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Most popular wedding song revealed

A classic 1980s hit has been crowned the most popular wedding song according to a recent study. According to the new research by Breezit, an online wedding vendor search tool that collates data, Whitney Houston’s pop ballad I Wanna Dance With Somebody is the most popular song for couples tying the knot. The 1987 hit, which was on Houston’s second studio album, ‘Whitney’, appeared 484 times across the 2,000 wedding-themed Spotify playlists the company poured through, which contained a total of 49,091 songs. Among thousands of playlists, I Wanna Dance With Somebody featured on more than 24 per cent of those nuptial-centric compilations. Coming in second on the list of most popular wedding songs was ABBA’s 1976 worldwide hit Dancing Queen. “Music plays an incredibly important role in wedding celebrations, and it’s fascinating to see which songs are still hailed as wedding classics, even years after their initial release,” Arturas Asakavicius, co-founder and CEO of Breezit, told <a href="https://www.brides.com/all-time-most-popular-wedding-song-new-study-8733497">Brides</a>. “Wedding playlists can help create lasting memories” he added, “capturing both the joy of the dance floor and the romance of walking down the aisle. Certain songs have become intertwined with the celebration of a wedding, which is why some have become timeless classics for many couples’ big day.” Image credits: Shutterstock

Music

Kendall Roy’s playlist: why hip hop is the perfect counterpoint for Succession’s entitled plutocrats

