CNA – Have you ever wondered why your mind can easily retain the lyrics to a song you haven’t heard in years, but somehow, it’s impossible to remember the password to your online banking or that one item you need to buy?
It’s a peculiar quirk of the human brain, one that seems to defy logic. But as it turns out, this curious phenomenon is both fascinating and incredibly common.
Take, for example, when the Norwegian girl group M2M made their surprise comeback. Fans quickly noticed the video was posted on Sunday, September 22, at exactly 9.25 am local time.
Now, these seemingly random numbers might mean little to the casual observer, but for M2M’s fans, it was a moment that stirred memories.
I recognised it immediately and found myself hearing the opening lyrics to their hit song The Day You Went Away: “I remember date and time, September 22nd, Sunday twenty-five after nine.”
In an instant, a flood of nostalgia hit. It had been over 20 years since I last listened to the band’s catchy tunes, yet there I was, singing the entire song word-for-word, accurately, without missing a beat.
How was it possible that such a trivial fact—posted at 9.25 am—could reignite an entire memory from my youth, hidden in the recesses of my brain?
This phenomenon is surprisingly common, and researchers have long been fascinated by how our brains work to recall such seemingly unimportant details.
While we might struggle to remember something we genuinely need to, like an appointment or a grocery list, our brains seem to latch onto random bits of information, like song lyrics or a memorable quote, with remarkable ease.
The Magic of Music and Memory
This ability to recall an entire song from a few notes is actually a well-documented psychological phenomenon. In fact, it’s the very basis of the popular game Heardle, a musical twist on Wordle, where players guess a song from just a snippet of its melody.
This game taps into the “gating paradigm,” a process in which we identify familiar melodies as they gradually unfold. The more familiar the tune, the fewer notes we need to recognise it.
The power of music to trigger memories is often likened to the way certain scents can evoke vivid memories.
A particular smell can transport you back to a specific time or place, and similarly, a song can bring a flood of emotions and memories rushing back.
Interestingly, the presence of a melody makes it much easier to remember the lyrics compared to recalling them as mere words.
Think of how many adults still sing the alphabet song when faced with the task of alphabetising—it’s simply easier with the tune in place.
So, Why Do We Remember Certain Songs So Easily?
If you ask me how I can still remember the lyrics to M2M’s *Pretty Boy*, my answer would be simple: “I just do.”
But that response only scratches the surface. According to Kelly Jakubowski, an associate professor of music psychology at Durham University, this ability is rooted in what’s known as “implicit memory.”
This is the part of our long-term memory that stores actions we’ve repeated often, like riding a bike or brushing your teeth.
When we hear a song that we’ve listened to repeatedly, it triggers “procedural memory”—the subconscious ability to perform actions without thinking about them. This is why, decades after hearing it, you can still belt out the lyrics to a favourite track as if it were yesterday.
The “Reminiscence Bump” and Music’s Emotional Power
What makes music particularly memorable is its deep emotional connection. Music often accompanies significant events in our lives, making it not just a song but a repository of emotions.
This emotional tie is amplified by a phenomenon known as the “reminiscence bump,” which refers to the tendency to recall memories from between the ages of 10 and 30 more easily.
This period of life is often filled with novel, self-defining experiences that are encoded deeply in our brains, making them easier to retrieve later on.
Research shows that music from our adolescence is particularly potent in this regard. A study by Jakubowski found that songs from the charts during a person’s teenage years are not only more familiar but are also more likely to be tied to personal memories.
Even if you didn’t particularly enjoy a certain song, if it played during a significant moment in your life, it becomes irrevocably linked to that experience, evoking the feelings tied to it whenever you hear it again.
The Same Happens with Iconic Movie and TV Quotes
It’s not just songs that stick with us—iconic quotes from TV shows and movies seem to occupy a similar space in our memories. These quotes, often repeated ad nauseam in pop culture, become ingrained in our consciousness.
A prime example? “On Wednesdays, we wear pink,” from Mean Girls, or the now-famous line from Miss Congeniality: “I’d have to say April 25th because it’s not too hot, not too cold. All you need is a light jacket.”
These quotes have stood the test of time, in part because they embody “lexical distinctiveness,” which means they use unusual word choices in familiar sentence structures. They’re also generally applicable to a wide range of situations, making them easy to recall and reference in day-to-day life.
This phenomenon is even supported by a study from Cornell University, which showed that the most memorable quotes tend to share these two key features.
The enduring impact of these phrases, coupled with their presence in pop culture, ensures that they stick with us long after the movie or show has ended. Like a song, they become a touchstone for memories, emotions, and shared experiences.
In the End, Memory is About Connection
Whether it’s a song, a quote, or a fleeting moment from your youth, these memories often survive because they are emotionally significant.
Music and iconic lines from TV shows or films become part of the fabric of our experiences, and our brains, in their infinite wisdom, store them away to bring out when we need them most—often when we least expect it.