I am wondering how classic oldies or blue songs and music may help inspire to take (meaningful) notes, heal, or be a better person. Listening to songs is easy but the songs choice is also important to draw out the right responses.
Classic Oldies
- Imagine – John Lennon
- Free As A Bird – The Beatles
- I Started A Joke – Bee Gees
- Don’t Cry Joni – Conway Twitty
- Moon River – Audrey Hepburn
- Hazard – Richard Marx
- Take Me Home, Country Roads – John Denver / Home Free Version
- Stand By Me – Ben E. King
- Dance With My Father – Luther Vandross
- Reflections Of My Life – The Marmalade
- My Way – Frank Sinatra
- You Are My Sunshine – Johnny Cash
Classical
- Pomp and circumstance – Edward Elgar
- Lascia Ch’io Pianga – George Frideric Handel – Rinaldo
- La Califa – Ennio Morricone
Folk Songs
- Auld Lang Syne (British) – Home Free
- Arirang (Korean) -Sungha Jung
Others
- Sorry, Blame It On Me – Akon
- Home – Michael Bublé
- Nada Sousou (Japan)
These chosen songs of varied intents should also be safe listening for different audience ages. The mood and beauty of songs can be subjective to individuals, depending on the performer’s talent, how he/she play/sing it, and the emotions portrayed/interpreted. This exercise may act as a warm-up for creative writing and artistic literature. If these songs draw a tear or two from someone, he or she may feel a mutual sentiment. Strong emotions of the love for others can be a powerful trigger for writing and kind actions.
At times when we feel trapped or don’t know what else, perhaps we should think outside the box and not confine ourselves to making the same choices over and over again expecting the same ineffective results, or seek temporary solace by sleeping with a cat or listening to blue songs and cry it out before planning our change for the better or ask for the right help. Failing to plan is like planning to fail.
You might have noticed most or all these songs have a melancholy or nostalgic feel for life, which I humbly think is a true reflection or account of human life or otherwise – I mean who hasn’t cried or felt pain and suffered from anguish, sickness, or inevitable death?
Some songs lyrics tell compelling stories of heartache and despair. For example, Stand By Me is a really tearful song when one watched the possibly unexpected ending in the movie and then think back of the times the friends had… Another example is Nada Sousou (it means I can’t stop crying), a song that was composed in response to a singer’s request in memorial of her beloved father. The folk songs have simple tunes but can evoke intense grief too.
The songs all have at least one thing in common: Emotional punch.
The power of sounds, music, and songs
They are strangely intuitive and far-reaching if one thinks about it. They can captivate the emotions of love and remote listeners and invoke resounding familiarity or strong tearful sentiments in even just seconds of playing.
Bonus: Sing this love song for your cat, pet, or koala/teddy bear
Put Your Head On My Shoulder – Paul Anka (Performed by Michael Bublé)
Why listen to these songs?
Cultivate compassion and loving-kindness. They remind us of the physical and mental suffering we all experience at one time or another. A single true note of loving-kindness is incomparably better than one that serves no purpose other than a selfish one, in my humble opinion. When we look back upon our lives as we draw our last human breath, should it be a selfless or selfish thought or intention?
Note-taking exercise:
Listen to one/these songs and take notes of your emotions and what images come to mind. This is your private and personal space so feel free to type or write away. These songs were selected for their emotional sentiment and soothing melodies. Hopefully, they will compel the listeners to write or take notes through inspiring compassion and loving-kindness. Furthermore, some songs or music are open to more than one interpretation, and a popular one may not necessarily be the right one of the composer’s original intent.
Some prompt to help write:
- Can you somehow relate to the song and how so in your situation?
- Who do you feel for in the song and why?
- Is there a particular time and moment in life that you remember well?
- If you hope or could do better, what was it?
- Can you plan on how to improve and act on it?
- Can you forgive all wrongs done to you?
- Can you let go of the past and self-attachment? And be more selfless here onwards?
- Can we love others more than ourselves? And how?
This exercise may also be used to warm up and get us going so we can soon transition to other studying or work activities. Then again, writing down all these feelings of love for others may reinforce our good memories and positive goodwill.
Write after listening to one song a day and take your time to grow with this process. If you are seeking background music or sounds for studying, please check out VaughnCollege’s resources.
Or just listen to these songs with your family and pet, just cherish and cuddle with them while we can, who knows when it will be the last time. Watch how blissful and sweet a cat can be…
Summary
Listen to these songs or music even when you are not studying. Sometimes we just want relief from the myriads of problems and stress in life, perhaps these songs can strike a familiar chord with our plights and make us feel like we are not alone in our struggles and helplessness.
This may be just a simple blog post, but someday you may look back, listen to these songs, and miss or regret not cherishing the people and pets around us who we took for granted.
Hopefully, these songs can also bring you solace and comfort, and even act as a form of therapy for those who need it.
Though bear in mind it may be easy for some to get distracted and lost track of time just listening to catchy tunes and fun songs. Stay focused, and don’t get attached.
May all be liberated from all sufferings. Be kind and love others.
PS: Are you struggling with life issues and looking for help or someone to talk about it? Wanna Talk About It may be it.
Related Questions
More ideas or activities for songs?
25 Songs, 25 Days (Blog Challenge)
Where can I learn to compose songs?
Compose your own song or write your own lyrics if you like. Play around and have fun with coming up with the music you like to listen to yourself. Or sing a song in your own style or a different mood.
For those with music composition experience who need a course to guide you, Mikael Baggström‘s 40+ Udemy courses may be helpful, including composing for:
Or consider songwriting below for beginners:
- Music Production 101 – Producing + Songwriting for Beginners – Tomas George, Christopher Carvalho, Digital Music Masters
- Song Science #1: How Pros Use 6 Chords to Write Hit Songs – Musicians Inspired
- Songwriting course – Mikael Baggstrom
What are the alternatives for peaceful music?
Perhaps you will like Peaceful piano music live on YouTube or Nature sounds.
Tip: Did you know that you can tell Google Assistant to ‘play relaxing music’?
