Research Blog Post: Musical Nostalgia
It's happened to all of us at some point in our life. You and your friends are driving around, and all of the sudden "that" song comes on the radio. "That" song you used to love 'back in the day' but haven't heard in what seems like forever. In a matter of seconds your mind is flooded with past memories of how glorious life used to be. Whether its how great high school, middle school, or college was, to how much fun you had your senior year prom, we have all heard "that" song which instantly draws us back in time to when we were young and happy. While "that" song may be different for everyone, what stays consistent is the emotional impact of the song on the listener. While this emotional impact is indisputable, does this mean "that" song was powerful enough to give us these happy memories, or are we blinded by our own experiences to evaluate the impact of the art?
Chabon, Michael. "Sailing by Ear." Web log post. Michael Chabon Sailing by Ear Comments. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.
Chabon gives a detailed story about his old vinyl setup given to him by an old father-figure of his. While listening to a digital copy of Fragile by Yes, he is reminded of how impactful it once was when that same record was played from his old turntable.
 Hyman, Ira. "Music-Evoked Nostalgia." Psychology Today. Psychology Today, 6 May 2011. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.
Hymanâs article discusses a study done by three researchers (Schulkind, Hennis, and Rubin) searching to find which songs sparked emotional response out of college students and older adults. Songs tend to bring back recollection of happy memories of their youth, meaning that the older the subject, the further back the song needed to be in order to get a nostalgic response. Most cases didnât recall specific moments, but instead general events or people such as a past love, or just high school in general.
 Klosterman, Chuck. "Nostalgia on Repeat." Grantland. 6 Oct. 2011. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.
Klosterman argues the connotation of nostalgia and whether or not it should be viewed as a good or bad thing. He connects both familiarity and a connection in time to specific music, arguing that songs from one's youth could bring back positive emotions by remembering a past great experience, as well that familiarity with a song allows the listener to get more out of the song then on an initial listen. Klosterman also demonstrates the impact of the technology age on nostalgia, arguing that connectivity will replace repetition. Instead of someone doing something over and over again, nostalgia will replaced by a large group of people all listening to the same song and discussing it together.
 The Menzingers. On the Impossible Past. Rec. 21 Feb. 2012. Matt Allison, 2012. MP3.
The Menzingers are a Pennsylvania punk-rock band that create very powerful and emotional songs, but also come off as dated and often bring up feelings of nostalgia. The Americana style to their music makes the band sound familiar, even though they are still a relatively new group. Does this make their art less impactful if its draw is to dig up past emotions?
 N Sync. Bye Bye Bye. Kristian Lundin, 2000. MP3.
N syncâs 2000 smash hit âBye Bye Byeâ is a classic case of a song that has very little substance, and was adored by the youth of the time period. This has led the track to be one of the first tracks that comes to mind of the boy bands of the early 2000âs including 98 degrees, Backstreet Boys, and N Sync. This is one of those blemish of musical nostalgia in which many (though not all) who once enjoyed the song in their youth, now feel regretful that they ever appreciated such a simple, emotionless pop song.
 Stern, Mark J. "Neural Nostalgia." Slate Magazine. The Slate Group, 12 Aug. 2014. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.
Stern gives a scientific angle to the idea of nostalgia, and explains how music impacts the brain. He details the strength of our memories as pubescent youth, and shows how the rapid growth of our brains allows for the songs we listen make stronger neural connections than other songs.