Some songs never really leave us.
Isn’t it strange how a song can take you back twenty, thirty, even fifty years in a matter of seconds?
You can be driving along, walking through a shop or listening to the radio when a familiar tune comes on. Suddenly, you’re somewhere else entirely.
Perhaps it’s a summer holiday, a school disco or a night out with friends when you really should have known better. You remember the people, the place, sometimes even what you were wearing.
For a moment, it all feels surprisingly close.
The songs that remind us of someone
And then there are the songs that belong to people.
A song your mum always sang around the house. The music your dad played in the car. Something you and an old friend used to sing at the top of your voices. Or a song that belonged to a relationship, whether it lasted a lifetime or just one summer.
Sometimes, the title alone is enough. You’ve Got a Friend. Your Song. You Were Always on My Mind.
You read the words, and someone comes to mind before you’ve even heard the music.
That’s part of what we love about our new music-themed cards. A familiar song can make a little note feel wonderfully personal, simply because you both know what it means.
When music brings a smile, or a tear
Not all musical memories are happy ones, of course.
A hymn you once sang at a joyful wedding might, years later, be played at a funeral. The very same piece of music can bring a smile one day and tears the next. Sometimes both at once.
There are songs we seek out because they make us feel close to someone, and others we can’t quite manage to listen to yet.
That’s the extraordinary thing about music. It seems to hold on to memories for us, even ones we haven’t thought about for years.
And when we share those memories with someone who was there, it can be comforting to discover they’ve held on to them too.
What would your eight songs be?
I’ve always loved the idea behind Desert Island Discs. Choosing the music that tells the story of your life. Not necessarily your favourite songs, or even the best songs ever written, but the ones that mean something to you.
The soundtrack to your life.
The song that got you through a difficult year. The one you danced to in someone’s kitchen. The one that still makes you turn the volume up, whatever else you’re supposed to be doing.
And I wonder how many of those songs would also mean something to somebody else?
Perhaps there’s an old friend who would instantly remember a ridiculous night out. Or a brother or sister who would smile at something you both grew up listening to.
Maybe there’s someone you haven’t spoken to for years, but every time you hear a certain tune, you think of them.
“I heard this and thought of you”
Wouldn’t it be lovely to tell them?
“I heard this today and thought of you. Do you remember?”
Or perhaps:
“Every time this song comes on, I’m right back there with you.”
It doesn’t have to be a grand declaration. Sometimes sharing a memory is simply a way of saying, you were part of a lovely time in my life, and I haven’t forgotten.
A card with You’ve Got a Friend on the front could be a lovely place to begin. Inside, you might write about the time they turned up when you needed them, or a memory that still makes you laugh.
You don’t need to tell the whole story. A few words might be enough to bring it all back.
When a song helps you find the words
Sometimes there’s something we want to say, but we keep putting it off.
Thank you for being there. I miss you. I don’t say it often enough, but you mean a great deal to me.
A familiar song can help us begin. Perhaps I Just Called to Say I Love You says what you’ve been meaning to say, with room inside for a few words of your own.
That’s what inspired our new music cards at Very Important Notes.
A little way to share a song, bring back a memory, make someone smile or say something you’ve been meaning to say for a long time.
Because sometimes you don’t need to find the perfect words.
The song has already said it for you.
Start with a song, see who comes to mind
And here’s a thought. If you were choosing your own Desert Island Discs, which eight songs would you take, and who would each one remind you of?
You could jot them down, make a playlist or create your own Soundtrack to Your Life.
And if one of those songs brings someone to mind, perhaps that’s your reason to write.
“I heard this today and thought of you.”
What a lovely thing to receive.
