Rebecca Farr
A&E Editor
Chills go down my spine, the lyrics circle my head and I can feel the music through my mind, body and soul.
No matter the feeling—happiness, sadness, excitement, depression, grief, heart-break, a mellow feeling, joy or anticipation—I just let the music take over.
If I want to be sad, I can be sad. I can blast Drake’s “Hate Sleeping Alone” and feel sorry for the heartbreak I’ve been through in my life. Depending how I’m feeling, I just might turn to the classic Taylor Swift, “Just Another Picture to Burn.”
After the untimely loss of my father, if I want to grieve, I can blast The Police “Every Step You Take,” or the Aaliyah song that became a tribute to her, “I Miss You.”
Music like this can help through the healing process of utter sadness. I can’t help but feel that bottling up emotions only results in an explosion. So, it’s good to be sad sometimes—let it out, cry if you need to.
However, in my experience, it seems inevitable to notice that music can truly be a ‘dosage’ of happy for each and every one of us.
Like I said, if you want to be sad, be sad. Turn up Lana Del Rey and feel sorry for yourself, there’s nothing wrong with that.
According to a study done by the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, a group that listened to upbeat music rather than mellow music concluded in the result; “it was shown that listeners experienced a rush of the feel-good neurotransmitter dopamine near this region, as well as a rush of dopamine in the rear striatum, the brain’s pleasure center. “
For example, contrasting to the grieving, upsetting songs I had mentioned before, sometimes missing my dad can be a soothing feeling. Mac Miller’s “Scoop on Heaven” helps a lot with that. I can’t change reality and I know that but that doesn’t always make it any easier.
Mac Miller describes how he envisions heaven; the brightest stars, all peace—no fighting, everybody tells the truth and one of my favorite lines is, “You probably got a Mercedes but always could take the bus.”
When I’m feeling down, I’ll play this and remember the serene image that I, too, see heaven as. It’s an uplifting feeling that helps me through.
On the other side of the spectrum, I, just as anyone else would, also sense different forms of happiness. Happiness can range from a laid-back, “no worries” attitude, to an excited and ecstatic feeling.
The tranquil sounds of Matisyahu—especially the song “One Day”—reminds me of a relaxing day by the beach or the pool.
The Goo Goo Dolls “Slide” or John Mayer’s “Daughters” are soothing sounds to my ear that keep me smiling.
“Do you wake up on your own and wonder where you are? You live with all your faults,” the Goo Goo Dolls’ song continues, “I want to wake up where you are, I won’t say anything at all.”
What can be more relieving? The idea that someone, somewhere, will accept all of your faults.
Not only that—but they want to wake up where you are —maybe true love does exist.
The message behind “Daughters” by John Mayer is, at times, sad for me to hear.
At the same time though, the words, “Fathers be good to your daughters and daughters will love like you do,” warm my heart to know that I am lucky enough to have been raised by such a compassionate father.
Mayer was right. I can truly say my dad’s positive attitude and outlook on life shaped me in an inexplicable way.
On the other hand, moving away from calm and harmonious sounds, I am brought to Avicii’s “Fade Into Darkness.” The mix of the piano and techno build up to leave the listener with a “feel good” attitude and, very possibly, the urge to dance (for me, at least).
Not only does the catchy beat match the sense of dopamine release in the brain, but the lyrics have an amazing message as well.
“This world can seem cold and gray but you and I are here today and we will fade into darkness,” seems to portray the idea that regardless of the seemingly aloof world some of us live in, we’re here on earth and will let our presence take us to unlimited places—mentally and physically.
With the emerging popularity of techno and electric dance music, the over joy feeling from songs like Avicii’s is not limited to this genre of music-to me, at least.
Keith Urban’s “Day’s Go By” never fails to remind me of the same significance that I link to “Fade Into Darkness.”
“Day’s go by, I can feel ‘em flying like a hand out the window in the wind. It’s all we’ve been given, so you better start livin’ right now. ‘Cause days go by.”
The lyrics remind me that in the rush of it all, it’s important to stop and be thankful and joyful of what each and every one of us exists as today. It’s hard to forget pressures of school, work and society.
No matter the difficulty, I can’t help but agree with Urban and Avicii’s lyrics that it’s crucial to take a step back to love and appreciate the little things.
Regardless of hardships, with tough times comes a sense of pride and power to overcome whatever the tribulation may be. For me, I feel that pride and power through the sounds of music.
Rebecca Farr can be contacted at
rfarr@keene-equinox.com