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!
Shipwreck – Marcos Ciscar
7 August 2019
Recently, the playlist has been driven by words – by lyric – by the articulation of vowels and consonants to give voice to a story. And that’s a good thing – there’s an infinite number of stories out there and words are a great tool to understand and make sense of them…
Til Death – Gaijin, Aamowi
31 July 2019
Grief is exhausting.
Aside from the mental aspect – it can take a huge physical toll on the body. And I’m not just talking about the lack of sleep or bad diet – I’m referring to the wracking pain in your chest after you’ve cried yourself out…
What You Say – Kevin Winebarger
24 July 2019
Faith.
Oh man – how hard is that?!
I remember losing mine at the age of 9 – sitting in that ancient Cathedral repeating the words to the prayer of humble access and suddenly realizing that it just had to be wrong. ..
Edge of Time – Gerhardt
9 July 2019
Totally on a heart break trip at the moment – which is odd considering what’s going on in real life – but there’s so many great tracks that deal with the different aspects of falling in and out of love – and this is one.
And while the vast majority of heart break tracks deal with the pain of being left, or cheated on or God forbid – the loved one dying – I’m always more drawn to the tracks that place the responsibility for the break up on the protagonist – on us…
U Wear It Well – Jennifer Leonhardt
3 July 2019
You know that feeling when you’re just exhausted? When you’ve put everything you have in and still it’s not enough, still the tide comes and moves you on – again – with no clear destination or hope? If you know what I’m talking about you should definitely listen to this track…
Darling – ROHSE
25 June 2019
I’m in love with this song.
It’s exactly the kind of track I imagined might exist when I first started curating Music to Grieve To.
Suicide is the tragedy behind a number of tracks on this list – from artists taking their own lives to the horrific aftermath experienced by loved ones left behind – Suicide is a tough one and there are no easy answers…
Sink – Elkvilla
13 June 2019
Does grief have to be depressing?
I know the widely misapplied Kübler-Ross model has Depression firmly locked in at stage four of five, but then she was talking about those receiving a terminal diagnosis – not those who’s partner just left them…
Monsters – Lazyrevs
4 June 2019
It’s the voices!
The insidious fucking voices.
They never fail to appear – particularly when you’re down…
Into My Arms – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
30 May 2019
You never know when a song’s going to strike – when it’s going to hit you and glom onto your soul. Most often though it happens when you’re experiencing intense emotions – doesn’t matter what type – could be joy, grief, fear, desire whatever – it’s the intensity that creates the conditions for “Glomming”…
Symmetrical – Shai-Li Paldi
16 May 2019
You know why I love this track?
‘cos it’s human.
Sure – there’s the beat track, digitized to keep time to the nanosecond, but the performances that sit on top play with time and space in a way that is particularly un-machine like – and I dig that…
Megalith – Stello
14 May 2019
Sometimes all you need is the perfect voice with the perfect piano and you’re transported to the perfect place. And while I suspect that perfection is highly overrated – this track makes the whole pursuit worth it…
Solace – No-kë
23 April 2019
God!
Don’t you sometimes just want to run away from it all – turn tail and admit failure? Is it really worth it to live under the constant pressure of trying to “make it” while you struggle with finances, relationships & sanity? Would it be so bad to just call it quits – could you live with yourself?…
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.