Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been obsessed with music and how it soothes my ears and makes me feel happy. It’s not just about how the beat is; it’s about what the lyrics mean to you. To me, I always listen to the lyrics and look for a deeper meaning. Something I can relate to in the lyrics really touches my heart.

When I’m feeling down or just not having a good day, I tell my Alexa, “play Spotify.” The music while doing homework, sleeping, or just chilling makes me feel relaxed. I do this every day, just like how in  “The Mojave Phone Booth” podcast, when Godfrey (“Doc”) Daniels called the unknown phone booth located in the middle of the desert. He tried and tried, but never got an answer, until one day a woman answered the phone. The difference between me and Daniels is that I didn’t have to try every day to find what I was looking for, the answer was in my ears. In the lyrics and the rhythm. Noticing the lyrics, beat, rhythm, and what happens while I’m listening and noticing is what makes it meaningful. There’s different genres to songs–Pop, rock, jazz, classical, hip hop, RNB, etc. In each genre, you could put the same lyrics about love or heartbreak into a song with the beat and it would still sound good. Although the lyrics are what make the song, the song, but the beat can add more tragedy, hope, and love. Daniels noticed and took action on this phone booth, which later on became a worldwide famous phone booth people still call today, not knowing what answer they’ll receive.

Music is a way to connect with others and to see perspectives of others, Through the lyrics of the music of specific songs, such as love and heartbreaks, you can tell how the other person in the relationship feels, or a friendship, or living through life. You can take on so many perspectives, but those lyrics are the lyrics that you can relate to and that you admire. In the movie Spirited Away, it was inspirational, creative, and emotional. It consisted of many themes, but the main moral lesson of this movie was to never forget who you are, and don’t change because of someone’s critiques towards you: “Once you do something, you never forget. Even if you can’t remember” (Translated from Japanese, Spirited Away 2011). Chihiro was told to forget her name and identify herself with her new name, so she wouldn’t be caught as a human working for the creatures. Instead of running away or fighting the creatures, she decided to partner with them so she wouldn’t be eaten.

No matter what Chihiro did, she put herself first and thought of the consequences and benefits of her actions. Overall, Chihiro became a better person for her self-conscience and the people around her. I and many people relate to this because people make mistakes, but they grow from it. Many mistakes are made in life, and many consequences result in that. But not everything always turns out bad. You’ll end up becoming a changed person. And music was one of those aspects in life that taught me to change who I am and how I acted towards other people.

Music allowed me to notice and change what I was doing wrong in life, whether it be morally or ethically wrong or right. Music easily touched my heart, and I don’t know if it will touch your heart as strong as it did to mine, but what I do know is that you can overcome your fears, and let go of your problems with music.