Music – An Escape

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By: Ashley Parra

Everyone has a way of escaping reality. Sometimes it’s reading, writing, or taking up a hobby. For many, it’s listening to music. We can usually tell how a person feels by what they’re listening to. As we walk around campus, we tend to see people with their earphones in. One of the teachers at Tustin High had commented, “I feel like people with headphones use it as a safety blanket, like if they put them in, they won’t have to participate or talk to anyone.”

When people listen to a certain song, it’s sometimes because they can relate to the lyrics. “Music is what feelings sound like.” This anonymous quotation explains that  feelings usually depend on music. Oftentimes if people listen to an upbeat song they’re probably in a good mood, or at least trying to be. If they listen to an emotional song, then they most likely feel miserable. In some cases, it’s not just the lyrics, but also the style and the beat of the music.

Music frees multiple emotions. Take rock and roll for example: it makes people feel hyped up, free, and happy to be alive.  Jorge Perez, a tenth grade student at Tustin High exclaims, “I like to listen to rap and Indie rock because it helps me deal with my problems. It makes me feel happier and I can relate to the lyrics. I love music and I would love to make music to inspire others.” Many people, like Jorge Perez have a strong appreciation for music, and without it they would “feel lost.”

Many of us feel alone most of the time, even though we have people we care about by our side. Yet, it doesn’t matter how many people are with us, but who is actually there for us when we need it. We may find other people to be untrustworthy, so, instead, we might rely upon music for our emotional distress.

There may be that one song that we can relate to, and we play on repeat. Sometimes the lyrics have such a great meaning that can hit home to reflect the emotions we feel on the inside without having to express them ourselves. An example of this is the song “All In My Head”, by Tori Kelly. This song is about heartbreak, or being “played” and if we listen closely she says, “She’s so pretty; you two look so great/ Time for me to move on now, it was probably just a silly crush anyway.” Many of us can relate to being broken-hearted and seeing the person we like be with someone else. Another song is “Breathe Me” by Sia. The first words of the song: “Help, I have done it again/ I have been here many times before/ Hurt myself again today” immediately tell of some form of self harm and her desire for help, but sadly not knowing how to get it. It is clear that she is lonely and in desperate need of someone not only to be with, but to help her recover from her actions. Music is one thing individuals, especially teens, can rely on to convey emotion without becoming overwhelmed.

Lyrics like these express hidden emotions. Sometimes we can be so caught up in emotions that we end up not knowing how to express ourselves clearly. This is a great reason  why we have music; it’s like therapy that we never knew we needed. It’s a source of comfort when we don’t feel safe. When we have no one, we have music. Music is a connection to all the pleasures and a cure to the pains we suffer in life if we were to lose anything in our world; let’s hope it isn’t music.

One Comment Add yours

  1. Paulo Miranda says:

    Awesome your site.

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