If music be the food of love, play on

These were the words famously written by the legendary William Shakespeare and he wasn’t wrong- Music would be the food of love with its endless ability to feed the musical appetite of each and every one of us. Music is an art we are all drawn to, an art we can all relate to. Whether it’s a particular genre, artist or simply anything that inspires us to listen on; we all have our unique musical interests that fill up our Mp3 players. Music is a powerful fragment of our world that can change the way we feel in a single moment. It has the power to make us smile and cry, it has the power to make us feel invincible and free when you least expect it, but most of all music has the amazing ability to heal. Music can be spiritual for some where at times it can define who we are. And for me, this has been the very case.

Having been born in the mid '80s, I didn’t have a strong recollection of what this decade had to offer musically. Of course, no one could avoid the likes of Wham, Spandau Ballet and Madonna who shaped the '80s as we know it. But an age dominated by cheesy musical numbers such as 'Wake me up before you go go' with artists insisting on encouraging mullets, perms and shoulder padded blazers wasn’t quite my cup of tea. I was more interested in what Zippy and Bungle were up to on the children’s classic Rainbow.

Anyway, it was the '90s when I really began to develop an ear for music. I was just a wee girl and my musical knowledge began to broaden from what seemed before a sing-along at Sesame Street. I particularly remember listening to Kylie Minogue’s Pop infused Indie track Confide In me whilst in a ghost train at the local funfair. Unfortunately the ghost train was a bit of a disappointment and failed miserably at achieving a scary ride, on the other hand the song itself was actually quite eerie and far more haunting than the monster’s that were creeping at me. Strangely, almost a decade later, I would still describe Confide In Me as an eerie, haunting track. It’s funny how some things never change.

Heading toward the mid to late '90s as I was entering my early teens, I listened to almost anything and everything. This was a time of experimentation and figuratively speaking, the world was my musical oyster. I listened to anything from the Titanic soundtrack to the manufactured five piece ‘boy band’ plastics- that’s right, I said boy bands! Before we go any further, I must confess to once liking Take That,N'Sync, Boyzone and even the Backstreet boys (No Mercy anyone?). I’m sure many of us have a few secrets we like to keep locked away in the closet, certain songs... certain artists that we are embarrassed to admit we like[d] but we secretly love. Like it or not the '90s was a time dominated by cheesy boy bands that annoyingly sang in close to perfect harmony and even for those of you who are anti-boy bands, I’m sure you’ve all secretly liked the occasional song here or there!

The year of '95 was a very difficult time for me. I was only eleven and in search of answers to questions I was afraid to ask. We all know that your teens are a time of self discovery and mischief and yet I was completely the opposite of this cliché. My life was merely an emotional rollercoaster ride of physical pain and despair and there were times where I felt lost and deeply insecure. My older sister became the voice inside my head and the person who stopped me from falling- tempting as it seemed. Part of me still didn’t understand a lot of things that were happening in my life and even though I had my sister, there were some things I couldn’t even talk to her about for fear of what may come of it. Outside I was quiet and spoke under my breath, displaying a happy face. Inside I couldn’t have felt more alone.

With this heavy cloud of pain and frustration hanging over me, I was desperately seeking a beautiful release, a sense of freedom from pain and a new identity- a place where I could call home. Continuing my road to self discovery, in 1996 I heard a song called "What Can I do?" on the radio. I liked the song from the moment I heard it, it was different and extremely catchy. The vocals were playful, warm and honeyed whilst the music was beautifully orchestrated with a contemporary sound of the violin. As the song finished, the DJ announced the band as ‘The Cause’ (or so it sounded like!).

I remember asking my friends if they had heard "What Can I do?" But no one seemed to have heard of the song or a band called ‘The Cause.’ This was a time where the internet wasn’t a common thing amongst most households so looking it up was out of the question. A few months later, I stumbled across a band called The Corrs who were performing a song called Runaway on Top of the Pops- Another beautiful song that I was quickly catching onto, but the obvious didn’t quite hit me- ‘The Cause’ sounded amazingly like ‘The Corrs’!

Around this time, my family had just installed Sky and it was after having access to MTV that I had the opportunity to see the music video to "What Can I do?" and I finally realised that the band was in fact called ‘The Corrs’- an Irish Pop/Folk band made up of four siblings. Shortly after that, I heard another of their songs called "So Young" which was a happy song about youth and not caring about a thing in the world. This song reminded me of times in my youth where worry, pain and fear were all distant things. I felt a sense of nostalgia and it took me to a place of comfort through all my troubles. The Corrs were quickly becoming an answer to my questions.

It was when I heard 'Only When I Sleep' from the same album Talk On Corners that I fell head over heels in love. It was a turning point in my life because everything I’d ever felt that I was unable to show had been personified by this song alone. It was the power behind Andrea Corr’s voice that oozed passion, simplicity and a touch of laziness that had me captivated. It was also their poetic use of language that created a dreamy place for us to escape that had me mesmerized. Through their words, through their music, I found solace and in many ways it gave me a glimpse of hope that inside I wasn’t alone. I had found a sense of freedom, something to relate to. It was from their artistic style in writing that inspired me to write myself.

Writing is awesome and I feel we should all be doing it more. It can be therapeutic and possibly the single most effective antidote for the emotionally wounded. It’s a great way to channel all of your anger, aggression and passion onto paper. What’s more is that you don’t have to be a poet to write, just pen your thoughts onto paper and see what happens. You may be pleasantly surprised at what you achieve both emotionally and artistically. How else do you think some of our favourite musicians have come to write lyrical masterpieces that have blown us away?

I have always had respect for artists that produce their own work especially when it comes to writing lyrics. Nothing is more powerful than someone expressing your words through your own voice for only you know the truth behind each and every word sung. It makes it personal and reminds you, the listener; that you are not the only one in the world feeling these emotions. Having written all their music and lyrics themselves (with the exception of a few) The Corrs are an autobiographical entity of what we have all felt or will be feeling at some point in our lives.

Over a decade and 13 Corrs albums later, I am still in love with their music today. After all, you don’t know where you’re going until you know where you’ve been and I can never forget the many times it gave me strength when I was in a bad place. Music can heal but music also bears the annoying ability to capture a certain time or feeling that you’d rather leave behind. In my case, it is a beautiful reminder of who I was and how far I’ve come.

Of course, there are many other musical influences that I have picked up along the way which I also carry close to my heart. Some of these include the likes of Evanescence, Sarah McLachlan and many more which you will come know in the not too distant future. Music from the ‘90s will always have a special place in my heart. It was almost a surreal time for me and dreamy in ways I can’t quite seem to explain. It may be something to do with having discovered my dreams through a time where I felt there was no escape. The ‘90s was the best musical era for me because introduced me to artists that have influenced the person I am today- and not only this; it has also opened windows to a potential future that I am in the road to discover yet.

Music is a wonderful thing and it can bring to surface feelings you may never have realised you had. It caters for every mood whether it be anger, happiness, jealousy, bitterness, sorrow and of course the feeling of love through its many faces. What’s more is that it can be both incredibly infectious and stimulating-and who would know better than Andrea Corr herself who once shared that: "Music is sexy, music is sensual. And an expression of yourself and that side of you comes out sometimes".

I believe all music has a place somewhere. For music that I dislike may be a source of comfort for somebody else. We all have music that has left a mark in our lives somewhere along the line. For me, it has been The Corrs and although they’ve been off the spotlight for quite some time now, theirs is truly the kind of music that will resonate through the ages and remain timeless in my mind. So-In the words of Shakespeare himself, if music be the food of love... let us play on.