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/j-griffith-rollefson-952418">J. Griffith Rollefson</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-college-cork-1321">University College Cork</a> From the very first minutes of HBO’s hit drama series, <a href="https://theconversation.com/succession-how-true-to-life-is-the-tv-series-170139">Succession</a>, hip hop is used to underpin, juxtapose and comment on the story of corporate intrigue, capitalist entitlement and white privilege. Just as a hip hop beat underscores the classical piano lines to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77PsqaWzwG0&ab_channel=HBO">the show’s theme song</a> by composer Nicholas Britell, hip hop’s swaggering braggadocio acts as a counterpoint to the Roy family’s rarefied worlds of high finance and plutocratic untouchability. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3eTTkxM8QLE?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption>The first scene of Succession’s pilot episode.</figcaption></figure> Recalling the opening scene to Office Space (1999) – which begins knee-deep in cringey, white boy, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XASNM1XEQPs&ab_channel=JoseHernandez">gangsta karaoke</a> – Succession’s first episode introduces wannabe-protagonist Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) with a similarly embarrassing set piece. The businessman is riding in the back of a limo, listening to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ny6hwUOFvlw">An Open Letter to NYC</a> by the Beastie Boys, as the hustle and bustle of Manhattan rolls by. But when the backing track fades, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eTTkxM8QLE&ab_channel=OpeningScenes">Kendall’s own voice is revealed</a>, thin and childish, rapping along to the lyrics about skyscrapers and Wall Street traders. This wannabe hip hop businessman persona is at the core of Kendall’s deeply conflicted character. This persona is in full bloom in a memorable season two episode, where Kendall performs L to the OG, a rap tribute to his father Logan Roy (Brian Cox), earning him the nickname “Ken.W.A.” from brother Roman (Kieran Culkin), a la the infamous Compton rap group NWA. As I explain in my book, <a href="https://criticalexcess.org/">Critical Excess: Watch the Throne and the New Gilded Age</a>, corporate board rooms and <a href="https://www.dukeupress.edu/the-real-hiphop">hip hop ciphers</a> are no longer as incompatible as they might seem. This is exemplified through American rap superstars Jay Z and Kanye West’s (now known as Ye) collaborative “<a href="https://genius.com/Jay-z-and-kanye-west-otis-lyrics">luxury rap</a>” album, Watch the Throne (2011). <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6dUDQTc-9kM?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption>Kendall rapping in season two of Succession.</figcaption></figure> In season four, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNbfEC-AeHs&ab_channel=ob9RJ2mJhoMPHH">Kendall listens</a> to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHiFMW8s6zk&ab_channel=JAYZ-Topic">Jay Z’s The Takeover</a> (2001) on his way to work in the ATN news studio. It’s not surprising that Jay Z is a favourite. The rapper-turned-entrepreneur once rapped the lines: “I’m not a businessman, I’m a business, man!” in his verse on Ye’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aI0jNu-G5Hw&ab_channel=KanyeWest-Topic">Diamonds from Sierra Leone</a> (2005), an attitude it’s easy to imagine Kendall aligning himself with. It’s also no coincidence that this dysfunctional family is named Roy, French for “king”, another link to Watch the Throne and the hustle to become “<a href="https://www.complex.com/music/2020/05/who-is-king-of-new-york">king of New York</a>”. Real-life media mogul family, the Murdochs, are widely believed to have <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/04/rupert-murdoch-cover-story">inspired Succession</a>. But the hip hop connection is particularly uncanny. In 1995, Rupert Murdoch’s youngest son, James, bankrolled the hot new hip hop label Rawkus Records. Soon thereafter Murdoch’s News Corp bought a majority share in Rawkus and artists reportedly <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2011/jul/11/james-murdoch-hip-hop">started complaining about unpaid royalties</a>. <h2>Hip hop as Kendall’s hype music</h2> Rap music is <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/musimoviimag.2.1.0026">repeatedly used</a> to show Kendall’s need for a boost of confidence – a need once satisfied by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9gIa3Xqycg">his substance abuse</a>. Hip hop pioneer <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/artist/krs-one-mn0000359119/biography">KRS-One</a> reportedly once likened hip hop to a “<a href="https://floodmagazine.com/42937/quelle-chris-being-you-is-great-i-wish-i-could-be-you-more-often/">confidence sandwich</a>” for its ability to help America’s forgotten underclasses find the strength to get up and fight the good fight, from enduring the daily grind to organising for a better world. But what happens when this swag burger is blaring in the ears of an out-of-touch CEO? <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GNbfEC-AeHs?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption>Kendall listening to Jay Z’s The Takeover.</figcaption></figure> As the late, great Black music critic <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/176649/everything-but-the-burden-by-edited-by-greg-tate/">Greg Tate</a> suggests, hip hop has been a site of “the Elvis effect” for decades, with white artists and businessmen profiting mightily from Black creative cultures. This history stretches back to rock and roll, jazz, blues and beyond. The boost that hip hop gives him allows Kendall to do horrible things. This echoes the way hip hop group De La Soul describes so-called “crossover” music as a “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0X2h56qlG4&ab_channel=DeLaSoulVEVO">double cross</a>” on their concept album Buhloone Mindstate (1993). As Kendall exemplifies again and again, when hip hop’s witty but often crass wordplay is decontextualised by white men, it almost always comes off as disrespectful frat boy voyeurism. Indeed, London rapper, Roots Manuva recently retweeted a nice <a href="https://twitter.com/TheWrongtom/status/1654768980828082177?s=20">case in point</a> on the eve of another high profile “succession” – King Charles III’s accession to the British throne. So while established rapper <a href="https://www.redbullmusicacademy.com/lectures/pusha-t">Pusha T</a> has recently collaborated with Britell on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sF5IU-Pyn2A&ab_channel=PushaTVEVO">a remix of Succession’s theme song</a> and while Jay and Ye continue to infiltrate the rarefied white spaces of corporate board rooms and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLmQ57mEGFs">seats of political power</a>, these relationships <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/176649/everything-but-the-burden-by-edited-by-greg-tate/">remain deeply asymmetrical</a>.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205773/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/j-griffith-rollefson-952418">J. Griffith Rollefson</a>, Professor of Music, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-college-cork-1321">University College Cork</a> Image credits: HBO This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/kendall-roys-playlist-why-hip-hop-is-the-perfect-counterpoint-for-successions-entitled-plutocrats-205773">original article</a>.

