Top ten songs that I'm inspired by.
Such a hard list to narrow down!
10: Hospital Beds by Cold War Kids
"Bring the buckets by the dozens, Bring your nieces and your cousins,
Come on, put out the fire on us."
This song to me is all about personal rehabilitation and social rehabilitation.
Thank you Jeff, for introducing to me it.
"There's nothing to do here, some just whine and complain." Behavioral health wards.
"We've got no chance of recovery" Falsity of prescription happiness.
It serves for the drastic change our society must make. We must rehabilitate ourselves, save ourselves, not only from self-damage, but that which we inflict upon others. Put out the fires on us.
9: Skinny Love by Bon Iver
"Come on skinny love just last the year, Pour a little salt we were never here."
Love, going sour.
Probably metaphorically speaking, he wants this doomed relationship to heal, to even "Just last the year."
Talking to both people inside. Asking to be patient, fine, balanced, and kind even though the hurt part usually wins out. Waking up, and being better. Owning up to the past, leaving the hurt and 'fines' behind.
Being stronger. My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my.
8: Skeleton Me by The Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
"Love don't cry, Love don't cry, Skeleton me, Skeleton me."
The melody, gets me.
I hear so much from this song.
Staring out slow, like the calm before the storm and suddenly, drums enter, bringing with it a dramatic flare of background music that leaves me thinking of shots of gun, fire from the guns, and the bodies left on the ground to become as the song says, skeletons. A former love, two people. Becoming dead.
Skeletons.
7: The Scientist by Coldplay
"I was just guessing at numbers and figures pulling the puzzles apart,
Questions of science, science and progress, did not speak as loud as my heart."
Such emotion goes into this song from my heart. I can relate. Going back to the start, when things are fresh and beautiful and all is lovely and right.
I feel the personality type of his voice is noted for difficult dealings with relationships and an over analytical view of the world, and one who strives to understand everything instead of feeling.
I think this goes hand in hand with the lyrics.
6: Porcelain by Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Do you carry the moon in your womb,
Someone said that you're fading too soon,
Drifting and floating and fading away."
Drifting and floating and fading away."
Sadness and beauty and love all wrapped together and I feel it. A reflective song.
I think of babies. How beautiful life, really is. It makes me wonder, how people can live without God in their life. A perfect, baby. How can someone have that and not truly believe there is some higher power?
Perfectly complementary to an already beautiful melody.
Little lune, all day.
5: Samson by Regina Spektor
"He told me that I'd done all right,
And kissed me until the morning light, the morning light,
And he kissed me until the morning light."
Oh, such little things mean the world.
Undoubtedly there is a story behind this song.
Whether it's about her, a friend, a cancer patient, a love, a brother, a father.
Every song says something different to someone.
And each time I hear this, it's applicable in a different way to my life.
4: Breathe Me by Sia
"Be my friend
Hold me, wrap me up
Unfold me
I am small
I'm needy
Warm me up
And breathe me"
I've always needed someone to breathe my air.
Reaching out, asking for help is often the hardest thing to do.
Self harm, insecurity, loneliness, boredom.
A list we all go through.
I think that it means what it means to you. This could be about anything. What matters is that it is a beautiful and haunting song that many people can appreciate and relate to.
I am small.
Please, feel large.
3: Rose (piano version) by James Horner
The hymn to the sea.
Instrumental. A song like this, does not need lyrics to make me feel what it does to me.
This song perfoms to me a poem of musical metaphors for the sea and lends itself perfectly to musical setting.
James Horner, a musical genius. My favorite piece of his, yet.
2: Hoppipolla by Sigur Ros
"Brosandi
Hendumst í hringi
Höldumst í hendur Allur heimurinn óskýr"
Höldumst í hendur Allur heimurinn óskýr"
"Smiling
Spinning round and round
Holding hands
The whole world a blur."
One of the most powerful songs in the universe.
Sometimes songs do tap into your soul. It's about being happy, being sad, it's about youth, about age, about whatever you want it to be. It is, though, utterly, utterly beautiful and uplifting.
I love the story, which I believe is true, that when Sigur Ros wrote it they referred to it as 'The Money Song' because they knew they'd created something special which would be a commercial hit. That doesn't detract from it - it simply means, for me at least, they knew they'd tapped into our very souls. This will be the soundtrack to my life, when giving birth, I swear. Amazing.
I love the story, which I believe is true, that when Sigur Ros wrote it they referred to it as 'The Money Song' because they knew they'd created something special which would be a commercial hit. That doesn't detract from it - it simply means, for me at least, they knew they'd tapped into our very souls. This will be the soundtrack to my life, when giving birth, I swear. Amazing.
Thanks, Sigur Ros.
1: Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen, sung by Jeff Buckley
"And love is not a victory march, It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah."
It may remind you of Shrek, but to me, it reminds me of God.
It uses religious events, characters and beliefs as an elaborate metaphor for different love situations where emotions are peaking. I think the goal of this song is a different personal definition to the word "Hallelujah" for everyone. Really, the exultation, the essence and purpose it has, not only with God, but within your personal world. This song truly is amazing and I just can't grace it with enough words pulled together.
(loves.)
-h.
