Musical therapy

Published On: September 25, 2009

Behold the power of music. Just like a puppy, a song can relieve us of all our worldly concerns. And that's saying a lot these days. For some of us, just hearing that guitar take off in "Free Bird" transports us to our teenage days, convertible top down, radio blaring, hand stuck out the window with warm air whipping through our fingers like we're surfing a wave of wind. Faster and faster we go.

Or maybe it's that favorite jazz song that soothes our souls. You know the one—you listen to it on Sunday morning while lazily leafing through the New York Times after a nap-invoking lunch.

And then there's building tension in U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name" that lifts us up and inspires us to finish that last mile at break-neck speed.

We asked some friends to share their personal musical inspirations. And hey, we like what we heard.

Jodie Barringer
For getting out of a funk: Hothouse Flowers' version of "I Can See Clearly Now." C'est ca!

For getting up: Black Eyed Peas' "Boom Boom Pow" (for now)

For settling into a good night: "Brown Eyed Girl"

For the end of a good day: "Red, Red Wine"

Beth Curley
I listen to Sheryl Crow's "A Change Would Do You Good" several times a week because, hey, a change always does us good!

Violent Femmes' "Freak Magnet" is simply one of my anthem songs—inexplicable but true.

M. Ward's "Fuel for Fire" is one of my favorite songs. It's multi-layered and heartfelt. Pierces me every time and makes me wish I were a poet.

VeeVee Scott

My husband and I always love to hear live music first and foremost so I want to share a few of those memories.

First concert: Smokey Robinson and the Miracles (around six years old)

Most attended and out-of-town concerts of single artist: Bruce Springsteen (during my teens/20's)

Second most attended and out-of town-concert of single artist: Barney, the purple dinosaur (with my children when young) Most recent out-of-town concert: Jason Mraz, G Love and Special Sauce and the Plain White T's (a family outing with children)

Most recent in-town, live-music outing: The Basement and The Tin Roof (with my husband)

All-time favorites: "Changes" by David Bowie; "Black Coffee in Bed" by Squeeze; "The Joshua Tree" album by U2; anything by Edie Brickell, NRBQ, Lyle Lovett, Tom Petty, Al Green; "I Melt with You" by Modern English

Songs to move me to the dance floor: "Stand by Me" by Ben E. King (our wedding dance song) and "Mustang Sally"

Alan Bostick
Like most people, I have more than a few favorite pump-it-up songs. Two that come to mind are "Interstate Love Song" by the Stone Temple Pilots and "This Is a Call," an early Foo Fighters tune. Great, rockin' music. In the classical vein, there's so much, including those amazing moments in Wagner like "Ride of the Valkyries" or "The Flying Dutchman" overture. As for chill-out music, there's nothing like the slow second movement to Mozart's serenade known as "A Little Night Music." Beyond that, I'd have to pick the Stones' "Wild Horses," as one of my longtime favorites.

Brenda Black

My fat-fighting-getting-my-fitness-on song is actually a dance mix created by the Vanderbilt University Dance Marathon students. It includes a diverse mix of artists and songs that keep the students' morale up during a 24-hour period while they are raising money for Children's Hospital. I saw the students in action for the first time this past February with the morale dancers inspiring students while playing these tunes rather loudly in the gym. They were so nice to share the mix with me, and I think about them while listening to it on my iPod on the treadmill at the Y.

My relaxing song is Lady Antebellum's "I Run to You" just because it is a cool and mellow tune.

Ellen Pryor

When I need to transport myself to another place, need a break or a dose of happy, I return time and again to the soundtrack from the 1983 movie Local Hero. Mark Knopfler wrote, performed and produced all the music for the film, and it has a little bit of everything. It's got mood, whimsy, jazz, sound effects and twang (with Scottish undertones, no less), but I particularly love the theme, "Going Home," which utterly defies description. It starts out almost hymn-like and prayerful and then takes you on such a ride. It gets a little dark, but ends up being an incredibly optimistic and joyful anthem. I adore joy in music, and this is a tune that's been an inspiration for more than 25 years.

