I Asked For Chilled Vibes, Not To Be Destroyed Emotionally

There should be laws about this.

If I search for a playlist called Chilled Vibes, I expect exactly that.

A few gentle songs.

A pleasant atmosphere.

Maybe a little head bop.

What I do not expect is to be emotionally ambushed by a song I haven’t heard since 2007.

One minute I’m making a cup of tea.

The next minute I’m staring into the distance thinking about old friendships, school discos, family holidays, and whether time is actually real.

How does music do this?

How can three minutes and forty-two seconds completely dismantle a person?

The worst offenders are the songs you forgot existed.

Not your favourite songs.

Not the big hits.

The random album track.

The song from that one advert.

The tune you haven’t heard since your MP3 player had a battery life of seventeen minutes.

Those are the dangerous ones.

Because your brain doesn’t just remember the song.

It remembers you.

Who you were.

What you wore.

What you worried about.

What made you laugh.

The people who were still here.

The dreams you had.

The person you thought you’d become.

Suddenly what started as background music turns into an emotional archaeology project.

And yet…

I keep doing it.

Because sometimes it’s lovely.

Sometimes it’s painful.

Usually it’s both.

There’s something magical about hearing a forgotten song and realising that a little piece of your life has been sitting there all along, waiting for you to press play.

Still.

A warning label would be nice.

CAUTION: Playlist may contain unexpected emotional damage.

Proceed with snacks and tissues.

🎵💖