Usually, I like to sit in peaceful quiet when I’m writing but when the dreaded writer’s block strikes, a brief distraction with some of my favourite music can often help. So, and without further ado, here are my top 10 tracks I like to listen to, which I’m guessing will be somewhat different to what you might imagine.
1. Big Parade by The Lumineers
I first heard this track as the backing to a Target advert on TV and something about it captivated me. I went through a phase of listening to it over and over, much to the annoyance of everyone else around me.
2. Riptide by Vance joy
I don’t know what it is but there’s something captivating about a music track that stops abruptly and then continues. Riptide is one of those songs. It’s something of a personal challenge for me to sing this and get that pause correct down to the millisecond.
3. Let it Grow by Ester Dean (soundtrack to Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax)
This is a particularly inspirational track, which is very uplifting. The entire soundtrack and movie have a great moral sub-text…don’t chop down trees! This one is poignant for me for another reason, though. The movie The Lorax was the very first movie that the local community group I volunteer with screened in public on our huge, outdoor, inflatable cinema screen. Half the neighbourhood turned out at the time and I had a great sense of achievement at doing something positive for the community.
4. Lava – soundtrack from the Pixar short movie
Here in Australia, I took the kids to see Inside Out, that movie where Riley has all those voices in her head portrayed by characters? Before the movie started, this Pixar short film was screened. It was such a touching tale of volcanoes falling in love and the soundtrack just captivated me for some reason. I’ve listed to this one endlessly ever since.
5. Amazing Grace
There are some truly stunning versions of this floating around. There’s one particular version on Youtube entitled “Amazing Grace - Best Version By Far! ” I don’t know who the artist is but the vocals are just beyond belief and I get goose bumps every time I listen to it.
6. Bread of Heaven
It’s not so much the song itself but the sound of it being sung by a Welsh choir that makes this one of my favourite tracks. Growing up in the UK, we used to sing hymns every morning in assembly. I never really paid it much attention at the time but listening to this track takes me back to that time in my life that I really enjoyed.
7. Duelling Banjos by Rusty York & Lonnie Mack
I actually never saw the movie that this is the soundtrack to. I just love the sound of a banjo and this is one of the very best examples of a banjo being played to its best abilities. Listening to this track, I’m always in awe at the technical expertise of the artist and how incredible he is to get this instrument to make this sound.
8. No Regrets by The Walker Brothers
This is a soundtrack from the distant past and you’d be forgiven for not having heard of it. It’s one of those golden oldies from the 70s – my primary school years. I don’t think I particularly liked this at the time but I was walking down the street in London some years ago and caught the sound of this track playing out from somewhere. It was just a second or two but it instantly transported me back and I was suddenly hooked. When my wife and I backpacked around the world, I would listen to this every night whilst writing up my daily travel journal. It has been played over 600 times according to my iTunes library.
9. I Can See Clearly Now by Jimmy Cliff
Another completely different style of music, I don’t by and large, listen to a lot of Reggae but the smoothness of this one evokes a physical response in me. My shoulders instantly sink and I relax, like slipping into a hot tub and allowing the stresses of the day to melt away. Just magical.
10. Circle of Life by Carmen Twillie (soundtrack to The Lion King)
Like some of my other favourite tracks, this one instantly transports me to somewhere I loved being. It was about 15 years ago when we embarked upon a truly epic journey by spending almost two years on the road, backpacking. The first country we went to was South Africa. Whilst there, we spent about a week in the Kruger National Park doing safari drives in our rental car. One of the places we stayed was the Olifants Rest Camp, which had spectacular panoramic views out onto the plains below. I remember my hair standing up on the back of my neck as we stood there and surveyed this magnificent scene before us. This track takes me back to that moment in time.
11. Imagine by John Lennon
OK, I know, I know, I was only supposed to list my top ten but how can anyone create a top ten list without this one? It’s routinely voted into the top ten best tracks of all time and for good reason. Just listen to all your problems dissolve away and lose yourself in this amazing piece of music.
Well, there it is. Quite an eclectic mix of styles, genres and tastes, don’t you think? Generally, I like tracks that are a little melancholy and tuneful – something with a bit of rhythm and pleasing to the ear. How does that measure up to what kind of music you like to listen to?