Keith Merry
We are some of the most blessed people in the world and should always be grateful that we live here in the USA. But, sometimes the daily dose of our economics woes can pull spirits down. That's when I reach deep down into the console of my car for my Allman Brothers CD and skip right to my favorite song "Blue Sky." The Allman Brothers Band has a special, peaceful, Southern sound that makes you believe everything is going to be all right. Below is my favorite part of the chorus that reminds us who's still in charge.

"You're my blue sky, you're my sunny day.
Lord, you know it makes me high when you turn your love my way,
Turn your love my way, yeah."

Steve Sirls
"I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor—since the '70s, this has been my in-the-head song. Paula Bennett and I still call each other when the other hears it being played somewhere in the world!

It wakes up the young and the old soul in one. It was an era that will never go away for me. I am no longer petrified.

John Hardaway

"Green Grass and High Tides" by the Outlaws

It's just a bunch of words about nothing in particular—it's more about an era. It's got one of the greatest guitar solos of all times. The song starts pretty quick and ends at breakneck speed—revs me up.

Bruce Dobie

A Grateful Dead song called "China Cat Sunflower"—there are two melodies going on, both of which relate perfectly to one another. I played a fair number of Bach two-part inventions growing up and this is the rock-n-roll equivalent. I can really lose myself in the song because I'm focused on every note.

Henry Walker
I've got two songs:

Meat Loaf's "Lost Boys and Golden Girls"

"We gotta be fast, we were born out of time,

Born out of time and alone,

And we'll never be as young as we are right now,

Running away and running for home, running for home."

Burl Ives's "Old Blue"

"When I get to Heaven, first thing I'll do,

Is grab my horn and I'll blow for Old Blue.

Say come on Blue, I finally got here too.

Jonathan Harwell

We don't all have an "Eye of the Tiger" playlist on our iPod. Of course I get an adrenaline rush when I listen to, say, Stevie Wonder's "You Haven't Done Nothing." Who doesn't? I think of music choice more like the score I want to accompany my activity at the time. Perhaps in somewhat the same way that the piano coda in "Layla" sets the perfect tone for the action in Goodfellas. However, because I don't drop a lot of bodies, I tend to select less doleful melodies that range anywhere from "The Golden State" by John Doe and Kathleen Edwards to Buck Owens' "Streets of Bakersfield" to Johnnie Taylor's "Who's Making Love." Then again, nothing finishes off a Pilates routine like Katy Perry's "Waking Up In Vegas."

Mary Jo Shankle
I would have to say that my fight song is "Got To Give It Up" by Marvin Gaye. I can put it on, pour a drink and POOF! I'm instantly at a cocktail party but without all the mess and vapid chit-chat. On his Gold album, there is a version that is almost 12 minutes long! Indeed, the entire Marvin Gaye Gold album is a soundtrack to live by.

Leigh Hendry
My kick-me up tunes are Stevie Wonder's "Don't You Worry Bout A Thing," "Living for the City," "Isn't She Lovely," "Boogie On Reggae Woman," and any other tune from any of his 73 (73!) albums—I literally know almost every word to every song—ridiculous, but true. My other two are " Hollaback Girl," by Gwen Stefani and Prince's "Kiss."

Julie eskind
Windows down music: Phoenix, Mute Math, John Butler Trio

Songs to make you smile: "Here Comes the Sun" (the Richie Havens version), "Wink and a Smile" (Harry Connick, Jr.), "I Believe (When I fall in Love it Will Be Forever)" (Stevie Wonder), "Pressure Drop" (Toots & The Maytals)

Chill Out: Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise

Mandy barnett
I use music to motivate me to exercise. Faster is usually better. ABBA always hits the spot. "Take a Chance on Me" and "SOS" definitely increase my heart rate. This is music that moves me, literally.

"What A Difference a Day Made" reminds me that things are forever changing, often for the better.

"What a difference a day made, twenty-four little hours,

Brought the sun and the flowers, where there used to be rain."

And when I'm ticked off and feeling unappreciated, I listen to George Jones and Tammy Wynette singing "If God Met You, She Wouldn't Like You." Self-explanatory!