Why Do People Bond with Music from Their Youth?

[WLIRRIP]

I'm sitting here listening to Motnow's uploaded 'LIR radio mixes from the mid-80s. My 70 or so radio tapes were destroyed in a horrible incident that permanently took all those memories from me. These digitized tape recordings are bringing back some very difficult-to-describe and very subjective feelings from that time. The emotional mix the music created in me when I first heard it I can recall. One of those feelings was almost a low-level high (not that I actually ever got high, but I'm at a loss for better words). It put me in my own little world and I could almost mentally bathe in that emotional mix.

Having teenagers now I see how they bond with the Blink 182s, Green Days, MCRs, etc. I can't stand the whiny, commercialized garbage passing itself off as punk today. But these kids can listen to this stuff for hours. My father-in-law still loves his 50s and 60s tunes; the 50s rock, the 60s Motown, etc.

We all seem to bond with the music we listen to as adolescents and young adults. Anyone got any thoughts or opinions on this? Anyone know why?

I like some modern stuff, don't get me wrong. But much of that stuff is in the genre/style of the 80s 'wave movement.

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Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.
Psalm 33:12

[nuwavedame]

A very interesting thread, WLIRRIP! To answer your question, I think people are always looking to find something in common with one another and music is the universal bonding method. It doesn't matter if two people come from completely different backgrounds but if they are both fans of Polka music ([xx(]) that's the one thing that's going to keep that bond strong.

The truth of the matter is, I just turned thirty this year and New Wave/Post Punk isn't even suppose to be 'the music of my generation' because I came of age during the Grunge/Gangsta Rap/Neo-Alternative era of the nineties. I listened to some of that stuff, but WLIR was my main station of choice and Talking Heads, Blondie, A Flock of Seagulls, Culture Club, Gang of Four and countless others was always blaring from my stereo. When I discovered that music, I felt like I found my tribe. New Wave spoke more to me, for me, and about me than any other musical genre. And thank goodness for the Internet and web sites like this one that allows me to find others who have the same passion I have for it and who were lucky enough to enjoy it the first time around.

I also like some modern stuff, but like you WLIRRIP, it's more along the lines of bands that are equated with the new wave/post punk sound: Interpol, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV on the Radio, Arcade Fire, VHS vs. Beta etc.

[hexicon]

It is certainly true in my case. (So weird, I just woke up from dreaming about the club I used to go to, trying to remember the song playing in the dream.)

I have no explanation other than that it seems our generation is just as predictable as those who've gone before it. ("Put on a sweater!" "Get off my lawn!" . . . )

[KYYX4ever]

I think the intensity of adolescence engenders such a bond. We have all spoken at length about how much we love the wave. We have filled threads with our love, our paeans, our confessionals for this, our favourite music. But the bond itself also arose, as it did for our parents and those of you with kids today, out of the incredible angst, intensity, and emotions tied up in adolescence. i.e., music you heard really [i]spoke[/i] to you because it...well, it just did. Whether it was a tune like "Smalltown Boy" that spoke to a confused teen grappling with those issues, or political punk rock like Dead Kennedys that spoke to a teen who was discovering a wider world around them (as what happened to me), or love songs that spoke to your unrequited love for someone...on and on the list goes. Combine that with the usual teenage-raging-hormonal-self-discovery-awakening that we all went through, and I think it's natural that the music we heard and liked fit right into that. Kind of like a soundtrack to those years, if you will.

/geek mode off. I am really fascinated by this issue too !

[Frau_Blucher]

I think Angie hits on one part of the answer, which is probably actually pretty straigtforward - the strong ties of memory to adolescence and early adulthood. I've read about the "Reminiscence Bump", the temporally preferential retention of memories from the ages of about 10 to 25. I didn't get too much into the mumbo jumbo of the articles, but it would kinda figure that during these years of the most active and intense emotional, social, and identity development, many of our most intense memories will also be formed and retained. Music is strongly emotional and probably plays an integral formative role in those types of characterisitcs as well as in the retention of memories tied to those traits.

I don't see the other part of RIP's question being addressed though - about why we sometimes feel the "high" in our recollections. Ephinephrine (adrenaline) and other hormones are known to be contributors to long-term memory storage. Recall of those strong memories and emotions are probably intertwined biochemical events that can concordantly trigger a similar release of those same chemicals. I see that epinephrine isn't psychoactive by itself, but the arousal or stress that it contributes to can trigger other chemicals like norephinephrine which can produce hightened heart rate, blood oxygen, blood sugars, etc...ie. a "high".

[Minty]

^^^ Very interesting. I had prepared a much simpler answer, but yours if it's true could well be the ultimate.

[NuWaveRx]

[quote][i]Originally posted by Blir[/i]
<br>I think Angie hits on one part of the answer, which is probably actually pretty straigtforward - the strong ties of memory to adolescence and early adulthood. I've read about the "Reminiscence Bump", the temporally preferential retention of memories from the ages of about 10 to 25. I didn't get too much into the mumbo jumbo of the articles, but it would kinda figure that during these years of the most active and intense emotional, social, and identity development, many of our most intense memories will also be formed and retained. Music is strongly emotional and probably plays an integral formative role in those types of characterisitcs as well as in the retention of memories tied to those traits.

I don't see the other part of RIP's question being addressed though - about why we sometimes feel the "high" in our recollections. Ephinephrine (adrenaline) and other hormones are known to be contributors to long-term memory storage. Recall of those strong memories and emotions are probably intertwined biochemical events that can concordantly trigger a similar release of those same chemicals. I see that epinephrine isn't psychoactive by itself, but the arousal or stress that it contributes to can trigger other chemicals like norephinephrine which can produce hightened heart rate, blood oxygen, blood sugars, etc...ie. a "high".
[/quote]


Several studies have suggested that music tied to "positive" emotional response may be embedded more readily in long-term memory and the more powerful the initial response the more easily it is recalled. Here's an abstract from BMC Neuroscience published recently:

BMC Neurosci. 2008 May 28;9:48.
Unforgettable film music: the role of emotion in episodic long-term memory for music.
Eschrich S, Münte TF, Altenmüller EO.


