Music as connection

A pleasant (re)discovery

Hello, friends,

Lately, I’ve been experiencing a kind of musical renaissance. Having cultivated my own musical tastes over several decades, I know the kinds of music I like (and don’t), and I’ve tended to listen to familiar artists and albums. But recently, I’ve found myself talking about music with other people more often, which led to me asking for some recommendations, which opened up a world in which I learn more about my friends and family through their favorite music, as well as expanding my own musical knowledge and appreciation.

Photo by C D-X on Unsplash

The joy of this experience highlighted the fact that this is something that rarely happens in middle age, and yet it was common in my youth. Maybe I experienced it less often than some of my peers, since as a young person my musical tastes skewed toward the music of previous generations, but I still remember singing along to songs with friends (anybody else sing “My Heart Will Go On” about 57 million times in 1997??) and having friends tell me about bands they were excited about (I’ll always associate Nine Inch Nails with my BFF and her love of the band in college).

Once we become adults, how often do we share music? I’m sure some people still do, especially if you enjoy going to concerts. But for me, music has become something more solitary—I listen to what I like when I’m on my own, cooking, working, coloring, cleaning. Aside from some theatre concerts, and an occasional arena concert, I don’t often enjoy music with company. So, I tend not to think about music as a shared experience, but I have thoroughly enjoyed receiving recommendations from the people in my circle.

So, in the spirit of making music a shared endeavor again, here are my recommendations, for anyone who’s interested:

Jack Johnson

In Between Dreams

Jack Johnson is an artist I can listen to in just about any mood. “Banana Pancakes” is the song my alarm goes off with every morning.

Jason Mraz

“Living in the Moment,” “The Freedom Song,” “I’m Yours,” and “Lucky”

Jason Mraz is one of my favorite artists, but I don’t necessarily have one album I would recommend. These 4 songs, however, are ones I listen to over and over again, always sing along to, and, especially with the first 2, feel inspired by.

John Pizzarelli

Kisses in the Rain

Back in the days when you could walk into a Borders store, put on a pair of headphones, and listen to whatever CDs they were featuring, I discovered this album, and it has been my favorite jazz album ever since.

Bon Jovi

The Circle

I love me some Bon Jovi. The earlier albums have a very different feel than the later ones (that’s part of the fun for me, and why I would probably say Bon Jovi is my favorite artist overall). But if I’m only recommending one album, this is the one.

Barry Manilow

Here at the Mayflower

This is, hands down, my absolute favorite album—because it tells a story. Barry has been a part of my life since childhood (because, as noted previously, I was the kid who liked what their parents and grandparents listened to way better than whatever was popular with kids my age at the time), so I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for all of his music, but from my writer perspective, this album is gold.

Music holds so much power—to delight us, move us, calm or excite us. And, it seems, to connect us.

Warmly,

Brie

P.S. What albums do you recommend?