Music

I am addicted to making playlists. I make them for everything. Cleaning, studying, driving, walking, cooking, falling asleep ... There's something very soothing for me about picking out the right songs for any occasion. In another post, I mentioned that I'm taking steps in Depression Intervention and one of those steps is putting together a playlist of songs to keep me feeling upbeat and motivated. I put together a pretty good one filled with some of my favourites that I've been listening to most of today. The thing is, I also get bored pretty easily, and I'm always on the hunt for new tunes, so I thought I'd start a music thread. What does everyone like to listen to when they want to fight up the blues and stay upbeat and motivated? It can be anything at all. In my playlist right now I have everything from Journey to the 1812 Overture to Lady Gaga. Absolutely anything goes! I'll start (in no particular order):

- The Way You Do The Things You Do -- Temptations
- You and Your Hand -- Pink
- Lost Highway, It's My Life, Welcome to Wherever You Are -- Bon Jovi
- Waking Up In Vegas -- Katy Perry
- Livin' La Vida Loca -- Ricky Martin
- Isn't She Lovely -- Stevie Wonder
- I'm Yours -- Jason Mraz
- When I'm Up (I Can't Get Down) -- Great Big Sea
- Be A Clown -- Gene Kelly & Judy Garland
- Crocodile Rock -- Elton John
- Summer Sunshine -- The Corrs
- Summer of '69 -- Bryan Adams
- For the Longest Time -- Billy Joel
- Don't Stop the Music -- Rihanna
- La Bamba -- Leon Thomas (soundtrack to August Rush)
- 1812 Overture -- Tchaikovsky (if this doesn't make you feel triumphant I don't know what will!)

To me if I'm just really down, peppy music can feel like a mockery. It might help me in some moods, but when I'm really depressed I like blues or music that's so dramatic it makes me laugh a bit because my situation is usually not as bad as it can be in old blues/country songs. Also just seeing that everyone goes through sad things makes me feel more a part of the human race and less alone in my pain.

I appreciate the lyrics of Lee Ann Womack's I Hope You Dance

I like Enya, especially "It's in the Rain":

Everytime the rain comes down
I close my eyes and listen
I can hear the lonesome sound
Of the sky as it cries

Listen to the rain
Here it comes again
Hear it in the rain

Feel the touch of tears that fall
They won't fall forever
In the way the day will flow
All things come, all things go

Listen to the rain... the rain
Here it comes again... again
Hear it in the rain... the rain

Late at night I drift away
I can hear you calling
And my name is in the rain
Leaves on trees whispering
Deep blue seas, mysteries

Even when this moment ends
Can't let go this feeling
Everything will come again
In the sound falling down
Of the sky as it cries
Hear my name in the rain

and "Wild Child":

Let the rain fall down.
Everywhere around you
Give into it now.
Let the day surround you
You don't need a reason
Let the rain go on and on

Oh. Music. Music is what keeps me alive. Feels like it's the only thing that can still touch me and that I can still enjoy. Not like I used to. Music used to make me fly. But I still love it. Esp. singing.

Ilove to sing to, thine,if it wasnt for that i think i would be more depressed than i already am.hold onto that.

I like to play house music for its uplifting melodic beat and it makes me dance along the apartment, it also fills me of good memories when I used to go clubbing in London in the 90's. AHH those were the days!

When I am feeling completely HOPELESS I love to listen to Natasha Beddingfield's "Unwritten" !! It really makes me think that life MIGHT just be OK !! It is such a true song

Thanks. I will.

I like the idea, music is so sensul and soothing and ive always sought after and compliled music that is so personal to one self.It is the universal language of emotions.I originallty started collecting LP"s at the age of about twelve and its escelated to probably (my last count about 1100 Lps)...but i have since stopped as it was becoming a growing obsession, but they were also my voice and friends. I collected blues albums mainly as i was fixated with the blues and expanded to avante garde Jazz.I love in particular progressive rock as it is music that inspires the imagination with so many key changes in one lenghthy song from Soft -hard to heavy -jazz and fusion its like an abstract painting youre emotions are forever changing!!!!!Any how i thought i mite include some food for thought that may inspire some of yous' mike oldfield-guitars, pat metheney-beyondthe misouri sky and the way up,tangerine dream-force madjorie(this album always cuts it for me especially when there are atmospheric cloud burst in the sky)and for all the jazz buffs you cant go past who i calim the best american jazz pianist Bill evans-explorations andyou must remember spring (absolute gems).I could go on forever as music has been my instituition of all those lonely bedroom nites compiling and listening to music to uplift and enhance my depressive state I hope you enjoy

Gimme Shelter and Get Up, Get Out - Rolling Stones

Oh, "crocodile rock". the memories that brings up... For me it is Antidepression or irritated mania - The pogues, Big Country
Hypomanic - runrig, Lisa Miskovsky
Depressed - Kent, Early U2, Psychodelic furs, Pearljam, Brahms German Requiem
There are more, but that is what I have right now,

Music is weird for me - sometimes I'm depressed because of the music world, especially in the past because I felt that my depression was stopping me from playing music. However sometimes I noticed I get more and more depressed when I don' listen to music! So I to ohave to try to keep listening more often.


