As she was preparing the theater for a show, the song "Empire State of Mind" "came on by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys, " she said.

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One resulting theory is that these brain areas are involved in holding particular parts of a song, such as the melody, in the mind while the rest of the piece of music plays on, Abrams said.

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The song calls to mind a sense of wonder and danger and is an excellent note on which to start out the soundtrack.

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But Mary says she tries to keep the true meaning of the holiday in mind, and her favorite holiday song, "O, Holy Night, " helps remind her.

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Parks wrote the song as a member of guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel's band with him in mind.

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Participants were told to think of the first thing that came to mind - a vivid memory relating to a particular album, song, news story or even a band member.

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