Music

NASA’s Perseverance rover sends back Mars soundscape playlist

Nearly two years after its <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/mars-is-the-place-in-space-to-be/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">launch</a>, and almost 18 months after <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/mars-news-all-good/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">landing on Mars</a>, NASA’s Perseverance rover has hours of audio recordings from the red planet’s atmosphere. So, what does Mars sound like? On the whole, it’s quiet. Very quiet. But the recordings did pick up interesting weather events and changes which give us a better overall picture of Mars’s clime. Perseverance’s primary mission is to explore sediments in a dormant river delta on the edge of the 45 kilometre-wide <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/weekly-edition/one-year-mars-perseverance-rover/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jezero Crater</a>, to learn about the crater’s formation and hopefully find signs of ancient life. But microphones are light and cheap, so it made sense to add a couple to the rover’s instruments. The <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/engineering/the-bizarre-acoustics-of-mars/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">first audio from Mars</a> was sent by Perseverance earlier this year. Now, a year’s worth of recording from the Martian atmosphere has been condensed into about five hours of sound. The findings are due to be presented by Baptiste Chide of the Los Alamos National Lab during a seminar, “Mars soundscape: Review of the first sounds recorded by the Perseverance microphones,” at the <a href="https://acoustics.org/world-wide-press-room/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">182nd Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America</a> tomorrow, May 25, in Denver in the US. With no large dynamical natural phenomena, extant animal species (that we know of), industrial civilisation, or extreme weather events, you’d expect Mars to be pretty silent. And it is. Under the same conditions on Earth, sounds are 20 decibels louder than on Mars. <div class="newsletter-box"> <div id="wpcf7-f6-p192195-o1" class="wpcf7" dir="ltr" lang="en-US" role="form"> <form class="wpcf7-form mailchimp-ext-0.5.61 spai-bg-prepared init" action="/space/nasa-perseverance-rover-soundscape/#wpcf7-f6-p192195-o1" method="post" novalidate="novalidate" data-status="init"> <input class="wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-text referer-page spai-bg-prepared" name="referer-page" type="hidden" value="https://cosmosmagazine.com/" data-value="https://cosmosmagazine.com/" aria-invalid="false" /> </form> </div> </div> “It is so quiet that, at some point, we thought the microphone was broken!” says Chide. But, like giving a new music album a second run-through, closer listening revealed some fascinating phenomena. The group heard much variability in the wind and abrupt changes in the atmosphere, see-sawing from calm to intense gusts. The team noticed that the red planet’s soundscape is seasonal. During winter, carbon dioxide freezes in the polar caps. This causes changes in atmospheric density, and environmental volume fluctuates by about 20%. Atmospheric CO2 also causes high-pitched sounds in the distance to become fainter. The rover also used laser sparks to calculate the speed of sound’s dispersion, confirming a theory that high-frequency sounds travel faster than low frequencies. “Mars is the only place in the solar system where that happens in the audible bandwidth because of the unique properties of the carbon dioxide molecule that composes the atmosphere,” notes Chide. While the rover will continue to record audio as it travels across Mars’s surface, Chide believes that the technique could be applied to studies of other celestial bodies. Planets and moons with denser and more volatile atmospheres, such as Venus and Titan, may yield even more information as sound waves interact more strongly and travel further.  <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=192195&title=NASA%E2%80%99s+Perseverance+rover+sends+back+Mars+soundscape+playlist" width="1" height="1" />  <div id="contributors"> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/nasa-perseverance-rover-soundscape/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/evrim-yazgin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Evrim Yazgin</a>. Evrim Yazgin has a Bachelor of Science majoring in mathematical physics and a Master of Science in physics, both from the University of Melbourne. Image: NASA </div>

Technology

Music is the soundtrack to your life – what’s on your playlist?

