Put Your Records On

When I was younger, I couldn’t understand why people loved music so much. The only songs I listened to were the ones playing on the radio, sandwiched between ads and sunrises on the drive to school. I didn’t understand the people who followed bands religiously or my friends who made earbuds a permanent part of their outfit.

Back then, as a mere middle schooler, my biggest concerns were finishing science reports on time and thinking of what I would pack for lunch the next day. Sure, those three years weren’t without their own hard times—there were days that I stayed up until 3 a.m. to get a book report done, argued with my parents, worried about everything going wrong in my 12-year-old life (which was to say, not too much). I was a whole lot less competent at dealing with difficulties back then, but the problems I faced could hardly count as real difficulties.

As I got older, my once easily-conquered hurdles grew taller. That middle school science report turned into a high school biology midterm, that book report became a 5-page essay, and, somewhere along the line, my biggest worry shifted from the snacks I would pack to whether I was good enough. Was I good enough of a student, of a family member, of a person? The sea of expectations that I placed on myself rose day by day, and, combined with the struggles of everyday life, meant that I was soon in over my head. During that time, music was my lifeline. Melodies and lyrics kept me afloat, dragging me out of my thoughts and distracting me from my problems long enough for them to seem a little smaller upon their return.

As 10th grade gave way to 11th and the pressure to be good enough only increased, one of these songs has stayed with me: Ritt Momney's “Put Your Records On.” It’s my comfort song, the one at the top of a playlist titled “everything will be ok,” the one I listen to when life gets too fast but I feel like I’m moving too slow. There’s a lyric that goes “Maybe sometimes / We got it wrong, but it’s alright / You’re gonna find yourself somewhere, somehow.” Every time I hear it, I become just a little more convinced that everything will be ok, and that I’ll end up alright after all.  

This song reminds me not to take life too seriously. As someone who gets swept up in a sometimes suffocating pressure to get everything right, “Put Your Records On” is a breath of fresh air. It’s an invitation to just celebrate the joys of life for a little while, dance to my favorite tunes, and trust that everything will work out. After all, when a song starts with “Three little birds sat on my window / And they told me I don’t need to worry,” how could you keep worrying? Pulling me out of my stress over the future and regret at the past for the duration of its 3 minutes and 31 seconds, this song is my reminder to live in the moment and treasure the present.

I now understand why my friends back in middle school loved music so much. After going through the hardest periods of your life accompanied by music, it earns a special place in your heart. It’s comforting to let yourself get wrapped up in the sweeping rhythm of a song and be given permission to forget about your problems for a while. There’s a certain freedom that comes with dancing to your favorite playlist in your room at midnight, and, if nothing else, makes you feel a little more alive.