It's interesting to see the main themes that come out from this music to grieve to playlist - certainly there's death and loss, there's depression and mental illness, there's the whole relationship breakup genre and there's family and friend trauma, although strangely enough, not many songs about moving house (which often makes the top 5 lists of "most stressful things that can happen to you!")
What's also interesting is that most tracks are written from the perspective of the protagonist - the person who has experienced the loss, the heartbreak, the depression - rarely do we see the perspective of those people that love the protagonist - and think about it - there's a lot of them!
Husbands of wives who have just lost their mother, sisters of brothers who have just got divorced, the BFF who holds you while you hold your pet as the vet sends them to sleep. And we don't really think of them - well - we do - but, most of the time we're so focused on our own grief that it's hard to think of how we're affecting the people we love. And sure - that's probably how it should be - if the relationship is solid then hopefully you'll be there for them when they need it.
But what do you do when the person you love is disappearing, not growing away, but shrinking, falling into themselves and leaving you behind? What do you do when the black cloud descends and wraps itself too tightly around your love and you don't know how to free them?
This song has always made me wonder just how tough it must be to be on the other side. I imagine it must be hell - I imagine that there's little you can do except - as Thom Yorke sings - "Blame it on the black star, blame it on the falling sky..." seems as good a strategy as anything else.
One thing to remember though - particularly if you are dealing with this kind of situation - there are trained grief professionals who do know how to help you - who have dealt with this before and who can make a huge difference to your lives. http://www.griefdirectory.org/
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About the Curator - Andrew McCluskey
The first visual memory I have is that of the white upright piano in Singapore, Hell and the dark forces lived at the bottom, Heaven and the Angels at the top. They would play battles through my fingers and I was hooked.
After my dad died I was very sad - I couldn't play for a while and when I did, the music that came out reflected my grieving state. I wrote an album of solo piano music called Music to Grieve to - from which the idea of the Music to community originated.
If you'd like to know more you should read Nicole's fabulous article on why listening to sad music can make you feel better.
Latest Posts
Don’t Give Up – Peter Gabriel
24 September 2022
What’s the point? You ever find yourself asking that? The point of this playlist is to bring succor to people who are grieving. That’s it. We listen to and feature songs that we hope people can resonate with and perhaps elicit a cathartic release – at the very least – to help them feel less alone…
Strange Beauty – First Aid Kit
18 September 2022
It’s still September. We’re still talking about Suicide. We’re doing this because the experts tell us that the more we talk about it – the more we bring it into the open – the less likely it is that people will go through with it. And yet – people still do…
Open Letter – Mr. Phelps
11 September 2022
Yep – if you didn’t know – September is Suicide Awareness Month – it’s also National Suicide Prevention Month and in fact right now – between the 8th and the 14th – it’s actually National Suicide Prevention Week. If you are in any doubt as to the impact suicide has on society – spend a minute here: Suicide Statistics – the rate inches up every year – and as a middle aged white male – well – I’m slap bang in the highest risk group…
Andrew McCluskey
The first visual memory I have is that of the white upright piano in Singapore, Hell and the Dark Forces lived at the bottom, Heaven and the Angels at the top, they would play battles through my fingers and I was hooked.
As a psychology graduate I studied how sound affects human performance.
As a musician I compose instrumental music that stimulates your brain but doesn't mess with your language centers, leaving you free to be creative and brilliant without distraction.
As a curator I research how music can improve your life and create flow - I can tell you what music to listen to when studying for a test and why listening to sad music can make you feel better.
As a creator / contributor at musicto I’m part of a global creator community that collaborates through music. You can learn more about our community here.