why music holds nostalgia
When thinking back to specific moments in life, often times it can be tied back to a song or an artist that was relevant to moment in question. I think back to a time in my life where I may have felt down, and I can quickly relate it to a song that influenced (or uninfluenced) my thoughts at that moment. Music obviously conveys emotions and it is usually very in-your-face, mostly relying on the melody or lyrics to conduct a certain emotion; this is where the nostalgia part becomes evident. As an individual goes through life, they develop in their taste for music. This in turn leaves behind songs to eventually become remembered and recalled following the rekindling of memories. Expectedly, it goes both ways. When hearing a song or looking back at an old artist you used to listen to, you begin to recall old memories associated with the song. Both passively and actively, the individual is always present in the potential music being played. One specific case I think of is hearing an old cartoon intro song. Every single time watching the cartoon, the intro theme played, acquiescently compiling the memory of the cartoon and the intro theme together. The relation between a memory and a song are major, and because of that, it causes the latter to be linked with nostalgic nature.