“I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Mis as sung by my friend Corrine.
Corrine is wooooonderful.
Imogen Heap | Hide And Seek
I have literally listened to this song a thousand times and it’s still one of my all-time favorites.
(Source: jmgreeley, via itsjust-insanity)
The Science of Why Adele’s ‘Someone Like You’ Makes Everyone Cry
Tension, resolution, and the ever important “buildy-ness” (which is a term I invented but is accurate), these are the characteristics behind the most extreme emotional reactions to songs:
Twenty years ago, the British psychologist John Sloboda conducted a simple experiment. He asked music lovers to identify passages of songs that reliably set off a physical reaction, such as tears or goose bumps. Participants identified 20 tear-triggering passages, and when Dr. Sloboda analyzed their properties, a trend emerged: 18 contained a musical device called an “appoggiatura.”
An appoggiatura is a type of ornamental note that clashes with the melody just enough to create a dissonant sound. “This generates tension in the listener,” said Martin Guhn, a psychologist at the University of British Columbia who co-wrote a 2007 study on the subject. “When the notes return to the anticipated melody, the tension resolves, and it feels good.”
Chills often descend on listeners at these moments of resolution. When several appoggiaturas occur next to each other in a melody, it generates a cycle of tension and release. This provokes an even stronger reaction, and that is when the tears start to flow.
There’s just about the most detailed scientific analysis of a Grammy-winning song ever at the link.
(via WSJ.com)
(via gcatherinev)
Hymn | Brooke Fraser
I do not care that this song is about God. It gives me goosebumps every time I hear it and I want to sing it in front of people.
Obsessions - Marina & the Diamonds
Probably my favorite Marina song.
(Source: tupperigatoni)
Shake It Out- Florence + The Machine
Perfect for my life right now.
How many days am I going to regret you?
How many nights till I forget you?
How many dreams have I left deserted?
How many hopes have been diverted?
Exactly what it sounds like. You pick the mood you’re in and it gives you a playlist based on how you’re feeling.
Shake it out - Florence + the machine
The best thing to wake up to.
I was at an Ellie Goulding concert a couple of weeks ago (if you ever get the chance to go to one of her shows, GO. It was amazing) and I remember looking out at all the people dancing and singing together and thinking that no one could possibly be mad while listening to music. (Rebecca Black does not count as music) Unless the music is specifically written to make the listeners angry, music usually has the effect of making the listener relaxed, open, and carefree. I looked out at all those people smiling, singing, swaying and thought that people should listen to music every single day. Music connects people. It shows them how they are the same. It tells stories, and predicts the future. Music makes the world a better place.
Hollywood by Marina and the Diamonds.
I think it’s quite common for teenagers to fall in love with music. I think everyone considered, just for a moment, majoring in music. I know I certainly did. I came to my senses of course, but I still love music. I’m going to try, very hard, to find an album that actually fits as opposed to an album that I just like a lot. I think I’m going to choose One Cell In The Sea by A Find Frenzy. The songs are quiet (like me), sad (like me), and absolutely gorgeous (is it vain to say “like me” again?).
“The world carries on without you. But nothing remains the same. I’ll be lost without you until the end of days.”
“Running the race like a mouse in a cage getting nowhere, but I’m tryin’. Eager to be please, tryin’ to be what they need, but I’m so very tired.”
