I’ve loved music my whole life. Whether it’s dancing to Disney music in the living room as a little kid, listening to the songs on all my playlists daily, being involved in musical theatre in the past, or playing music to clear my head while I exercise. It has always been a big part of my life. Different people have a variety of other music tastes and themes. Some examples could include pop, rap, R&B, indie, rock, country, jazz, hip-hop, or other genres.
According to Music and the Brain: The Science Behind Your Favorite Songs from ffs.falcon.org, Margot Schneider stated, ‘…music also has lots of effects on mental health, mood, and wellbeing.’ and ‘playing ‘cheerful’ music when one is feeling sad can trigger serotonin and dopamine release, which quickly can alter one’s mood, including feelings of “motivation” and “empowerment.” After contemplating this, I found a question from chalkandapples.com. The question is, ‘What is your favorite song at the moment and why?’ Music is tied to a lot of memories and emotions that I have. There are different songs artists, and genres that I love, but one song that has stuck with me for the past few months is Home, by Good Neighbors. The song is about feeling nostalgic for something that happened a long time ago and wanting to experience something similar to it again with someone you love. Home reminds me of a lot of great things that I experienced in the past as well, specifically over the summer of 2024. I went on a humanitarian trip to West Virginia. During the trip, we’d play a lot of music while driving or working at the worksite we were assigned to. One of the songs that played a lot was Home. One of the trip leaders liked that song so he would play it often. One time when it was playing, two of the other leaders had to stop by a store to grab a few things. We decided to try and mess with them by switching seats with different people who we weren’t sitting next to begin with on the bus. Once they got back, they finally realized what we’d done, and everyone was laughing because of how long it took them to figure out that something was off.
Later in the summer, I was hanging out with two of my good friends. We went wakeboarding and cliff jumping at Causey Reservoir. On the way there, one of my friends started playing it in the car. It played in the background as we talked, joked, and laughed about different things. The Snow Basin scenery gave us a beautiful backdrop as we drove along. Furthermore, near the end of a family trip in South Carolina, we ate at a French-themed cafe for dinner one night. I ordered a smoothie, and it was one of the best smoothies I’ve ever had. On the way back to the resort we were staying at, I listened to Home once again. The day after, I was walking along a beach and that song was in my head. It still reminds me of all the colorful double homes lined up along the seagrass, and the warm ocean water splashing over my ankles. In conclusion, Home, by Good Neighbors is one of my current favorite songs because of all the good experiences I’ve had that it reminds me of. Whether that be of different trips, people, tasty food, soothing sensations, or activities that have taken place in recent months. What do you think your favorite song is right now?
