Inspirational Song of the Week: Ho Hey by The Lumineers

Weekly I like to share a song that has inspired or comforted me at some point in my life. Sometimes they work over and over again and other times they are simply played at the right moment in time.

I really find Ho Hey by The Lumineers to be a catchy song. No matter where or when I am in my day, I will stop to sing along with it if I hear it. I have definitely been caught dancing and or singing in a store more than once. One day when I stopped to look at the lyrics this part really jumped out at me:

So show me family

(Hey!) All the blood that I would bleed

(Ho!) I don't know where I belong

(Hey!) I don't know where I went wrong

(Ho!) But I can write a song

While I cannot actually write a song, I do understand the other sentiments being espoused. I feel like I have done so many things "wrong" in my life and that I don't really have a sense of belonging anywhere. It's taken me a long time to realize that all those "wrong" have landed me where I am and it's a pretty decent place to be. 

I'm not materialistically wealthy, but I have a lot more emotionally and socially than I ever thought I would. My basic needs, as well as some of my comfort needs, are being met on a daily basis. I am able to give back to others what wasn't given to me and that has made all the difference. So, while I get this song, I now mostly listen for just the beat.

Is there a song that you used to really identify with that has kind of fallen out of favor with you?

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Inspirational Song of the Week: Someone New by Hozier

Weekly I like to share a song that has inspired or comforted me at some point in my life. Sometimes they work over and over again and other times they are simply played at the right moment in time.

Hozier burst into my musical reverie with "Take Me to Church" & seems to continue in his orbit. Currently I am adoring "Someone New". Many of his songs are romantic or sexual in nature and while that alone is usually enough to pique my interest, the poetry of the lyrics is what really does it for me. From this one I love:

I fall in love just a little ol' little bit

Every day with someone new

There's an art to life's distractions

To somehow escape the burning weight

The art of scraping through

My husband and I have often joked during of the harder times in our lives that as long as we had each other, nothing else mattered. While it was mostly true, the distractions in life make it pass more smoothly without driving away your partner. Scraping through life had its charm at one time and I remember the immensity of the emotions whenever we got to experience something different than the hum-drum that got us from day to day.

What do you think about this song? 

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Inspirational Song of the Week: Try by P!nk

Weekly I like to share a song that has inspired or comforted me at some point in my life. Sometimes they work over and over again and other times they are simply played at the right moment in time.

One of my longtime, favorite artists that I discovered myself (as opposed to music I grew up with played by others) is P!nk. I have been a fan since her first publicly popular song "There You Go." It's really fun to go back and listen to some of her older stuff compared to where she is now.

Hands down though, my favorite album is The Truth About Love. The songs on this album speak to me all the time. I had it on repeat for 4 or 5 months after it released! 

The song that keeps popping out at me though is "Try." While the video should come with a trigger warning for domestic/partner abuse survivors because it is very suggestive, it has beautiful choreography & P!nk's signature emotive performance. The chorus is my favorite part:

Where there is desire, there is gonna be a flame
Where there is a flame, someone's bound to get burned
But just because it burns, doesn't mean you're gonna die
You gotta get up and try, and try, and try

To me, I see this as a daily challenge. Life is tough & likes to take us down whenever it gets a chance. We just have to be willing to get up and rise above it all. The most important part about falling off a horse is getting back up on it. I find strength in the melody & hope in the lyrics of this song.

What do you hear?

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Inspirational Song of the Week: I Believe by Blessid Union of Souls

 

Weekly I like to share a song that has inspired or comforted me at some point in my life. Sometimes they work over and over again and other times they are simply played at the right moment in time.
This week Spotify was kind enough to provide "I Believe" by Blessid Union of Souls in its #ThrowbackThursday playlist. I love checking out this list every week to see what gems they have in store. It's also entertaining trying to figure out the theme of that week's music.
Given the violent streak over the past few weeks from Paris to Mizzou to San Bernadino and everywhere in between, I felt that the lyrics to this song were especially poignant. His voice also makes a powerful statement. Read the words, listen to the rhythm, and feel the power emanating from within. It's just what I needed.
Violence is spread worldwide and there are families on the street And we sell drugs to children now oh why can't we just see That all we do is eliminate our future with the things we do today Money is our incentive now so that makes it okay
But I believe that love is the answer I believe that love will find the way


What song is inspiring you this week?

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Inspirational Song of the Week: Shower the People by James Taylor

Weekly I like to share a song that has inspired or comforted me at some point in my life. Sometimes they work over and over again and other times they are simply played at the right moment in time.

Today I feature one of my favorite artists and one of the most moving songs that I love to concentrate on when I am having a rough day with the world.

James Taylor is beloved the world over, but no more than in North Carolina. He spent many years there and we claim him as our own, even though he also gives love to his Massachusetts home. "Shower the People" is an uplifting song that is smooth and steady. The refrain is my favorite:

Just shower the people you love with love, show them the way that you feel.

Things are gonna work out fine if you only will do as I say, just

Shower the people you love with love, show them the way you feel.

Things are gonna be much better if you only will.

If you have a few minutes, just listen and enjoy the guitar melodies. I'm sure James will make more appearances in this feature because he has been a staple in my life, but this is a good one for today.

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Feature: Inspirational Song of the Week

I truly believe that music has the power to change things. It can change your mood, change your opinion, and change your life if you hear the right thing at the right time. From listening in your car to hearing something performed live, music can speak across time, space, and language. Much like math, it's a universal thing that flows through everyone.

What I find particularly striking though is musical frisson. Here's where my nerdy comes out. I majored in French and International Studies (History focus) in undergrad a few moons back. I loved learning new words & ways to say things. 

The greatest challenge is translating from one language to another. Sometimes though, the definition of the word or idea can be experienced in the saying. One of my favorite experiences of this was with the word "frisson," which translates to "shiver." It just sounded like that is what it meant. 

Back to the subject at hand. Musical frisson is the chills or goosebumps you experience when you hear certain songs, chords, or melodies. The two biggest musical frisson triggers for me are: Hedwig's theme from Harry Potter and Rue's whistle from The Hunger Games.

In honor of musical frisson, and to provide some of my personal favorites, I will be featuring a song each week that has inspired me or helped me in some way. Some will be upbeat, some will be dulcet, and still others will be a bit melancholy. 

We experience a range of emotions and have thousands of thoughts every day. By allowing music to help us deal with these experiences, we can move through them and on to what we really want to do.

What songs or sounds give you inspiration?

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