We all know music can move us emotionally. But how does it impact on our behaviour? That relationship’s not immediately clear. A YouTube clip was doing the rounds on social media a while ago – the music from one of the most chilling scenes in the 1975 film Jaws had been quite cleverly changed. Instead of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9QTSyLwd4w">original hair-raising theme</a> that we all know by composer John Williams, the scene was accompanied by the delicate ballet music of Tchaikovsky. The effect was startling. It could have been a completely different film – one about a fun-loving dolphin. It’s a good example of what an incredibly powerful mood-setter music is. So many of our favourite films just wouldn’t have the same impact without the music. It’s the same outside of the cinema – a fact that has been instinctively understood by humans since written records began. In ancient China, more than 4,000 years ago, <a href="http://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/8402699/The_sick_child_and_music_">flute music was prescribed</a> to calm an over-excited foetus. The Egyptians also seemed to use music for therapeutic purposes at least as early as 1500 BC. Then there is the much-loved biblical tale of King Saul being soothed by the playing of David’s harp in the Old Testament. Today, we often use music to “get into” a mood – using soft music and lyrics to set the scene for romance which, as a seduction tactic, can be quite effective. <a href="http://pom.sagepub.com/content/38/3/303.refs">Researchers in France found</a> that women who were exposed to love songs were more likely to respond to a request for a date than those who were in a control group and did not hear this music. At other times, we may use a fast, up-tempo piece of music at the gym to get us working harder. Music has also been used across the centuries to <a href="http://vimeo.com/72609411">pump up soldiers in the face of battle</a>, the same energising facets of the music being drawn upon, in this context to promote aggression (see famous Wagner scene from Apocalypse Now (1979) below). So does that mean that music can be both good and bad for you? Potentially, yes. But music exists within a socio-cultural context and it is how the music interacts with other factors that produces a particular result. So, at the gym it is how and why the music is framed that helps to promote its invigorating qualities for the desired work-out ends. Where it could lead to aggression, there are contextual factors that influence the way in which it’s processed and in turn how it affects us. Recent anti-noise bans that <a href="https://theconversation.com/live-music-in-australia-offensive-noise-or-good-vibrations-13530">prevented live music being played</a> in many Australian pubs connected loud music with aggressive behaviour. The truth is that rock music might indeed encourage patrons to move faster, be more pumped up, and perhaps drink more, be less inhibited, louder, and so manifest a whole range of behaviours than might be regarded as anti-social, leading to an aggression response. But, these are not generated from the music itself, rather in the context and the alignment of many interacting factors. Perhaps the most useful way to reflect on the positives of music is that it can be part of a “healthy process of self-regulation” as American music therapist <a href="http://mtp.oxfordjournals.org/content/21/2/69.abstract">Bridget Doak says</a> and, when negative, it may be part of an “unhealthy, distress-addiction cycle”. <a href="https://kb.osu.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/1811/52950/EMR000125a-Garrido.pdf">Researchers have found</a> that people listen to sad music for a variety of reasons. Some may find that having a good cry while listening to a piece of music is a good way to let go of bad feelings. For others it may give them a chance to think through things that are making them feel sad in their own lives and reach a point of resolution. But some people do not have such effective ways of making themselves feel better. People with mood disorders, for example, often engage in behaviours that can make them feel worse, and music can be a part of that behaviour. Music can have such a powerful impact on mood. Whether or not our lives resemble a light-hearted ballet or a scene of terror in shark-infested waters may have much to do with the music that surrounds us on a daily basis. Image credits: Getty Images This article first appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/music-is-the-soundtrack-to-your-life-whats-on-your-playlist-26893" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Music

