Do You Believe In Magic?
Dr. Bill Roiter
It’s 1965. I’m 15 and getting my first kiss from my first girlfriend. WOW! Now I’m a man! I am also generally happy, although often angst-ridden, and so clueless that I believe I have conquered my world. This sweet memory is so strong that I can almost smell my girlfriend’s overpowering Shalimar perfume. All I have to do to recall this memory is hear The Lovin’ Spoonful play “Do You Believe in Magic” and I am right there.
We all have those special songs that tie us to memories we have tucked away in our 50-plus year-old brains. And that’s good, because familiar music triggers memories of the past. This link to positive (and sometimes negative) memories is so strong that advertisers use it to connect our memories— the fond ones— to their products. I expect that you think of ketchup when you hear Carly Simon sing “Anticipation, Anticipation is making me late, is keeping me waiting” (1971). What comes to mind when you hear Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” (1968)?
It turns out that these music memories can improve brain function. Caregivers have observed that Alzheimer’s patients who do not even recognize family members recall the lyrics of songs when they’re played. Mute patients may even sing along until the song ends and then revert to silence again. These observations have spawned much research and also a foundation that focuses on this area — The Institute for Music and Neurologic Function. >
What does this mean for those of us with generally healthy 50+ year-old brains? When we stimulate our brains with familiar music, we put them to work. Memories do not reside in one place in the brain; parts of them are stashed away all over the place.
Remember my Shalimar perfume memory? Scent is stored in one part of the brain while the Lovin’ Spoonful’s voices are kept elsewhere. This past February, Petr Janata of UC Davis published an article in the Cerebral Cortex Journal, “The Neural Architecture of Music-Evoked Autobiographical Memories,” and reported that “hearing a familiar song resulted in the activation of several structures that have been implicated in a variety of sequencing tasks and music studies.” In simpler terms, music makes your brain dance.
Could it be that my apparent unimaginative selection of memory music is not a sign of premature old age but rather an exercise for my mind? I haven’t found research suggesting that listening to Sonny and Cher sing “I Got You Babe” strengthens my brain and expands my mind, but I like to believe that it does.
So maybe it’s helpful to give you a Top Ten list from 1965:
- (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction / Rolling Stones
- Yesterday / Beatles
- Turn! Turn! Turn! / Byrds
- I Got You Babe / Sonny & Cher
- Help! / Beatles
- Mrs. Brown You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter / Herman’s Hermits
- You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ / Righteous Brothers
- Downtown / Petula Clark
- I Can’t Help Myself / Four Tops
- Help Me Rhonda / Beach Boys
What songs evoke your pleasant memories? Enjoying the music you know exercises the brain, as does making new memories with new music. So, “Keep On Dancing” (that’s The Gentrys, 1965!).
Check out Bill Roiter’s book, “Beyond Work.” Click here.
Filed Under: Baby Boomers • Bill Roiter • Books • Featured Story
Every time I hear the Turtles do So Happy Together I cannot help but think of my first girlfriend and making out to that song. The Doors Light My Fire brings memories of every dance I ever went to as a teen — EVERY band in America had to make that song part of their repertoire. First two songs I ever learned to play on the guitar were House Of The Rising Sun by the Animals and Pipeline by the Chantays. The 60s were great times for music … and fabulous times for making memories!
Mike – Great songs! Thanks for tickling my memory.
Bill Roiter
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