Does any one need some tunes to ease their mind and relax? How about some songs to add to your workout playlist? Whether you’re having some trouble falling asleep or need a blood pumping motivator at the gym, I’ve listed below some songs to help out in both situations.
Relaxing/Going to Sleep
Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd
The Rain Song - Led Zeppelin
Melissa - The Allman Brothers Band
Indian Summer - The Doors
Working Out/Running
The Boys Are Back in Town - Thin Lizzy
Can’t Get Enough - Bad Company
Smokin’ - Boston
Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin
Why not apply these songs from the past to our everyday lives?
Any frequent music listener knows that music has the magical ability to produce a desired state of mind or mood. However, a crucial factor to this process is the listener’s ability to choose and select their own music, rather than having songs imposed on them. When people ARE allowed to choose their own music, they can apply a specific song or playlist to help them achieve a particular goal, such as falling asleep or lifting weights. In both cases, studies have shown that music has the ability to produce physical reactions and can change heart beat, respiration, blood pressure, and neurochemical levels such as dopamine, adrenaline, norepinephrine, and serotonin. By knowing the physiological reactions your body will have to a particular song, the better chances you have at achieving a particular goal.
Of all factors, the tempo of a song proves to the most decisive in this case.
When attempting to relax and/or fall asleep, choose a song with a slow tempo ranging around 60-70 bpm. Also avoid any rapid changes in pitch, loudness, or rhythm in order to maintain a relaxed and pleasant state. Personally, I get a very calming sensation from the sounds and melodies of an acoustic guitar. If you were to hear my playlist titled “Mellow Yellow,” (which I often fall asleep to) you would hear an acoustic guitar being strummed in a majority of the songs. Comfortably Numb, The Rain Song, Melissa, and Indian Summer can all be found on my “Mellow Yellow” playslist.
On the other hand, for you arousal seekers out I would recommend choosing a song at 120 bmp or above to get the blood pumping. A fast tempo and driving pulse is best used to synchronize body movements, such as the ones used while running or lifting weights. The songs I posted above not only have fast tempos, but also contain loud guitar riffs and thunderous drum beats to keep me moving when I work out.
In both situations, the content of lyrics don’t serve a very impacting purpose for me. Instead, the pitches and levels used by the singers are more like an instrument, helping me relax to the soothing voices of David Gilmore and Roger Waters in “Comfortably Numb,” or get energized with the belching screams of Robert Plant in “Immigrant Song.”
Give these songs a try and let me know what you think.
Information from the following source was used to help describe the physiological effects of music and contained knowledge of what to look for in songs, such as tempo when attempting to achieve a specific state of mind or goal.
Levitin, Daniel J. Life Soundtracks: The uses of music in everyday life: Report prepared for the exclusive use of Philips Consumer Electronics B.V., Eindhoven, The Netherlands May 11, 2007 http://levitin.mcgill.ca/pdf/LifeSoundtracks.pdf
Image of sleepy dwarf can be found here
It's cool to hear you talk about exactly what music goes with what mood because, even though there are so many studies on the matter, you have a really concise way of explaining it, giving examples and even how many beats per minute a song should be to acquire the desired mood. I actually have (or had before I lost my old iPod) The Immigrant Song on my running playlist and used it especially at the end of my workout when I needed an extra energy boost. Comfortably Numb is also a great song for relaxing. Good job on taking what the journals say and translating it into an actual playlist!
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