When I was younger, having a Sony walkman was the coolest gadget for a teen. Okay, that would give you an indication of how ancient I am. Anyway, I couldn’t afford a Sony and ended up with some cheap model made in ‘the country that won the most number of gold medals in the 2008 Olympics’. But it didn’t matter, as long there was music playing, I was happy.
As I got older, it was just too cumbersome to lug around tapes and the bulky Walkman. I thought a book was a smarter alternative for long rides home. Gone was the need to fiddle with batteries and switching the tape to side B etc. Yes, my imitation walkman was THAT primitive. Besides, dropping a book in a crowded bus didn’t impact it as much as it did a Walkman. And if I got a seat and didn’t want to read, all I had to do was tuck the book away to dream or snooze. These non music rides went on for almost two decades until I received an ipod Nano as a freebie after signing up for some saving plan.
Suddenly, there’s music to accompany me to work and home again. I have to say that the music does make my long journey a lot easier to bear. And sometimes, I actually replay a track over and over because the music simply matches my mood for the day. This is a feature that didn’t exist with my cheap Walkman imitation.
However, I did feel a tad bit guilty. I became one of the many public transport commuters who is just too wrapped up bopping to the music to notice people around them. I recalled that on one of my rides, I didn’t offer a seat to a pregnant lady because I was too engrossed conjuring images in my head to a song that was playing on my Nano. By the time I realized her standing there, it was her stop and she alighted. It bothered me enough to put away the Nano for the rest of the trip.
The thing about music is that it affects you whether you realize it or not. Take for example, would you feel the way you do for certain movie scenes if NOT for the music score or songs? Would you feel the heroine’s pain as she loses the man she loves? Would you feel a sense of satisfaction when the hero finally stands up to the bully?
Inspiring music lifts you. Sometimes heart felt lyrics and soppy tunes, help you reflect or comfort you when you’re down. For this very reason, song dedication radio programmes are always very popular. There’s no better way to tell someone how you feel than through music or a song.
So I’ve decided to let the music play on but now I have the luxury of blasting it really loud when I drive. My current favourite is ‘Pricetag’ by Jessie James. Great melody and meaningful lyrics. As they always say, ‘Ka ching’ is what makes the world go around!
