Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Favorite Albums To Listen To While Sick - Round 1

Music is such a calming aspect when you are sick.  You can put on quite instrumental, or blast a power anthem.  Either way, music allows you a chance to escape from some of the pain in your body, by channeling it into something bigger than you.  I thought I would start giving some recommendations of my favorites that get a lot of play when I'm sick at home or in the hospital.

Bachelor No. 2:
















My favorite CD of ALL TIME.  I know all the words, it hits every part of my soul, and Aimee Mann is just a goddess.  Many of the songs on this album are also found on the soundtrack to the movie Magnolia (in case any of you are fans of the movie!).  I could literally listen to only this CD for the rest of my life.  The biggest praise I can give!

Back to Black:
















I *SO* wish Amy Winehouse wasn't a train wreck.  This CD is full of the most beautiful melancholia that one could ever find.  Every track is golden.  Anyone with hurt in their heart will be able to relate to this music...

Abbey Road:

















Who doesn't love The Beatles??  This CD slips past the rest due to the appearance of the song "Here Comes The Sun".  This is a much cheerier album than the others (although it marks the fallout of the band!).  There is nothing to not love here.

Sea Change:

















Beck just being simple and emotional.  This is my most listened to album in a hospital setting.  Songs like "Guess I'm Doing Fine" and "Lost Cause" explain the common moods I fall into while I'm there.  Truly beautiful.

Cassadaga:

















I love Bright Eyes.  I mean, I even have a tattoo of his lyrics on my neck.  This album tends to get mixed reviews, but it is the one that holds my heart.  The lyrics are pure brilliance, especially for those who have known depression - "all your friends and sedatives mean well, but make it worse... every reassurance just magnifies the doubt, better find yourself a place to level out".

What are your favorite CDs to listen to when you are sick?

xoxo,
Annie

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey there Annie, I totally agree on the shere greatness of Aimee Mann and Amy Winehouse! You should really check out Ane Brun's Changing of the Seasons. It's so beautiful! If you've got Spotify, start with her amazing version of Big in Japan.

Sisyphus

Amanda said...

Hey Annie,

You have good taste in music! I am a HUGE Aimee Mann fan as well!I also love "I'm With Stupid"
I have only heard the Rehab song by Amy Winehouse. So you're inspiring me to check that out.
Anything by the Beatles I love!
"Sea Change" is one of my favorite Beck albums as well. "Guero" is a good album for when you're feeling better!
I only have "I'm Awake, It's Morning" by Bright Eyes. I'll have to check out that album.

For me, when I feel crappy I like to listen to The Shins, "Oh, Inverted World", Over the Rhine, "Good Dog, Bad Dog",Cat Power "Moon Pix" and Broken Bells "Broken Bells" and any classic U2 albums..
Hope you're feeling better soon!

Sue Jackson said...

Oooh...I love to have soundtracks for various aspects of life! You've named some artists here I haven't heard of - I will need to check them out. I've been meaning to write a similar post about music as a source of joy for a long time.

When our family takes our road trips each summer, I love to put together mix CDs to go along with the trip - river songs when we're crossing the Mississippi, Tennessee songs when we're driving through TN (there are a surprising number of them!), etc.

I have a "Feel Good Music" playlist on my iPod for when I'm sick or down - lots of different songs whose only common element is that they make me smile! "I Can See Clearly Now," "River of Dreams," "Bohemian Rhapsody," etc.

My favorite is I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor - who can help but feel empowered belting that one out??

Great post!

Sue

P.S. I just wrote a blog post about an awareness project specifically for people who got sick before age 21 - that's you, isn't it?

Anonymous said...

Each is to their own but you never know til you try it.
Try Evanescence and Nora Jones.

Love reading ur stuff. Thank you!

Sue Jackson said...

Hey, Annie - Just wanted to let you know that I spent the past hour listening to Aimee Mann songs on Youtube, based on your recommendation, and I'm really enjoying them! I can't wait to check out the rest of your favorites - thanks so much for sharing them!

Hmmm...I think I have one more iTunes giftcard left from Christmas somewhere...

Sue

Sue Jackson said...

Oh forgot to ask...was Magnolia a good movie?

Sue