Music has been around since the dawn of time, always filling our ears and evolving a billion different ways into the vast and never-ending sea of selections today. Anytime I hear someone say that they do not regularly listen to music I immediately question “how does this person function every day without a constant mantra of instruments and voices playing in their ear,” and then I remember the sad truth that not everyone grew up in a home that seemed to have literal music notes flying out of the window every day, or even worse, they grew up in a time where music was not as accessible as it is now. Nowadays, there is no excuse for ignoring music because of the endless platforms that provide almost every song you could dream of for free. Music is one of the only things that seem to give me a secure sense of confidence, happiness, and warmth which is crazy to me when all you are doing is stimulating your sense of hearing. I truly believe in the remedy of music for any type of unwanted feeling which is why I take my Spotify playlists very seriously. It is a place where I can look back on the past and search for future songs to be obsessed with. I can have fun with it and get excited for the new occasion a playlist might be needed or I can unwind and organize my thoughts through songs. All you have to do is take a song that makes you feel a certain way and expand that into a place that you can return to in the future.
There have been so many studies looking into how music positively enhances your mood on any given day which is why I find it necessary to prepare for those days by having a playlist ready at all times. One of the greatest musicians of all time once said “I think music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music” (Billy Joel). Music is an expression of a human’s deepest thoughts set up in a way that can help others connect and relate to a problem one has to face in life. I find that what a person listens to is very telling of who they are as a person and I see my library of playlists as my own version of a diary. So, if you aren’t really into the whole writing your feelings down in a book then try looking into organizing feelings through music that appeals to you.
You might be wondering, where should I start? Well first, you need to take note of the songs that sparked a feeling inside you that ended up making a difference in your life in one way or another then you make a playlist, and you can spend the whole week searching for the perfect songs to compliment that original inspiration. One way to help with this excavation is with Spotify’s feature of liked songs that will independently make a playlist for all the songs you have liked, so you can go back and look for the ones you enjoyed and organize them further. There is also the feature to create collaborative playlists that can encourage a sense of community and connection through music. The other part of my music playlists that take up quite a bit of my time is finding a picture for the playlist. This part is just as fun as listening to music in my opinion because it gives me an excuse to go onto Pinterest and search the endless sea of aesthetic pictures for the perfect one to match my playlist. Another option is to have some fun with it and take your own personal pictures and use those.
If you are having trouble looking for that perfect song that will spark the inspiration for the creation of an entire playlist then here are some of my personal favorites to get you started: “Lonely Road” by Willow Smith, “Pleaser” by Wallows, “Lew’s Lullaby” by Ritt Momney, “Bedroom Floor” by Sneaky Peaches and The Fuzz, “Valerie” covered by Amy Winehouse, “Australia or New Slang” by The Shins, and “Ms. Jackson” by Outkast. Along with hundreds of other songs is the opportunity to truly connect with a person or just yourself through the universal language of music, and I hope to one person at a time cure the disease of being a non-music-listener.