I love Shostakovich, Elton John especially Funeral for a friend/Love lies Bleeding (there's a WONDERFUl part at the end where everything moves from the begining minor-mode/sad type part to an upbeat section), and many more. It varies with me... sometimes I"ll youtube, sometimes I'll grab CD's of stuff I've had to study, or I'll look more popular music up.

Mike oldfield is also a favorite of mine =D

music is what drives me. i'm a singer. and huge on lyrics.
some of my faves that put me in a good mood are:

Breathe (2am) - Anna Nalick (calms me)
Hey Mama - Black Eyed Peas (makes you wanna dance!)
Life in Technicolor II - Coldplay (makes me smile )
American Boy - Estelle (just super fun and great to sing)
Be Faithful - Fatman Scoop and Crooklyn Clan (wicked dance song)
Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand (fun song)
Empire State - Jay-Z and Alicia Keys (awesome)
Are You Gonna Be My Girl - Jet (how can u not like this song? lol)
One Step at a Time - Jordin Sparks (calms my stress, puts things in perspective, great to sing.)
Mr. Brightside - The Killers (love it)
Smile - Lily Allen (seems obvious. haha)
Kids - MGMT (wicked dance song)
Famous Last Words - My Chemical Romance (great for getting out aggression)
Cuz I Can - Pink (wicked)
It's All Your Fault - Pink (just fun)
Bicycle Race - Queen (hahahaha love it! )
Can't Stop - Red Hot Chili Peppers (fun!)
Please Don't Stop The Music - Rhianna (u already know it's good!haha)
Beautiful - Social Code (just listened to this for the first time in ages, sooo good to pump you up! instantly boosted my mood)
Heads Will Roll - Yeah Yeah Yeahs (wicked)

and pretty much anything by Rise Against cuz i friggin LOVE them.

that's just a bit of mine. could prolly find more, but i gotta get going. hope it helps!

Hi JF, I am so glad you came up with this idea... it has really hit an achilles heel, as music has always been my institution through out my many phases of my life ,and im so glad that its still instilled in me. I would spend every waking hour and listen to and compose my own as well as making my own compilations to inspire me.My main expertise in the music realm lies in the genre of JAZZ,BLUES AND PROGRESSIVE ROCK!However i dont dismiss other styles and genres,after all it is the universal language of the world.Any how i have so many compilations to choose but i thought i might add a few of my compilations which every tune follows a theme to my moods and has some significance to the time i compiled it. I dont expect every person to be inspired by the same but i hope you enjoy and for everyone else.my JAZZ compilation:1:A song for you, Ray Charles. 2:My thief, Elvis Costello with Burt Bacharach. 3:So help me god,Ray Charles. 4:Painted from memory, Elvis Costello and Bacahrach. 5:Mood Indigo,Ella Fitzgerald. 6:God give me strength,Elvis Costello and Bacharach. 7:Manhattan,Blossom Dearie. 8:If i could,Ray Charles. 9:Embraceble you,Ella Fitzgerald.10:Wild is the wind,Nina Simone.11: I Wanna be loved,Shirley horn.12iana Krall, ill string along with you.13:Whats new,Helen Merill.14:Early autumn,Anita Oday.15:Some other time,Monica Zetterland.I compiled this in hommage to some jazz greats especially to matriarchs and Jazz Divas......I love so much!!! My second compilation is just mainstream artists and bands that is so personal to me and i hope you like it too!!!! 1: Baba oreilly,The Who. 2; Wish you were here,Pink Floyd.3:Man of the world,Peter Greens Fleetwood Mac.4: Getting in tune,The Who.5:When a blind man cries,Deep Purple.***6:OL 55,The Eagles.7:Faithfully,Journey.*8:Has anyone ever written anything for you,Stevie Nicks.9:How you gonna see me now,Alice Cooper.10:Hallelujah,Jeff Buckley.*11:Wasted Time,Don Henley.12:God,John "the messiah " Lennon.13:Heart of the matter,Don Henley.14:Have I told you lately,Van Morrisson.15:My sweet Lord,George Harrisson.*16:The loner,Gary Moore.17:Parisienne walkway,Gary moore.18: Close my eyes forever,Lita Ford with Ozzy Osbourne. If any you like you should and i hope there available on you tube to listen too.ENJOY and thanx for this oppurtunity.

Just Floating,
what a great post, it's very uplifting to listen to your FAV music when you are down in a depressive state. I usually get on the internet and plug in anything I fancy listening to from Dolly Parton, Elvis, Boy George, Wham, Opera, Old Disco and then for a really special moment to put my spirits higher, I grab my 6 year old son, position him in the living room as my dance partner and we smooch to George Michael's Careless Whisper, we float around the room, I twirl him, rock him, twist him and we sing our hearts out.