Many of us have found music at some point that has helped us through hard times, different experiences, or taught us life lessons that help define us as a person. Music often carries messages, moods, emotions, and experiences from the composer. It can trigger many emotions to the listener, whether it be sorrow, hope, anger, solace, or even joy. As somebody with a deep connection to music, music has the power to change my mood and personal outlook on life. As some of you may know, I struggled with depression for a couple of months nears the beginning of last year. It was so bad that I had to quit my job and take up counseling. During those couple of months, I listened to a lot of music. A certain song from Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia always came up and calmed me. It's in the spoiler below (and no, I'm not Rick Rolling you today ) Spoiler Music with deep emotion exemplified such as this triggers something within me, allowing me to de-stress and decompress. If you have finished the game (heck, even if you haven't), this song obviously has some deep meaning to it [I'm NOT the ocean's gray waves, whatever that means]. Is there any music that has changed you as a person? What kind of music helps you to stay calm?
I like to listen to lo-fi hip-hop kind of music. Some of the beats are really soothing and keep me calm whenever I'm feeling stressed and such. Music is like a medicine. It can really help with whatever you're feeling.
I think I'll name a few that changed me in a spoiler below. Spoiler: Music names Rise by Skillet - This one is a bit of an oddball since I don't listen to rock every day. It just gives me a feeling of "holding on" and pushing forward during rough times. Footsteps by Pop Evil - One of the first songs I listened to, it kind of gives me a feeling of nostalgia when I hear it again. It was probably one of the first songs I listened to and memorized. iNSaNiTY (no idea who it's by) - This is a curve ball from my other two. I've always felt separated from reality in some way, shape or form. This song just gives me the feeling there's more to it than what meets the eye. Those are only a few. I'm sure there's more that I can't think of right now.
Various songs by linkin park and fort minor have gotten me through a lot. Various covers of video game music have gotten through quite a bit as well. I will list a few of them here in a spoiler. Spoiler: My music Linkin Park: Breaking the Habit, in My remains, Castle of Glass, Roads Untraveled, Skin to Bone, Waiting for the End, Robot Boy, Wisdom Justice and Love, Heavy, Good Goodbye, Sorry For Now For Minor: Where'd You Go, Red to Black (If I'm listening to this song I am pissed off), Slip Out the Back Hole Sound Track: I will Survive, Don't Give Up Bastille: Blame Goose House: Hikaru Nara Two Mix: Rhythm Emotion G-Gundam: Burning Gundam theme, Shining Gundam theme T.M. Revolution: Heart of the Sword (various versions), Ignited There are more but it would take a long time to list it.
I got into that a little bit a few months ago! I can't tell you how many times I've listened to this video on loop at work, reading FFs, and playing board games with family and keeping people from murdering one another! It's really such a supremely good kind of music. Aside from that, here are a few specific songs that affected me: - Cannonball Re-re-master originally from Mega Man Zero 3: This was my motivational song the first few months I tried getting myself into athletic shape around 2013 or so. I even custom-made a 10 minute perfect loop with intro and outro only at the start and end of the whole song so I could try to motivate myself to jog for that minimum limit non-stop. - Cry Me A River by Julie London: I don't know why, but her version of this song twists a knife in my heart. As much as I love Michael Buble, his version is trash, so it has to be Julie's. - My Last Serenade by Killswitch Engage: Not for an emotional reason, but rather because it initiated my transition from emo screamo into metal (though that song is still pretty screamo). - Midna's Lament from Zelda Twilight Princess: I like this song a lot, and it seemed pretty easy, so I tried to teach myself to play piano my practicing this song's sheet music. I can still kind of play it, but not well at all. Special mention to Stone Tower Temple from Majora's Mask for a similar purpose. - The Day Goes On by Bill Wurtz: This song helped me claw myself out of a short episode of depression not so long ago. Thanks, Bill! - These Gray Heavens by Omnium Gatherum: A short instrumental piece that for some reason makes me think of my own peaceful departure from this world. This is one to play at my funeral. - I Wanna Be The Very Best: If you're an old fogey like me, then this one got you too. Don't deny it!
