Music to Soothe the Savage Breast (I Promise That's How it was Originally Written)

I am such a music-minded person that I can honestly listen to anything, but I am a sucker for good jazz, alternative, and of course, art music. As strange as this may seem, my ride to work in the afternoon has often become my solace from the stress level that continues to rise with every new assignment. When theory makes me want to cry, history makes me want to scream, and MacGamut makes me want to vomit, I know for a fact that these the following three songs will help me gain my composure, breathe, and move on. 


All it takes to calm me down is to listen to a few songs by Jack Johnson. I know Jack Johnson is extremely cliché, but his music makes me feel like I’m at the beach, and that relaxes me. I chose Jack Johnson’s “Better Together” because I know what this feels like. I know the feeling of hating the entire world around you, until you are with that one person that somehow manages to make everything better. 

The music of Adele puts me in the mind of blues, and for whatever reason I can connect with blues more than any other genre. I picked her amazing song, “Don’t You Remember” because it is basically the story of my past two relationships. (Remember the implied guy in the last section? Well, he broke my heart and thereby leading to this section.)  I also used this song for my American Idol audition this summer. (No, I didn’t make it past the producers. But neither did Mercedes from Glee or Colbie Caillet, so I’m still good.)  This songs urges me to contemplate my life, the decisions I’ve made, and where I’m headed, which, even though it can often be painful, gives me a break from thinking about triads, intervals and The Epic of Gilgamesh. 

I grew up in a household with a mother who had a, in my opinion, totally rational obsession with U2. My mother successfully passed on that obsession to her offspring. My primary goal in life is to see U2 live before Bono kicks. I have compiled all of her U2 CDs and made two fantastic CDs for my car. My absolute favorite song is “Window in the Skies”. Something about the analogies and Biblical allusions in the lyrics intrigue me. The upbeat tempo and overall message of the song truly relaxes me, and it also helps me think of home, and of course, Ireland.