As inherently creative creatures that yearn for expression and connection, music is an ever-constant accompaniment to our everyday lives. With each hum of a note, a melodic lilt of a line, a story is waiting to be listened to, kindling a symphony of emotions from the depths of our hearts and souls.
Music affects us in more ways than we know. It touches us both in the metaphorical and the literal sense. Studies show that music causes various cognitive processes to start in the brain, resulting in different physiological responses. In particular, the mix of different frequencies, elements of music, and even the message affects how we perceive the auditory stimulus, as shown in this table from Linköping University Professor Daniel Västfjäll from the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Learning’s study:
‘Serene’ music is generally characterized in minor mode and has a slow tempo, medium pitch, flowing rhythm, consonant harmony, and soft loudness. Likewise, love songs’ lyrics evoke various emotions, memories, and thoughts which can trigger the release of neurotransmitters like dopamine and oxytocin based on how we associate the messages with our experiences.
As such, here are some songs to add to your playlist to help you relax while you bask in the rich and mellifluous waves of your feels:
1. My Love Mine All Mine // Mitski
My baby here on Earth
—From the album “The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We”, 2023
Showed me what my heart was worth
So, when it comes to be my turn
Could you shine it down here for her?
‘Cause my love is mine, all mine
I love mine, mine, mine
Nothing in the world belongs to me
But my love, mine, all mine
Nothing in the world is mine for free
But my love, mine, all mine, all mine
2. An Art Gallery Could Never Be As Unique as You // mrld
So darling, darling don’t be scared
—Single, 2019
‘Cause even if I look everywhere
Your colors caught my eye
And you’re my favorite sight to see
It’s from the way that you move
And everything that you do
And after that it’s when I realize
That I love you
3. All I’ve Ever Known // Eva Noblezada & Reeve Carney
All I’ve ever known is how to hold my own
—From the musical “Hadestown” (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
All I’ve ever known is how to hold my own
But now I wanna hold you too
You take me in your arms
And suddenly there’s sunlight all around me
Everything bright and warm
And shining like it never did before
And for a moment I forget
Just how dark and cold it gets
4. Slow Dancing // V
Maybe we
—From the EP “Layover”, 2023
Could be
Slow dancing
Until the morning
We could be romancing
The night away, yeah
5. Apocalypse // Cigarettes After Sex
Kisses on the foreheads of the lovers wrapped in your arms
—From the album “Cigarettes After Sex”, 2017
You’ve been hiding them in hollowed-out pianos left in the dark
Got the music in you, baby, tell me why
Got the music in you, baby, tell me why
You’ve been locked in here forever, and you just can’t say goodbye
Your lips, my lips
Apocalypse
6. This Love // Taylor Swift
This love is good, this love is bad
—From the album “1989 (Taylor’s Version)”, 2023 (2017)
This love is alive back from the dead, oh-oh, oh
These hands had to let it go free, and
This love came back to me, oh-oh, oh
This love left a permanent mark
This love is glowing in the dark, oh-oh, oh
These hands had to let it go free, and
This love came back to me, oh-oh, oh
7. I, Carrion (Icarian) // Hozier
And though I burn, how could I fall
—From the album “Unreal Unearth”, 2023
When I am lifted by every word you say to me?
If anything could fall at all, it’s the world
That falls away from me
You have me floatin’ like a feather on the sea
While you’re as heavy as the world
That you hold your hands beneath
Once I had wondered what was holdin’ up the ground
But I can see that all along, love, it was you all the way down
8. Here with Me // Susie Suh, Robot Koch
Caught in the riptide
—Single, 2014
I was searching for the truth
There was a reason
I collided into you
Callin’ your name in the midnight hour
Reaching for you from the endless dream
So many miles between us now
But you are always here with me
9. Valentine // Laufey
‘Cause I think I’ve fallen
—From the album “Everything I Know About Love”, 2022
In love this time
I blinked and suddenly, I had a valentine
(Valentine)
10. What A Heavenly Way To Die // Troye Sivan
What a heavenly way to die
—From the album “Bloom”, 2018
What a time to be alive
Because forever is in your eyes
But forever ain’t half the time
I wanna spend with you
I wanna be with you
11. Big Love Ahead // Mon Rovia
I saw you smile for the first time,
—Single, 2023
and I hope it lasts a while now
if you fall I’ll catch you.
You’ve been lost in a canyon.
Big love, big love.
Big love ahead, mountain tops you’re scared.
12. Mahal Kita Ngayon // Marion Aunor
Malalim ang gabi
—From the movie “Nerisa” (Original Soundtrack)
Kasama kita
Tayo lang dalawa
‘Di kailangang magsalita
Kagat ng labi
Patago mong ngiti
Wala nang ibang kailangan pa
Kundi ang ‘yong halik
‘Di ko alam kung saan ‘to patungo
‘Di ko alam kung dapat bang mahulog
‘Di ko alam kung tayo hanggang dulo
Alam ko lang mahal kita
13. Plot Twist // NIKI
Nothing stays the same and
—From the album “MOONCHILD”, 2020
Seasons keep on changin
As they do
And we’re all still just
Stories above concrete
X amount of heartbeats
So thank God for plot twists like you
14. Je te laisserai des mots // Patrick Watson
Je te laisserai des mots (I will leave you notes)
—Single, 2010
En-dessous de ta porte (Underneath your door)
En-dessous de les murs qui chantent (Under the singing walls)
Tout près de la place où tes pieds passent (Near the place where your feet pass)
Cachés dans les trous de ton divan (Hidden in the holes of your couch)
Et quand tu es seule pendant un instant (And when you’re alone for a moment)
Ramasse-moi (Pick me up)
Quand tu voudras (Whenever you’d like to)