The NieR soundtrack completely redefined my perspective of what music is, in video games but generally as well. Whilst Automata was a good extension of this, the original NieR stands apart as a definitive experience for me in the music department. I am not a particularly emotional person, but that soundtrack as a whole raised so many strong feelings in me, from the minute I heard Blu Bird on the teaser website months before the game was even released. I also owe a lot to Tom and Jerry cartoons, and the music used in those. I didn't come back to classical music until much later in my life, but when I did it was because I had fond memories of pieces played accompanying the cartoons. It took me years to track down the names to some of them. Fantasia as well, to a slightly lesser extent. Night on a Bare Mountain was my nightmare music for years. xD Speaking of Fantasia...anyone who grew up with Renaissance Disney - a.k.a. when Disney was actually good at making movies - will know what I mean when I say the songs in those shaped my early childhood. Whilst I think the songs in the second one are generally better there is no denying The Lion King has some great songs, as does Aladdin, Hercules, Mulan, Pocahontas, and Tarzan. These were the songs I would sing as a kid, and get into fights over which was best with other kids in school. Power Trip by Chimaira is probably the song that has impacted me most significantly, though. Before I heard this, I didn't have any interest in music at all...once I grew out of Disney (well, grew out of singing the songs, I doubt I'll ever grow out of my fondness for the animated movies) I didn't really have any music to grow into; Britney and the Spice Girls etc. weren't popular anymore and I didn't care for the currently trending pop songs. But I was thirteen at the time, sitting on a train on a school trip, and my friend was listening to it. I asked what he was listening to - I could hear it; it was VERY loud - and he let me listen, and I LOVED it. I was a moody edgelord teenager, and I absolutely loved the vocals. From there I delved into Killswitch, Metallica, Rammstein, and so on. I don't listen to this sort of music as often as I used to, but without it I would never have listened to music at all probably. Within Temptation and Nightwish in particular helped me through some tough times when I was a teenager. Through two very bad breakups, excessive amounts of online drama, my grandparents moving away, confronting my own mortality and nearly dying when my health deteriorated and I had to take a month out of College, then went back only to find everyone had gotten to know everyone else in that time and I didn't really know anyone...yeah. Prior to Tarja leaving Nightwish and WT's The Heart of Everything album, between the two of them I had a song to fit my every mood, and my playlist of these two really helped. It's my Life by Bon Jovi saw me through my exams, from Secondary School right through to University. I'd listen to that after I finished an exam to de-stress - followed by Livin on a Prayer, usually - and it always made me feel better. It was kind of a ritual for me to just close myself off from the world and listen to it at full volume. Those are all the main ones, I think? I have a lot of favourites from my youth, and stuff I would listen to all the time, but not a lot fundamentally changed me as a person.
Songs that have changed me... Well there's an anime song whose translation always makes me go "You know what Momo you can do it!" No! Thank you from K-On. But the song that has changed me the most...you'll laugh probably but it's a schmoyoho remix. What is my life? A Jacksepticeye remix thing it's very inspiring (and funny since it has a whole verse about eggs benedict)
I’ll name a few. Spoiler: Some songs and stuff -Calming Pokémon songs: Lake, Eterna Forest, etc. Good for focusing on homework. -Here Comes A Thought (from Steven Universe), my favorite song in the show. Back when I was obsessed with SU (probably around season 2, and I was in 7th grade) I would listen to this song the most out of all my favorites. -Everything Stays (from Adventure Time), is really beautiful. The song itself isn’t long, but the lyrics are so powerful. -in a way, Despacito. I’m not kidding, let me explain this. So I used to cry a lot. Over many things. To stop myself from crying, I would try to think of something funny. And at the time, Despacito memes were a thing. So I would think of these memes to cheer me up. I would just say “despacito” and start laughing. (I don’t like the song itself, just the memes.) -Rock and Roll Will Take You to the Mountain by Skrillex- a song I first heard in Just Dance, of all places. This song got me into dubstep, and I also got my best friend interested in Skrillex as well.
No ones allowed to make fun of me but Slipknot has really helped me. I discovered their music in a time where I was really angry with the world, and it felt like they understood, and that maybe some of them went through it too?
Canned Heat by Jamiroquai always lifted my mood with it’s upbeat tone. The first time I was rejected directly, this song comforted me and let me sleep easily that night. I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor made me feel confident with anything that came in my way. Especially the bullies. More Than a Feeling by Boston gave me my love for old pop and rock music. My Mom would take out her Boston CD and play it in the car while I was a child. The lyrics and riffs just feel like a part of me.
