Some people don’t believe in time travel, but I think I have a pretty convincing argument for it. Here it is. There are some pieces of music (actually, there are many) that instantly transport me back in time and space. The Doctor Who theme tune (Jon Pertwee of course).
Instantly I am back in front of our TV on a Saturday night, five or six years old and perched on a swivel chair with my brother, reminding dad to turn the chair when the monsters appear.
Handel’s Messiah.
As soon as I hear the opening notes I am transported back to Sheffield City Hall, up in the gods, wrapped in the crochet shawl granny made me -saved for best. Dad sits next to me, conducting away happily, handing me opera glasses. (Were my glasses broken again? Probably.)
Rod Stewart’s Sailing.
Not a song most people would associate with my mum. Yet it takes me straight back to our kitchen in Derbyshire, mum turning up the radio as she hears it playing. Watching ToTP as a family, Rod sings his song. Mum, horrified, announces that she no longer likes the song. Hearing it now makes me smile, and I can see the wry smile on her face if she could read this now.
So there you have it – music as a way of traveling in time. QED.