BACKGROUND: Specific pieces of music can elicit strong emotions in listeners and, possibly in connection with these emotions, can be remembered even years later. However, episodic memory for emotional music compared with less emotional music has not yet been examined. We investigated whether emotional music is remembered better than less emotional music. Also, we examined the influence of musical structure on memory performance. RESULTS: Recognition of 40 musical excerpts was investigated as a function of arousal, valence, and emotional intensity ratings of the music. In the first session the participants judged valence and arousal of the musical pieces. One week later, participants listened to the 40 old and 40 new musical excerpts randomly interspersed and were asked to make an old/new decision as well as to indicate arousal and valence of the pieces. Musical pieces that were rated as very positive were recognized significantly better. CONCLUSION: Musical excerpts rated as very positive are remembered better. Valence seems to be an important modulator of episodic long-term memory for music. Evidently, strong emotions related to the musical experience facilitate memory formation and retrieval.

[Spaz]

I've always likened it to a subconconcious search for the innocence that I once possessed before I became older, bitter, had more responsibilities, had less guilt, etc.

When I was younger, I found it easier to releax and enjoy life and all of it's challenges, but as I get older, I become more uptight and stressed. I long for the days when I didn't have to worry about money, work, etc.

When I listen to the music of 1977-1987, my mind and body actually relax. I have such fond memories of this time period. This is not to say that I don't enjoy my life now....it's just that there are more responsibilities.

So, to make a long story short (I know, too late!), I feel that I (or we) are often searching for a feeling or a mindset that we used to have and the music brings those memories back....

I'm probably way off base, or not getting my point across, but I'm trying....

SPAZ
www.princess-inc.com

[WLIRRIP]

Wow. I wasn't sure I'd find any responses to this, never mind 7 or 8. I think each of you contributed something intelligent and thoughtful, certainly going much deeper than I did. E.g., I never even thought of a biochemical reason for all this.

I can remember walking through my college campus playing "You Spin Me Round" on my Walkman. The same for "Living on Video". I remember the trees, the buildings, the hot Latin chicks walking by, my jacket, my heavy books and art supplies, etc. I remember walking to the bus stop when going to school, listening to the piano opening of "Feels Like Heaven", with the coolish fall breeze and rustling leaves in October of 1985.

Sorry... waxing nostalgic... a disease that's hit me hard in the last 10 years.

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Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.
Psalm 33:12

[glokstadt]

I have something to say, but my brain is in off mode... will come back to this thread later. [B)]


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[bateman]

Biochemistry is probably the right answer to that question. When you're a child, you're basically 'blank' in every way. Your nerves haven't yet connected in a proper way in your brain, so music (like so many other things, food f.e.) fills up your level of experience to a point you can really start from developing your own opinion. Later on you always come back to those memories to judge other decisions against them. Old memories are good memories because you have built up the strongest connection to them over the years. Remember that old people tend to forget most of the stuff they've experienced through their later years, all but childhood memories.

[bpdp3]

A few years back I was working with a guy in his late 50's and he didn't like listening to the "oldies" station. When I asked him why, he said "because I hear these songs and it reminds me of all the things I've should've been doing with my life...."

I guess that's the flipside of it.

For me, it's pretty straight-forward. When I was in my early teens, I didn't have to work, I had friends around, I was noticing girls all of a sudden, No stress, etc etc.... it's no wonder I love the sounds of that time in my life.

(although I'm convinced there was never an outpouring of original, diverse music like we had in the early 80's/postpunk/new wave era).

[WoodlandParkPunk]

[quote][i]Originally posted by hexicon[/i]
<br>It is certainly true in my case. (So weird, I just woke up from dreaming about the club I used to go to, trying to remember the song playing in the dream.)

I have no explanation other than that it seems our generation is just as predictable as those who've gone before it. ("Put on a sweater!" "Get off my lawn!" . . . )
[/quote]

I do that often as well. By the way, you still looking for some "young cock" or has that scratch been itched?[:D]

"You just pick a chord, go twang, and you've got music." ~ Sid Vicious

[TragicMagic]

Listening to tracks from my youth reminds me of simpler times, where pressure was only something that helped your mom cook your food. It can be a good calmative in times of stress.

[DJ Lestat]

great thread! I can totally relate to all points made herein. When I was about 11 or so I got really hardcore into skateboarding, which was mostly underground in my neck of the woods then. I think I really liked that aspect of it(the underground part) and the punk music that came along with it was part of my early angst. Then in high school(I still skated then) I was part of the "anarchy" crowd of freaks at school and with that came all the new wave music. I just loved being the freak then and all the emotions of that time are instilled in my mind in songs. Tons of memories come flooding back when certain tracks come up on the ipod today. You'd never know I was like that in my youth if you saw me today, wife, kids, house, successful career, etc. I still very much love my inner freak and cherish all those memories through the music.

One thing my wife and I always did was to have music on when the kids were around and for that we have two kids who just love music. In fact alot of 80's music! I think we did this because when we were both young our parents always had music on when we were around. I can only hope that the youth of today have a love for the music of their era that I do for mine.

We have a couple of friends we have met in our neighborhood and I am completely blown away by how uninterested these people are in music. I don't think I could go one day of my life without listening to music and these people could care less about it. I just find that very odd, but they may find me very odd for having so much love and addiction to music.

Oops I went on a rant sorry guys....

Always remember your unique....just like everyone else.