It has been more than 10 years, but I remember the moment I got my first MP3 player from parents on New Year’s Eve and I downloaded all soundtracks from the movie called Burlesque. The walk I had the next day listening to the playlist while going back from school, the weather and the sequence of tracks… I still remember it and it makes me cherish the event even more as now I can play the same music and recall the details and my feelings.
Welcome back, music enthusiasts! Ever thought about your memory? You won’t remember the speaker’s third slide. You might forget what the hors d’oeuvres tasted like. But that one song that hit just right when the lights dropped? That’s locked in your head for life.
Music doesn’t just set the mood – it cements the moment.
It’s the invisible thread tying emotion to memory, turning a single event into something your guests replay in their minds for years. And if you’re planning events without intentionally choosing a soundtrack, you’re basically throwing away free memory real estate. Let’s break down why music is such a powerful memory trigger and how to use it to make your events unforgettable in the most literal way possible.
What’s going on in our brain?
I am not a nerd, I just recently started to read Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman (actually I have a canon event of starting to read this book and then drop it, so it’s my third time pls save me) where the author explained how our brain works in terms or memory and neuron connections that are responsible for capturing a moment. After that I dug a bit more to relate this to music, so here’s what I have put together for you.
Music has a direct line to your brain’s emotional core.
When we hear a song, the hippocampus (which handles memory) and the amygdala (which processes emotion) both activate. This dual activation is why certain songs can instantly take you back to a specific moment in time your first concert, a late-night drive, that one summer where everything clicked. Scientists call these musical flashbulb memories – vivid, long-lasting memories tied to a specific sound. The brain prioritizes emotionally charged moments, and music is one of the fastest ways to get there. Even in clinical settings, this shows up. In music therapy for Alzheimer’s patients, individuals who’ve forgotten names and places can still sing along to songs from their youth. The emotional-musical link is that strong.
The Role of Music in Emotional Recall
If you want people to remember your event, don’t just make them think – make them feel. That’s where music shines. But the emotional tone has to fit. A hype track during a quiet reflection moment? That’s a miss. A slow, melancholy tune during a big brand reveal? Confusing at best, forgettable at worst. Music should match the emotional arc of the experience. Think like a filmmaker. Score your event in a way that enhances emotion instead of competing with it. When the music and the moment sync, it doesn’t just create impact, it locks in the memory.
Make people feel like they are main characters in their own movie.
Post-Event Reinforcement Using Music
Memory doesn’t end when the last guest leaves. The smartest events continue the emotional experience long after the lights are down and music is the easiest way to do that.
Here’s how:
- Curate a post-event playlist featuring songs used during the event or ones that capture its mood.
- Share it in follow-up emails, thank-you pages, or social media content.
- Use key musical elements (like your motif or theme track) in recap videos or brand touchpoints.
This kind of post-event reinforcement helps guests reconnect with how they felt during the event. And every time they hear that song again on a playlist, at a party, or randomly on the radio – they think of you.
For example, brands like Nike and Spotify are masters of this. Their campaigns don’t just have visuals and slogans, they have soundtracks. That’s why they linger (but we’ll talk about it later, stay tuned).
Every song choice is a chance to turn a fleeting moment into something unforgettable. When you plan an event like a playlist with emotion, narrative, and intention – people don’t just remember it. They relive it. Personally speaking, it is such a fascinating topic to discover, so I decided to go outside and walk the streets of Luzern with a purpose to find the warmest memories of people.
You can check it out with the link:
Stories that have a strong bond with music
Now your turn:
What’s one song that instantly transports you back to a moment you’ll never forget? Share it. Let’s build a memory-driven playlist, one track at a time 🙂
And as always, here is my previous post. See you next time, xoxo
