By Pham Tran
Songs hold memories. Every special event in life happens for a song that forever rents a place in my heart. Every word in that song then becomes a drop of honey into my ears. Whenever it is turned on, I am suddenly given a ticket to go on the time machine and relive that moment.
The songs I hear are limitless, but the songs where my nostalgia lies are limited and here they are.
1. “Until I Found You” by Stephen Sanchez and Em Beihold
It was at my middle school’s Talent Show that I first got to lend my ear to this song. Its slow tempo and sweet lyrics touched me right the first time. The song turned the whole gym into a ballroom, and the students were dancers, all participating in an endless waltz. The emotional vibes from 1960s music that Stephen Sanchez threw in make us want to settle back, live a little slower and open our hearts to receive greatness from our beloved ones again when feeling let down.
2. “Radio” by Lana Del Rey
I see my old self closely whenever the song is on. I used to be a lonely runner in my own personal marathon of fame and admiration, someone would blindly chase after set standards to be the “copycat” of somebody she is jealous of and to gain everyone’s attention. At the finish line, I got the outcome that I wanted, however, something seemed wrong, like there was an expiration date to this joy. Yet my life feels “sweet like cinnamon,” but does the sweetness actually come from my new change or the like that I finally get from people for changing? This song made me realize that life’s success will always be accompanied by dissatisfaction and flaws.
3. “Old Love” by Yuji and Putri Dahlia
My ears first landed on this song in 2023. I always find myself humming to its R&B rhythm every time. This is the perfect song to listen to on those late-night drives with your friends and calm yourself down at the end of the day. “When I’m with you, it’s like déjà vu,” yes it’s so right, I do get déjà vu from this song. The lovely memories that I had when I was a middle school girl suddenly came back. It was when I shared my first years of teenage life with my friends that we all laughed and went through so many ups and downs together as we grew up. If I could choose a song to play on repeat at my prom, this would be the one.
4. “Moonlight” by Kalia Uchis
This song will always be the one that I listen to on every flight of mine. Flying past the bustling cities and pretty night lights underneath, a cup of orange juice while having this song played through my headphones makes life so worth living. Its lyrics are so easy to make your head gets stuck. Uchis’ music is always unique in its own way as it blends a little of each: R&B, pop, indie and Latin together.
5. “Honeymoon Avenue” by Ariana Grande
My childhood wouldn’t be complete without this song. I remember when I used to go to dancing classes, the dance from this song that my teacher choreographed for me was one of my favorites. Grande’s pretty voice will never disappoint us as her songs are the best options to listen to when watching the sunset at the beach with your friends during the summer.
At the end of the day, R&B songs tend to always get me nostalgic for the beautiful memories that I used to have. I think this is the purpose of R&B. Artists want to make audiences feel calm and healed whenever they listen, especially when they are let down by something in life and forget about the joy and love that they have been getting from their loved ones.
