Music is so powerful! It can transport you forward or backward in time. It can change your mood in an instant. We don’t deserve music.
I often wake up with music going through my head. This isn’t just in the morning; my nocturnal stumbles to the bathroom are often soundtracked by some tune that I forget as soon as my head hits the pillow again. For my own amusement, and when I can remember them, I’ve kept track of the tracks (I see what I did there) that have been playing in my mind as I’ve woken. Now, I’d like to share them with you.
This is my waking soundtrack for the week of May 9 – May 14.
May 9
Final Song/ MØ
My friend calls me a “free spirit, new wave hippie”. He likes MØ and would often play her tunes on our many late-night rides from the Hill back to my old place on Mt Washington. And I’m glad he did.
Specifically, I woke with these lyrics running laps in my mind: … take us to a higher ground / Here and now, whatever you do, just don’t look down.
MAY 10
Roses / The Chainsmokers feat. ROZES
The beginning of Mercury Retrograde blessed me with 2 songs, and they’re both bops. This song lives rent-free in my head, and was playing as I stumbled to the bathroom in the middle of the night.
Say what you will about The Chainsmokers, but the ballet/modern movement mashup in this video is incredible.
The Less I Know The Better / Tame Impala
This was playing when I finally woke up. I feel like there’s some comment to be made here about the blissfulness of ignorance and the folly of being wise, but I am neither wise enough nor ignorant enough to make it.
MAY 12
Woman / Mumford & Sons
Mumford and his sons hold a special place in my heart. I still remember buying their first album at a Best Buy back in 2010 (what a delightful lil time capsule of a sentence). That album reminds me of winters without, of a longing for something I couldn’t quite name but had been searching for all my life, in all the wrong places.
Much like how the singer is awed by the titular woman, I was in awe the first time I heard this.
MAY 13
Now or Never Now / Metric
There’s a melancholic hopefulness to this song. Emily Haines sings about how only silence can repair her sense of Self, and she’s 100% right.
When you begin doing that deep inner work that brings you into alignment with Who you’re here to be, it can be a very lonely, solitary time. If you’re an introvert like me (a fact few believe) this isn’t so bad, but that doesn’t make it any less lonely.
However, when you repair and remember and step back into the Self you came here to be all that you lose are the illusions of who you misbelieved you were. You have a choice in each moment to believe the stories your ego and society have told you about who you are, or you can believe that strong, steady Voice inside always whispering the truth.
May you always choose your Self. Because it’s now, or never now.
MAY 14
Sex / The 1975
According to Matt Healy and his amazing hair, this song is about flirty girls who are indecisive in relationship. For me, it’s a song that necessitates movement, perfect for blasting when you’re driving, biking or running (or aggressively cutting peppers).
And if you like acoustic covers, this version strips away that bracing kinetic energy and replaces it with mournful yearning. It’s just such a great song!
It’s been a minute since I put one of these posts together. I restarted keeping track for a different project that wasn’t able to materialize this week, but I thought I might as well use them as an excuse to update this ol thang.
What songs were playing in your head this week? Have you ever floated in the desert? Let me know in the comments below!
Have a wonderful Sunday, dear readers. Remember: you matter.