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In a Mad, Mad, Mad World We All Need Some Calming Songs Sometimes
But no chanting allowed
Back in October, I published an article with the cumbersome title “Writing (and Reading) a Good Rant Requires a Certain Kind of Background Music.” It contained what can only be deemed an “angry” playlist, one perfect for writing rants. I was listening to it again this morning when, a few verses into “Some Heads Are Gonna Roll,” it struck me that sometimes we need songs that are a little calmer, and not just when writing.
The need for a calm space in these insane days has become increasingly evident as 2020 Part Three continues to disappoint. People have turned to everything from yoga to meditation to ASMR to carve out this wee bit of serenity, but except for the occasional ASMR video, these don’t work for me. Yoga is too strenuous to be calming (especially the madness that is “hot yoga”) and my mind wanders entirely too much for meditation to be an option.
What calms me most is music. I’m not alone in this, obviously; for some a piece by Mozart makes the cares of the day melt away, while other prefer Kind of Blue-era Miles Davis. For me, Springsteen will do the trick most of the time (big surprise, right?). But on those rare occasions when the E Street Band just won’t work, the following ten songs calm me, and maybe they’ll bring a little chill…