Music therapist creates playlist to calm the mind

It may seem like we are living in an age of anxiety, where feeling worried, upset and stressed has become the norm. But we should remember that anxiety is a <a href="https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/anxiety-and-panic-attacks/about-anxiety/#.Xc6FEi10fq1">natural human response</a> to situations. It comes when we are not sure what is going to happen, or when we feel under threat. And even mild anxiety can have a negative effect on our ability to lead a productive life. It can interfere with being able to enjoy the simple things in life. When we experience anxiety, our heart and breathing rates increase and many other systems in our bodies <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/anxiety/effects-on-body#1">experience overload</a>. Anxiety affects our general physical health as well as our emotions. In my work as a music therapist, I’ve noticed the impact music can have on anxiety. For example, in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIdtMOd8k8A">guided imagery sessions</a>, the therapist uses specially selected music and the client is invited to describe what they are feeling and what images the music conjures up. It’s amazing what insights can be gained from simply allowing yourself time to listen and talk about what you see in your mind’s eye. These may be as simple as becoming more aware of how music can affect emotions, or be used to explore past experiences or future dilemmas. It can also be used to find a place of comfort and a secure base where <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jmt/article-abstract/36/1/39/914646?redirectedFrom=fulltext">physical and emotional balance</a> can be found. A <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/relaxing-song-best-weightless-marconi-union-youtube-surgery-anxiety-a9011971.html">recent experiment</a> explored whether certain kinds of music can reduce anxiety during a complex task and concluded that some music is better at doing this than others. <a href="http://theconversation.com/surprising-ways-to-beat-anxiety-and-become-mentally-strong-according-to-science-77978"></a>Also, <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jmt/article-abstract/48/3/264/1002764?redirectedFrom=PDF">a study</a> based on measuring physiological and emotional responses suggests there are certain qualities in music that are better at helping people relax. The speed of the music should be relatively slow, the melody should be simple, and the beat and harmony should not hold too many surprises. Other factors, such as the complexity of the music and – surprisingly – familiarity with the piece, were not so important. In fact, knowing a piece too well was found in some cases to be counterproductive. The genres most likely to support relaxation are classical, soft pop and certain types of world music. These are found to largely contain the musical elements necessary to help a person relax. Press play With these musical elements in mind, here are eight suggested pieces of music that meet these criteria: 1 <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/ambient-1-music-for-airports-184712/">Ambient 1: Music For Airports</a> by Brian Eno. This soundscape provides a wash of musical effects that echo the rhythm of our physiological functions, leaving space for us to attune to the slow tempo of the music. The album is described in <a href="https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/brian-eno/ambient-1-music-for-airports">one review</a> as “the kind of music one might hear in heaven”. <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vNwYtllyt3Q"></iframe></div> 2 Pieds-en-L'Air, from <a href="https://arielmusic.co.uk/product/capriol-suite/">Capriol Suite</a>, by Peter Warlock, a composer and former music critic. Known for his unconventional lifestyle, he died in 1930, aged 36. His musical legacy includes this soft and slow classical piece with a melody reminiscent of songs we may have heard as children. <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZMyS1G8NWnY"></iframe></div> 3 <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/56FjSa3QWnDE6CxjFTp9rH">Om Namah Shivaya</a> by Deva Premal. The vocals of Premal and supporting music made by her partner Mital hark back to evocative chants from times past. The slow pace and almost hypnotic music combined with her clear vocals feel very supportive. <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eUqe31ojZBU"></iframe> 4 <a href="https://www.smoothradio.com/features/adele-someone-like-you-lyrics-meaning-facts/">Someone Like You</a> by Adele. While this hugely successful song explores the issue of loss, the slow tempo and cool accompaniment is found by many to offer a sense of calm and reflection. It has <a href="https://slate.com/culture/2012/02/someone-like-you-makes-us-cry-scientists-explain-why.html">been claimed</a> that the piece’s emotional strength is due to small, unexpected changes in the melody or “ornamental notes”, which create a melancholic tension. <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hLQl3WQQoQ0"></iframe></div> 5 <a href="https://www.classicfm.com/composers/einaudi/music/i-giorni/">I Giorni</a>, by Ludovico Einaudi, an Italian pianist and composer who has written numerous film soundtracks. This piano piece, with its repetitive motifs and steady tempo, evokes a dreamlike state with moments of light and brightness. <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Uffjii1hXzU"></iframe></div> 6 <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/in-paradisum-9780193418042?cc=gb&lang=en&">In Paradisum</a>, by Gabriel Fauré, a French composer who gained great popularity in his lifetime, but suffered from deafness in his later years. In this piece, from his Requiem, the choir and organ accompaniment provide a feeling of serenity. <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6-i1ESIRKdA"></iframe></div> 7 <a href="https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=Stopover+at+Djibouti&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8">Stopover at Djibouti</a> by Anouar Ibrahem, a Tunisian oud player and composer. He is widely acclaimed as an innovator in his field, fusing Arab classical music, folk music and jazz. This world jazz piece has hypnotic motifs that can seem almost meditative. <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/c2S8LpvZrnQ"></iframe></div> 8 <a href="https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&ei=hq7OXekQpYbV8A_vxaUw&q=stefan+nilsson+composer+wilmas+tema&oq=stefan+nilsson+composer+wilm&gs_l=psy-ab.3.0.33i22i29i30.2182.3289..4456...0.0..0.99.402.5......0....1..gws-wiz.......0i22i30.I3sNgC11uJY">Wilma’s Theme</a> by Stefan Nilsson, a Swedish composer and pianist who is well known in is home country. This piece, which seems somehow familiar, has a simple melody and harmonies that provide a safe landing place. <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ytBW9x6Zvcc"></iframe></div> This list offers some suggestions of music that could be used to help people relax. A favourite of mine, which I haven’t included, is the slow movement from JS Bach’s Double Violin Concerto. It never fails to give me a sense of feeling safe and grounded, something that can be so important when we may be feeling anxious. It should be said, though, that many <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0218017">studies</a> emphasise the importance of finding your own selection of music that works for you. Whatever your musical taste is, you have the edge on any prescribed playlist in finding what is best for you.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/121655/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/elizabeth-coombes-754445">Elizabeth Coombes</a>, Senior Lecturer in Music Therapy, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-wales-1586">University of South Wales</a> This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/anxiety-a-playlist-to-calm-the-mind-from-a-music-therapist-121655">original article</a>. </div>

