So a week or so ago I picked up a book at the library by Oliver Sacks called Musicophilia. This guy is a well-known neuroscientist and author, in fact his book "The man who mistook his wife for a hat" was what got my cousin in to neurology. Anyway, the book is a really interesting read about strange neurological illnesses and odd case studies involving music. It was fascinating to me to read about people locked in non-responsive states who would "emerge" for a short time in response to music. I also thought it was interesting that some people are so much more musical than others, apparently due to how their brains are wired. Some people even "see" music as colors or "taste" certain sounds or notes. At times the book got a little dry and technical for me, but with all the stories it kept me hooked until the end. It also made me more self-aware. Dr. Sacks pointed out in his book that there is a lot going on in our subconscious that we are largely unaware of. He said that when we have songs playing in our head that they are often related to what's going on in our lives even though we may not consciously be aware of it. Because of this idea, I started paying attention the the songs that would pop into my head. It proved to be a little bit funny and enlightening. Three stories:
First, I was trying to convince Dave that he should go to a meeting that he knew he should go to but didn't want to attend. As I was "encouraging" Dave, I noticed a song playing in the back of mind so because of the book, I listened to it for a minute. It was Matchbox 20's "Push" with the chorus " I want to push you around, well I will, well I will...." I decided that maybe I needed to lay off Dave a little.
Second, I was chatting with my sister Anna who's visiting and we were both surprised to find that we share a strange desire to raise chickens! Since I was a kid I've wanted chickens, just for the eggs, not to eat. Anyway, that night as I waited in bed for Dave to finish brushing his teeth and turn off the light, I noticed a song I didn't really recognize playing in my mind. I let it "play" until the chorus, then I recognized it. It's a newer country song Dave's been listening to recently called "Chicken Fried." Maybe I do want to eat the chickens after all!
Third, a couple days ago Dave had the misfortune of jumping out of his car to run inside and grab his badge for work. Unfortunate because in the process of aforementioned jumping, he impaled his head on an inch-long thorn on the tree in our front yard. He dripped blood all the way up our sidewalk and all over the front porch while he was waiting for me to come with paper towels and an ice pack to stop the bleeding. After things were under control I notices a U2 song called "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" playing in my mind. I've only heard it probably once in my life, but my subconscious decided it was the best song for the moment. It was off by a few days though.
Let me know if this has ever happened to any of you and check out the book!
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