Sometimes You Can Only Enjoy The Music

I just woke up about 45mins ago (at 2AM) with a Backstreet Boys song in my head. Specifically, this one:

So I went on youtube to listen to it... and OH. MY. GAWD! It was like someone was singing my emotions to me... and so I played another one, and another one, and by the 3rd one I was amazed! My mind was blown!

My mind was blown because I remember back in the day, my cousin used to LOVE these songs by these boy bands: Backstreet Boys, NSync, Westlife, you name it! And I loved them too. To the point where we both had many of their songs memorized.

But for me they were always just nice songs... and in fact up until today they never held any real meaning for me. They were just a bunch of good songs that I really liked at one point in my life...

Yet today, they spoke to me. They spoke of all the things I felt before the relationship; they spoke of many of the things I felt during it; and they spoke of many of the things I felt after the break-up. In fact, they spoke of many of the things I still feel today. It was like listening to my heart speak!

It was like listening to my heart speak!

And that's when I realised, he and I were never really listening to the same thing. Because at the time, he was in and out of relationships, and he was hearing what I am hearing right now: Musical renditions of everything I am feeling. While I, was just listening to music.

He understood the lesson, while I heard theory. He was being consoled, while I was being entertained. The beauty of these songs was completely lost on me, and I'm not sure if he knew that. Because I was certainly at an age where I ought to have understood too.

Still what's really amazing to me, is how the meaning of these songs depend on an emotional connection: a shared experience. Because if you've never loved, or lost love, you can never truly appreciate them. You can only do what I used to do:

You can only enjoy the music.