1999 I think it was.
Walking into a club on the Richmond strip on a Friday night. The main dance floor is crowded. It’s early yet but already I see lots of pretty girls standing around. Just as I step onto the main floor the DJ plays Miserlou (the theme song from Pulp Fiction). I stand up straight, I take on a nonchalant air, I walk with confidence. Suddenly I’m James Bond, Brad Pitt, Frank Sinatra and any other cool or hot guy you could ever mention all rolled into one. Music could affect me that much. Too bad no one noticed.
Odd isn’t it? Nothing had physically changed about me, my clothes were the same, the surroundings were not different yet here I was feeling a confidence that had nothing backing it up.
Music has always had an inordinate effect on me. No place more so than when I’m driving. Give me an open highway, a fast car, and george thorogood’s “Who do you love” and get out of my way, Immediately my reflexes heighten, my aggressiveness increases and I become ‘Speed Racer‘. This is probably why I stick to NPR while driving in town.
Why this is, I don’t know. But I’m not alone. Some studies suggest the ‘right song’ can help people ease pain, reduce stress levels, increase stamina and strength, and increase cognitive skills. It’s just a matter of finding that song that strikes the correct chord you want.
Of course it’s not practical to walk around all day long plugged into a music player and of course I can’t get in front of a group of people to deliver a pitch with headphones on. However I have learned to take advantages where I can get them and in whatever form they come in.
I have found that the right song delivered right before a stressful situation can have great effects upon me and help me perform at a higher level. The effect varies in duration. Never more than an hour or so. But again I will take it whenever I can get it.
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