Over the years the tune has changed, the words have evolved but the universal appreciation of music has always stayed the same. Bach filled theatres in the 1700s, ladies swooned at Elvis in the ’50s and teens rocked to Nirvana through the ’90s. As the sound went from a rich soprano to a screaming guitar, the message and meaning of music continued to be a source of entertainment and inspiration.

Now, I recognize music the way someone recognizes their best friend. Sometimes it gets me pumped for a performance, other times I find comfort in a good Ben E. King song. And sometimes a song can bring me to tears or it can make me smile. The beauty of music is that there’s a song out there for any and everybody, in any mood they could possibly be in.

Even when I was young I almost always had an earbud plugged into my ear, or the radio blasted in my room. At five you could hear Hannah Montana radiating from my pink room, when I turned 10 I lived and breathed Lady Gaga. It wasn’t until I turned 11 that I began to see music as more than something to sing along to. A Journey song was something it had never been before. And I lost concern about what the latest Justin Bieber hit was, because as far as I was concerned, it wasn’t good music. And sometimes it was.

But it wasn’t because that was what everyone was listening to like it used to be, it was because I liked the song, the lyrics, the way it made me feel. I listened to everything. It varied from alternative to pop. And then my friends felt the same way, loved the meaning of a song more than the hits it got on YouTube.

Bach filled theatres in the 1700s, ladies swooned at Elvis in the ’50s and teens rocked to Nirvana through the ’90s. Through every age and era it inspired people, and it has inspired me.