Opera and Sound Design

German Operatic Tenor Jonas Kaufmann made some intriguing remarks in this interview.  He says the human voice "is not only the oldest and most versatile instrument but also the most natural instrument of music, as it is inside of us. We can influence this instrument via our thoughts and feelings in such a strong way that we can hear within a split second, whether somebody is happy, sad, or incensed."  On knowing reasons why something moves us, he says, "For me it is very fascinating that a pop song that was a number-one-hit some 20 or 30 years ago is of interest today merely for nostalgic reasons.  If people are touched by it for sentimental reasons, then it is in most cases not because of the music itself, but rather because of personal memories that are connected to it."

Sound Designers are often asked by someone to make something sound like this or that from some movie that person watched a long time ago.  Does he believe his reference to be amazingly cool because it is, in and of itself?  Or is it because of some non sound design related personal memory associated with it?  I think many times, even for Sound Designers, it is the latter.