The music industry has seen a lot of changes in my lifetime, but the introduction of the CD player on Oct. 1, 1982, had to be one of the biggest. On the surface, CDs aren\u2019t very exciting, especially compared to today\u2019s technology. But at that time, they were a revolution. The technology ultimately led to the end of cassette tapes, floppy disks, and VCRs.<\/p>\n
The most significant impact on my life was how CDs allowed me to bring music everywhere. I no longer needed a record player or had to tolerate the tangled tape and low sound quality of cassettes. This history got me thinking about how music has permeated my life and the way a single song can transport me to a specific moment.<\/p>\n
For example, I went skiing for the first time in eighth grade. It was freezing and the only place to find shelter from the cold was a tiny restaurant too small to be appropriately called a lodge. We ordered hot chocolate to warm up and put a quarter in the jukebox, selecting Elton John\u2019s song \u201cCrocodile Rock.\u201d So many years later, I remember that exact occasion every time I hear it play. A high school classmate, Fran, always had parties at her house, and a couple of classic \u201970s songs always take me back to her front yard.<\/p>\n
Another memory from high school occurred while visiting colleges with my father. I was considering a variety of schools, including the Merchant Marine Academy. We\u2019d just finished the tour and \u201cI\u2019ll Be Home For Christmas\u201d began playing on the car radio. It was an instrumental rendition by Percy Faith & His Orchestra that I\u2019d never heard before, and I thought it was absolutely beautiful. My dad, who was a big music lover, sang, and had a Ph.D. in music therapy, was shocked that I was so taken with it, but it became our special song.<\/p>\n
Any time we couldn\u2019t see each other in person over the holiday season, we\u2019d talk on the phone instead. I\u2019d go into the minor operating room and crank up the song as loud as possible so we could listen to it together. It\u2019s a beautiful memory that I cherish. Now, my son and I adore another version of \u201cI\u2019ll Be Home For Christmas\u201d by Rascal Flatts. I love that it has become our family\u2019s special father\/son holiday song.<\/p>\n
One final musical memory stands out. At some point during our wedding reception, the DJ was supposed to play the Eagles\u2019 song \u201cLove Will Keep Us Alive.\u201d For whatever reason, that never happened. But as my wife and I drove to our hotel at the night’s end, it began playing on the radio.<\/p>\n
We were traveling down a dark back road with no lights. I pulled the car over, put on the high beams, twisted the volume all the way up, and we got out and danced by the side of the road together. It was a beautiful, romantic experience, but we awoke the next day with so many mosquito bites that it looked like we had chicken pox! We still jokingly call that track \u201cthe mosquito song.\u201d<\/p>\n
Music profoundly affects our minds, bodies, and souls, and I hope that all of my patients have equally precious memories. The anniversary of the CD player is as good an excuse as any to revisit and reflect on them with the people you love.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The music industry has seen a lot of changes in my lifetime, but the introduction of the CD player on Oct. 1, 1982, had to be one of the biggest. On the surface, CDs aren\u2019t very exciting, especially compared to … Continue reading