, Mark). The song evokes the same emotions an individual felt when they first listened to it, therefore, an irresistible urge to continue listening to the songs for a very long time.

The Enduring Nature of K-Pop

The genre of music that last longer is the one that continues to evolve accommodating all races listening to it. For example, the k-pop is one genre that keeps changing. Korean pop music has been now in existence for more than a hundred years. The Korean pop genre emerged around 1916, pioneered by the release of “Song of Katusa” which is considered to be the first Korean pop song. The K-pop grew with the influence of Japanese and western pop, but this has hanged recently. Over the last 20 years, Korean pop has seen a revolutionary change with its influence going beyond Asian and penetrating Europe. The K-pop has a promising future of being in existence for the long haul as it has a century in existence and has just started infiltrating other countries away from Asia (Cheol-min, Song).

The Timeless Appeal of “Send My Love” by Adele

Every day there is a new song being recorded, but there are only a few that make to the favorite list. Other than making it to the top list, there are only a few that will remain for the long haul. One of the pop songs that might make it to 100 years is Send My Love by Adele (Adele). In this song, Adele writes the song of conflicting bittersweet forgiveness to un undeserving ex-lover. Songs about love are always written, but Adele introduced a new and exciting concept on how to deal with a breakup. The fact that her idea is original will make the song last longer as it is not the typical song about love and heartbreak. What’s more, the whole video depicts the conflicting feelings hence more exciting and probably will go on intriguing many people even as it ages.

Work cited

Adele. “Send My Love (To Your New Lover).” 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fk4BbF7B29w.

Cheol-min, Song. K-Pop Beyond Asia. 1st ed., Seoul, Korean Culture And Information Service Ministry Of Culture, Sports And Tourism, 2017,.

Juslin, Patrik N., and Daniel Västfjäll. “Emotional Responses To Music: The Need To Consider Underlying Mechanisms.” Behavioral And Brain Sciences, vol 31, no. 05, 2008, Cambridge University Press (CUP), doi:10.1017/s0140525x08005293.

Stern, Mark. “Why Are We So Nostalgic For Music We Loved As Teenagers?.” Slate Magazine, 2017, http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2014/08/musical_nostalgia_the_psychology_and_neuroscience_for_song_preference_and.html.