There are days where I’m hit by nostalgia out of nowhere. I guess this is one of those days. Not to mention I’m writing this on a rainy day, which is perfect for the mood.
Why am I even writing about this? I guess I have the lockdown to thank for… or not. It’s been more than a year since the pandemic hit. Half of it I spent at home, half in the office.
It’s quite funny because I feel like I’m gravitating towards my old self. I made some decisions last year to get out of my comfort zone, but I just craved some sense of familiarity. I launched this blog in January because I miss blogging and interacting with other readers.
A trip down memory lane
As I stroll down memory lane, I started listening to some of my favorite bands again. I accidentally came across Coldplay’s A Head Full of Dreams, the documentary not the album, on Amazon Prime. Missing the concert scene, I gave it a go and I truly enjoyed watching it. Another music documentary I found on Prime was Bastille’s ReOrchestrated movie.
Bastille and Coldplay were some of the bands I listened to during my teenage years. I both saw them live and they were amazing! Both of their documentary movies included some footage from their Manila tour, which brought back a lot of memories. The songs I listened to on repeat, the friends I made along the way, the money I spent for tickets and other merch. 😂
I’ve always been a big fan of music, especially indie rock and alternative music. And I’ve discovered a lot of bands as I religiously followed music festivals. I used to hunt down Livestream links at stay up until 4 in the morning. Just so I can watch my favorite bands play live.
A dose of nostalgia
I used to be active on Tumblr since I was in high school. Age check? 😂 While Tumblr is still a popular platform, I think it truly peaked in the late 2000s to mid-2010s. I used to post multi-fandom content on my account, sometimes I still do. I was part of the big fandoms: Supernatural, Sherlock, Doctor Who, MCU, Demigods, and Potterheads (which I thankfully have outgrown. JK Rowling sucks), but I think it was the Tumblr Bandom that I truly enjoyed. I met a lot of online friends and discovered a whole lot of bands like Saint Motel, COIN, Magic Man, Walk The Moon, San Cisco, and Misterwives.
“Lights will guide you home.”
But no matter how many bands I come across, thanks to Spotify’s algorithm, I always come back to Coldplay. I remember one during my Criminal Minds binge, there was one episode where Spencer Reid said that you start picking your music choices at age 12, as part of cognitive development. Well in my case, I discovered Coldplay even before I was 12 years old 😂. Fix You might be overrated at this point but this was their first song that I remember hearing on the radio. I still remember how I cried a few times during the Coldplay’s Manila leg because 9-year-old me could not believe I’m seeing them live.
I have associated a lot of songs with my own experiences. Who doesn’t? That’s the beauty of music, it tells a million stories and is open to everyone’s interpretation. It’s a source of comfort and healing.
Music brings people together. Music is evergreen.
Let’s Chat 💬
What’s your favorite memory that you associate with music? What other forms of media do you feel nostalgia for?
I feel nostalgia over certain movies from my childhood. I often forget about them and then when I am reminded of them (like the film Splash came up recently in conversation) and I was immediately transported into feeling how I did when I first saw it (full of magic). Thanks for sharing your fond memories — they were lovely to read about!
Yes! Movies also send me into nostalgia. I remember my sisters and I used to recite The Lion King movie before bed hahaha
Interesting to read other people’s memories and feel a connection. Thanks for sharing.