Sounds of the Soul

Music - What does that word mean to you?

Is it something you turn on to drown out the deafening sound of silence?

Is it a complex mixture of harmonies?

Perhaps you see it as simple vibrations and nothing more.

You might even feel that when you turn on the radio, all you hear is noise.

If you are here reading this I doubt you fall into that last category but the truth of the matter is, its all of these things. What differs between all of us sharing this existence isn’t the music itself, but perspective. I write this not to entice, persuade, or even challenge your feelings on music - only to share some perspective from my vantage point.

In my day-to-day life, I work a relatively high-stress position that often leaves me reeling for some sense of normalcy. Music is always the safe place I can retreat to and allow myself time to recover. For me, music is more than just sound. It’s more than just a banging beat, a sick drop, or the most eloquent lyrics. Music is spiritual—not in a religious, break-out-your-hymnal sense—but in a way that speaks to the soul and allows you to wash away the negative.

Berthold Auerbach once said, “Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” There could not be a more perfect explanation of the power of music, in my mind.

Since you’ve taken the time to join me on this little trip, I have a challenge for you. For just a moment, think about a single medium in your life that can transport you through time. Food might be one of the only other things that can conjure strong thoughts and emotions in me the way music does, yet time and time again, music gives me so much more.

Music can take you back to a specific moment in your past, remind you of places you’ve long since departed, temporarily bring back loved ones gone too soon, and even trigger smells. Yes—I said smells. I bet if you think hard enough, you can name a song that takes you back to a time with a very specific scent attached to it.

Don’t believe me? Go listen to “Watermelon Crawl” by Tracy Byrd and tell me that doesn’t smell like an early ’90s Dodge pickup with vinyl seats, filled with cigarette smoke. Whether that song triggers the same emotion and recognition in you doesn’t really matter. What matters is that anyone old enough to have lived through the ’80s and ’90s knows exactly what that smells like.

If you were to present me with any of those descriptors alone, I wouldn’t be transported back to that moment in time. But if you play that song, I am instantly an eight-year-old child smelling it for the first time. What other medium commands that much emotion and power?

Why do I bring up something so silly, you might ask? Simply to show the power of those beautiful, well-organized frequencies that most of us take for granted. Music heals the soul—and I mean that in a literal sense. How many times in your earthly journey have you been sad, mad, anxious, or even happy and turned to music?

We use it to help reset our mental state, or even to prolong it. I know very few people who turn to music while in a negative mindset and don’t feel their mood lighten. When it doesn’t affect them, the reason is quite simple: they’re refusing to allow it to happen. Instead of getting caught up in the moment and allowing the music to bathe them in its healing frequencies, they wallow in their emotions.

This simple act is incredibly powerful—and detrimental to their well-being. When we’re able to let go and stop hyper-fixating on how upset or miserable we are, a couple of things happen. We cut ourselves free from the negative situation tying us down, and we allow the music to do its work.

I’d love to tell you what music will affect you the most, but the beauty in all of this is that we all respond to different frequencies—and half the fun is figuring out what works best for you. So go out there and experiment.

Hans Christian Andersen said it best: “Where words fail, music speaks.” I challenge you to do just that—let it wrap you in its healing warmth and change your day for the better.

Despite what anyone says, never forget:

It’s okay to feel.

Your emotions are what make you human. So feel deeply, love fully, and never let the music die. It’s the sound of life itself.