What Songs Do You Find Comforting?

Rilo Kiley! “Breakin’ Up” makes me happy-nostalgic and always makes me smile. And Joni Mitchell is always comfort music for me if I am in a mellow mood—the Blue album in particular.

I wish Cup of Jo would create playlists! I have a feeling a collaborative listener playlist would be on nonstop for me as I work and drive. (Spotify has a great collaborative playlist feature ;) )

Oh my gosh, Kim, you just exactly described my own teenage experience! Middleschooler in the early 2000’s? Check. Only allowed to listen to Christian music? Check. Secretly listening to the radio with headphone? Check. Your list of songs bring back so many memories.

However, my comfort songs are anything by The Beatles and lots of folk songs – the music that we play and sing together at family reunions. Every summer while I was growing up, we would spend the 4th of July in Maine with my Dad’s big family and in the evenings we would sit around and sing together (it helps that there are some very talented musicians in the family). We don’t meet up nearly as often anymore, but when we do, there is always lots of music and singing.

Why Don’t We Fall in Love by Amerie – throwback song that feels like summer :)

“…. who cried a river and drowned the whole world”! What a trip down memory lane!

Mine would be anything Gin Blossoms, The Calling (“Wherever You Will Go” is a standout), Alanis Morissette (her entire “Jagged Little Pill” album is my life soundtrack circa 1996-97), Matchbox Twenty, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Train, Soundgarden, Garbage, Blur, Offspring, Soul Asylum (“Runaway Train” especially), basically the entire Empire Records soundtrack, and everything from The Cranberries! Dolores O’Riordan’s haunting vocals, especially on “Ode to My Family”, always takes me right back to high school in the 90s and gives me chills at the same time.

My college years were dominated by more straight-up bubblegum pop (the Britney Spears/Christina Aguilera era) but Nelly Furtado’s “I’m Like A Bird” always reminds me of the time when I was on the cusp of adulthood and full of optimism about the years ahead. Good times!

“A Change Is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke is my favorite song of all time. The second I hear those swooning violins, I get chills, and when the brass section warms the speakers, I start to weep. Especially in these times, it is so easy to despair, but hearing Sam Cooke gently croon and desperately plead and defiantly declare this song gives me so much hope that there can be beauty and strength when the world feels so dark. Other extremely important artists have sung this song very well, but Sam Cooke’s version will always be my favorite.

Also, all R&B circa ’95-’05.

1. I was also raised Christian #nosecularmusic. I would sneak No Doubt

2. No making out, I was a theatre nerd, but not the kind with an interesting after-the-show life.

3. We’re living with my folks right now, so every other week, my husband, my toddler, & I pile into my dad’s truck and drive “into town” to grab drive-through breakfast. It’s like a half hour drive through the hill country in Texas. I look forward to it so much.

“This Feeling” by Alabama Shakes. “I’ve been having me a real hard time/But it’s so nice/To know I’m gonna be all right…” Perfect song for the moment. Also, it makes me think of the ‘Fleabag’ finale, which is as close to artistic perfection as it gets.

I’ve been howling along this week to the music I grieved with when I lost two of my best friends in 6 months 15 years ago. Two main albums: Bonnie Prince Billy’s “I See A Darkness” and The Magnetic Fields’ “69 Love Songs”. Been learning songs from both on the banjo ukulele I’ve been learning to play in quarantine as well. The angsty-loving music of my younger days (I’m 50) is such a comfort now.

Christmas music.

baby where you are by ted lucas, and woyaya by anaïs mitchell and kate stables. so comforting. :)

Oh so many!!

“To Be With You” – Mr. Big
“More Than Words” – Extreme
“For The Longest Time” – Billie Joel
“Free Fallin’ ” – Tom Petty
“Heart Of Gold” – Neil Young

Anything Gin Blossoms, Counting Crows – basically anything off the Felicity or Dawson’s Creek soundtracks! (REalllyy giving my age away here!) Oh – and of course the Friends theme song.

As a Canadian – anything Chantal Kreviazuk, Jann Arden, Amanda Marshall, Bryan Adams, or The Good Lovelies.

Anything Motown.
Anything Stevie Wonder.
Anything Amos Lee.

Sigh. As a music major I could go on and on!

I also love all of these you mentioned, Kim! Long gone are the days when I went out every weekend and dance my mind away, hahaha!

A song that will probably be with me forever from the time I grew up, is “Drive” by Incubus. It is magical!

Just commenting to say what a cool photo

“Night swimming” by R.E.M.

Breathe by pink Floyd. Super short song but I find (some of) the lyrics oddly comforting. It reminds me life is short and to make the most of it and not sorry about what other people think.

I feel funny and old saying this. The Beatles. ??

Light of a Clear Blue Morning — Dolly Parton

I’m a sexual assault prosecutor and when I have a stressful trial approaching, I play it on repeat in the shower and visualize the light of the clear blue morning that will come when trial is over. I read this trick somewhere last year (maybe here?) and it WORKS!

I was in a coffee shop this morning & heard “Two Weeks” by Grizzly Bear. It instantly brought me back to my 20’s…dating my now husband, going out on the weekends, biking around the city & meeting up with friends. There was a photo of Barack Obama hanging in the coffee shop, staring at me. It was too much & I got ready-eyed. I love the ability of music to completely transform me to a past moment in time.

The entirety of Coldplay’s album A Rush of Blood to the Head–it was the first album I bought in college (at Walmart at midnight) and I fell asleep to it playing in my Discman a lot my freshman year. It was a hard time for me, getting used to being away from home even though I’d been looking forward to getting out of my house for years, but to this day those songs can chill me out like nothing else.

Boston. Any song by Boston when it comes on the radio means something good is to happen. For example, on extended drives, without fail, Boston comes on the radio and brings a smile and I know the trip will be smooth :)
This is on different radio stations in different areas, beyond my control.

Songs that I choose to listen to for comfort:
But Not Like Tonight – Depeche Mode
The Gambler – Kenny Rogers
The Book of Love – Magnetic Zeros
Only You – Yaz
Somebody to Love – Queen
Peace Love & Understanding – Elvis Costello

In the arms of an Angel, Sarah McLachlen, instantly relaxes me!

I have been listening to Godspeed by Frank Ocean endlessly these past few months. When it came on at the end of the Michelle Obama documentary on Netflix, I just started bawling.

Can’t get enough of Classic Rock from the 1970’s!

So much of my high school-era music still makes me so happy – Death Cab, Modest Mouse, Reliant K (for all you other teenage Christian music listeners). But what really is a warm hug for me is old 80s and 90s country music! It’s all my family listened to growing up so they bring up such warm memories of my parents and grandparents. Old Alan Jackson, Brooks and Dunn, Alabama, Patty Loveless, Don Williams… they all give me the warm fuzzies.