Music that Improves My Personal Mental Health

As my colleagues and I have mentioned several times during the past couple of weeks, May is Mental Health Awareness Month here in the United States. Keiran and Alexx have both written editorials on that particular subject. As a result I decided that I wanted to share my two cents on the topic as well. Since I’m on a bit of a kick as of late when it comes to writing about music after my first album review, I figured I would combine the subjects of music and mental health into an article or two.

I would like to share with you a list of songs that I listen to when my mental and/or emotional state could stand to be improved. I’ve got playlists for whatever I may be feeling, whether I need to calm down, cheer up, or anything else you might imagine. Before we get too deep into that, though, I want to emphasize that this is a purely subjective list of music that helps me specifically. The songs I’m about to discuss might not have the same beneficial effects for you that they do for me, but I think it’s important to note that it’s okay if that’s the case.

Rush – “Limelight”

Ever since I was young, I’ve dreamed of being onstage in a band composed of myself and a few of my closest friends. As Eddie Riggs of Brütal Legend once expertly put it, “The rock star’s job is just to deliver the audience to the promised land of rock.” That’s exactly what I wanted to do when I was a kid, and it’s still a large part of what I eventually want to do with my life. Now, I concede that I’m heavily biased in this regard, but when I started working on this article, I thought, “what band consistently delivers their audiences to that promised land of rock better than Rush?”

That’s why I wanted to start off this article with one of their songs. I chose “Limelight” in particular because it perfectly encapsulates my childhood dreams of being in a band. Even though my neurological disability makes it exceptionally difficult for me to play my chosen instrument, I can still let my mind wander and imagine what it would be like to live out those dreams. Heck, I’m still young; maybe I’ll surprise myself one day and actually join a band.

Pink Floyd – “Comfortably Numb”

Now that I’m an adult, I know much more about the story told by this song’s lyrics than I did when I was a kid. I know “Comfortably Numb” and essentially all of the tracks on The Wall spin a particularly bleak yarn. Even so, when I was younger, I didn’t know about any of that and I didn’t really care. All that I knew was that this song has incredible calming effects for me.

This was the song that made me idolize Pink Floyd’s guitarist and frequent lead vocalist, David Gilmour. Mr. Gilmour is often lauded as one of the best guitarists in modern history, and rightly so as far as I’m concerned. Just listening to Gilmour’s amazing guitar solos on “Comfortably Numb” tends to calm me down significantly within a matter of moments, no matter the severity of my anxiety or whatever else I’m feeling. One might even say that when I listen to this song on a bad day, I will quickly become comfortably numb.

Metallica – “Nothing Else Matters”

Metallica is my favorite band out of the so-called “Big Four of Heavy Metal.” While they’re obviously more well-known for their heavier songs, they’re no strangers to the occasional emotional ballad. “Nothing Else Matters” is one such song which (based on its lyrics) causes me to feel exceptionally thankful for the friends with whom I’ve surrounded myself. As an example of what I mean by that, I’m referring mainly to the recurring lines, “Trust I seek, and I find in you / Every day for us something new.”

For reasons I don’t particularly want to get into within the scope of this article, I tend not to trust easily. Because of that, listening to “Nothing Else Matters” makes me grateful for those who have earned and maintained my trust for multiple years. As I said in my aforementioned album review, I grew up a stereotypical lonely nerd until about my sophomore year of high school.

It was then that I forged many of the friendships that I maintain to this day. As I hope to have gotten across by now, listening to “Nothing Else Matters” reinforces my appreciation for those I know I can trust. Sometimes, just knowing you have people you can trust is all you need when your mental health seems to be spiraling out of control.

Ninja Sex Party – “Danny Don’t You Know”

Speaking of growing up a stereotypical, lonely, friendless nerd, that brings me to another song that really helps to lift my spirits when I’m down. Dan Avidan, lead vocalist of the comedy rock duo Ninja Sex Party, wrote “Danny Don’t You Know” as a sort of letter to his past self. The song’s lyrics serve to to inspire that younger version of Danny not to feel so blue. Of course, knowing how Ninja Sex Party goes about things like this, the song is every bit as comedic as it is uplifting.

For example, the lines, “You’re just going through an awkward phase from twelve to twenty-nine” and “You’re a rock star on a centaur” stick out in my mind as the band’s unique way of explaining that everyone goes through virtually the same things as we grow up and become who we’re destined to be.

The lyrics to “Danny Don’t You Know” serve to remind listeners that it’s perfectly normal and okay to stumble a few times along the way to achieving your true destiny, whether that be rock stardom or something else. I personally cannot thank Dan Avidan and his bandmate, Brian Wecht, enough for writing this song due to the significant positive effects it tends to have on my mental state.

Almost the Entire Discography of “Weird Al” Yankovic

This entry was a given if you know anything about my musical tastes. I couldn’t pick just one song out of “Weird Al’s” wide-ranging discography because so many of his songs are great for lifting my spirits. However, I put a limiter of sorts on that qualification via my use of the word “almost.” I did so because I know there exist a handful of songs of his (such as “The Night Santa Went Crazy” or “Christmas at Ground Zero,” for example) which could be considered more controversial and offensive than anything else.

Having said that, the vast majority of Mr. Yankovic’s work is wonderful when I need to cheer up. As I said, I couldn’t bring myself to pick a single song of his to mention specifically in this article for that reason. For the sake of helping to explain what I’m trying to say with this entry, though, I’ve chosen to include a YouTube link to his song that I find the most humorous and ridiculous, namely “Dare to Be Stupid.”

There you have it, my friends! I’m quite curious to know if any of you use music as a coping mechanism like I do. If so, what songs or bands do you most often look to for musical support? Do feel free to share your thoughts in this article’s comments if you’re so inclined!