Music

The perfect beach playlist

It’s official: beach weather has arrived. Now that the sun is ever-present and you’ve got your SPF, towel, hat, and swimmers, the only thing missing is that perfect beach playlist to set the tone for your leisurely day at the beach. “California Girls” – The Beach Boys (1964) (As above) “Here Comes The Sun” – The Beatles (1969) <a href="/video/?bctid=4641090495001" target="_blank"><img width="496" height="280" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/11552/beatles-here-comes-the-sun_496x280.jpg" alt="Beatles Here Comes The Sun"/></a> “Sunny Days” – Lighthouse (1972) <a href="/video/?bctid=4641045539001" target="_blank"><img width="496" height="285" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/11553/“sunny-days”-–-lighthouse-1972-_496x285.jpg" alt="“Sunny Days ” – Lighthouse (1972)"/></a> “Life’s Been Good To Me So Far” – Joe Walsh (1978) <a href="/video/?bctid=4641045536001" target="_blank"><img width="500" height="283" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/11554/“life’s-been-good-to-me-so-far”-–-joe-walsh-1978-_500x283.jpg" alt="“Life ’s Been Good To Me So Far ” – Joe Walsh (1978)"/></a> “Island Girl” – Elton John (1975) <a href="/video/?bctid=4641090501001" target="_blank"><img width="496" height="290" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/11555/“island-girl”-–-elton-john-1975-_496x290.jpg" alt="“Island Girl ” – Elton John (1975)"/></a> “Louie Louie” – The Kingsmen (1963) <a href="/video/?bctid=4641052293001" target="_blank"><img width="498" height="280" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/11556/“louie-louie”-–-the-kingsmen-1963-_498x280.jpg" alt="“Louie Louie ” – The Kingsmen (1963)"/></a> “Waterloo Sunset” – The Kinks (1967) <a href="/video/?bctid=4641056228001" target="_blank"><img width="498" height="280" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/11557/“waterloo-sunset”-–-the-kinks-1967-_498x280.jpg" alt="“Waterloo Sunset ” – The Kinks (1967)"/></a> “Margaritaville” – Jimmy Buffet (1999) <a href="/video/?bctid=4641056215001" target="_blank"><img width="500" height="283" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/11558/“margaritaville”-–-jimmy-buffet-1999-_500x283.jpg" alt="“Margaritaville ” – Jimmy Buffet (1999)"/></a> “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” – Rod Stewart (1978) <a href="/video/?bctid=4641090491001" target="_blank"><img width="498" height="280" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/11559/“do-ya-think-i’m-sexy”-–-rod-stewart-1978-_498x280.jpg" alt="“Do Ya Think I’m Sexy ” – Rod Stewart (1978)"/></a> Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/music/2015/11/best-george-harrison-songs/">The top 5 George Harrison songs of all time</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/music/2015/11/best-songs-of-the-80s/">10 songs from the 80s you need to revisit now</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/music/2015/11/best-inxs-songs/">The top 5 INXS songs</a>

Music

The feel-good music playlist

Need to get yourself out of a funk? These mood-boosting tunes are sure to put a smile on your face. <ol> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvrJSJ5wp-c" target="_blank">I Want You Back by the Jackson 5</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-diB65scQU" target="_blank">Don’t Worry Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPUmE-tne5U" target="_blank">Walking On Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tR7a4mp49ZA" target="_blank">Theme From ‘Happy Days’</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8ORHVdTxbg" target="_blank">Come on Eileen by Dexy’s Midnight Runners</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlcuAsgc5-c" target="_blank">Cherry Cherry by Neil Diamond</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4SO7z010JE" target="_blank">Three Little Birds by Bob Marley & The Wailers</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIgZ7gMze7A" target="_blank">Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go by Wham</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzFIDTs3WtI" target="_blank">What A Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEkMqXOuy3Q" target="_blank">Love Me Do by The Beatles</a></li> </ol> Related links: <a href="/finance/insurance/2015/04/benefits-of-me-time/">Why a little “me time” is the answer to a stress-free life</a> <a href="/finance/insurance/2015/03/surfing-in-your-60s/">Surfing in your 60s – it can be life-changing</a> <a href="/finance/insurance/2015/03/benefits-of-keeping-a-journal/">Keeping a journal can boost your health</a>

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The perfect beach playlist

The feel-good music playlist

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