Music to Grieve to
listen to sad music and feel better with andrew
featuring artists like
The Staves, Robb Murphy, Colin Hay, Shelby Lynne, Dawes, Tim Minchin, Radiohead, Nick Cave, Tom Khan
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Listening to sad music after losing a loved one, being diagnosed with a terminal illness, or finalizing a divorce might seem counterintuitive, but this somber sounding activity has been proven to help.
Nothing can prepare you for grief, nor is there a right or wrong way to deal with it, but sad music is an easily accessible and highly effective tool that can help you begin to heal.
The music on this list is not designed to cheer you up – although oddly – after listening to it, you’ll likely feel better – it’s designed to meet you where you’re at – to connect with how you’re feeling – to create a space where you can just sit and be with your grief and to know that – that’s OK.
It covers all genres and all topics so it’s likely that not all tracks will resonate with you – but some will – and some will shake you to your core – according to the science – this is a good thing!
Graveyard – Lucy Schwartz
12 October 2020
That chorus hook could launch a thousand love songs, instead it’s here – working for you – creating the safety net for those of us who dared to try and ended up failing on the battlefield of love.
Damn – Nat Lefkoff
30 September 2020
I’m here again because I’m sad.
Which is kinda OK really – this being the music to grieve to playlist – but it’s more than the normal sadness – and while it’s not quite despair – it does feel overwhelming.
I could give you the exact point in time and particular reference – which you would all understand, if not necessarily appreciate – but that’s not the point of tracks like this…
Insecure – Max Million (Feat. Maria B)
9 September 2020
Insecure is a thought provoking and self empowering anthem, created on the soul purpose to inspire and uplift.
Featuring Mariea B adding a Rythmic Blues
I Loves You Porgy – Nina Simone
22 August 2020
I’ve loved this song for as long as I can remember – certainly long before I understood what it was about.
There’s so many ways to appreciate it – from the gorgeous melody to Nina Simone’s stunning delivery, to the whiteness of its writers and how Porgy and Bess continues to force us to look at systemic inequities in American life: race, gender, disability and poverty…
Gin & Lemonade – TOVE
23 July 2020
Who’s up for an alcohol induced ascent above the madness? And I’m not talking about some upbeat energetic overview where you’re in a balloon or an airplane and you’re feeling great about it all – no – I’m talking about a loose edged experience, laid back and fuzzy, where ‘cos you can’t see the ground, you don’t have to worry about it…
The Overnight Parade – Lazy Activists
17 June 2020
Ever found yourself singing along to a lyric that in retrospect makes no sense at all – but at the time – couldn’t have been any more perfect? And I don’t mean just singing – I mean throwing your head back and wailing like a drunken banshee as you attempt to expel the pit of grief from your stomach…
Yes! I thought you might have – me too – if so – you’ll probably dig this track…
Lull Yourself to Sleep – Freya Ward
9 June 2020
Time ticks by, the world changes, people change, culture changes and yet – somethings don’t.
The ebb and flow of joy and grief – both experienced in contrast to the other – is a constant that the human condition will never escape. Right now joy’s in short supply and grief seems to be dominating the planet – but if history tells us anything – it’s that this too shall pass…
Magdalena’s Song – First the Winter
11 May 2020
I’ve noticed a disturbing trend on the Grieve to list of late where – for one reason or another – the tracks are becoming a little more optimistic – a little more hopeful. And while yes – there are times when that’s appropriate – it’s the sadness of a track that we’re drawn to – the pure melancholy of a love remembered or a life cut short – or – as with this week’s track – both!..
Show On The Road – Tom Freund
18 April 2020
Are we doomed?
Is this how it’s going to be?
Forever?
Damn I hope not…
Experimental Mice – First the Winter
17 March 2020
Do you have hope?
I know – it’s a heavy question – particularly at this time of writing when the corona virus is reshaping the planet – but – maybe because of that – the question has validity.
So…
Do you?
Do you really?
Do you have hope?…
To Love – Jon Worthy & The Bends
19 February 2020
I’ve been thinking a lot about Music to Grieve To and and about what kind of playlist I want it to be. The idea is solid – both for the audience – in that listening to sad music is good for you – and for artists because hell, if you can’t write a sad song – then – maybe this game isn’t for you!..
Tolling of the Fire Bell – Fiona Joy Hawkins, Jill Haley, Eugene Friesen
31 January 2020
It’s taken me a while to write this – I don’t know why – maybe it’s because I’m looking at it from the outside in – knowing that I should feel grief for what’s happening – and yet – not quite connecting with it.
It’s not like I don’t have ties to Australia – my sister’s family live in Sydney – I’ve seen pictures of their favorite beach nothing but flames. Hell, I live in California where towns are getting wiped out every year and the idea of LA burning up doesn’t seem so strange…
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.