I always like to imagine that my life is a movie and it has the most wicked soundtrack ever. I have music and playlists for everything. Since Friday it has been all about the study jamz and the all-nighter hits (Friday was also the last time that I slept for more than 3 hours in a day, so forgive me if any of these next 400 words or so don’t make much sense at all). I like to listen to Mario Kart theme music to really get me into my paper writing. When I’m feeling nostalgic for my pre-teen ages, I have pre-teen playlists, each specially tuned for everything from my angsty pop punk bands to my cringey junior high sock hops. When I’m looking forward to something, I’ll try to figure out the perfect songs to go along with that day or moment too. Right now, I’m making a playlist for my big move to Honduras at the end of April (P.S. follow me on Instagram @cor4ll if you wanna see the whole process of the move and everything, I know some of you were interested! I’m going to start posting about it this week!). My point is that I like to have a song for pretty much everything. It’s not always me that chooses it, either. Sometimes the music chooses the moment, chooses me. It will be almost insignificant at the time, barely registering in my mind. Then one day I hear it and it reminds me of that specific instance, taking me all the way back.

I think this happens in popular culture too. There are songs specifically commemorating certain important moments in time, and there are also songs that are just generally accepted as being related to a certain moment in time, or a certain event or brand or commercial, or anything like that. What I liked so much about the film Moro no Brasil were the ways in which they acknowledged this aspect of music relating to culture relating to life. They mention how music is so important to them, such a big part of their life that they shouldn’t forget or stop practicing. They mention how it has been moulded by their past, the things that they’ve gone through. One of the musicians talks about his passion for the music coming from hearing it all the time in his childhood. The lyrics of the songs even seem to tell usually tell a story. I also really enjoyed the contrasting views briefly mentioned, about whether or not they should play music that is considered more modern or urban.

I could go on about music and life and song forever, but alas, there is only so much time in the day. My question to the class is this: do you have a specific song that reminds you of Latin America? What is it, and why?