Welcome to the 2nd installment of this series! In Part 1, I focused on emotional songs with the intent of moving from the dark to the light. Or, as is the case with many of the videos in today's post, the lighthearted. Lately, I've been gravitating a bit more towards more upbeat songs. You know, the ones that make you want to dance along. The ones that make you smile and just put you in a happy place. The ones that are flat out fun. If you ask me, you can never have too much fun. There's so many people who take themselves way too seriously and I think the world would be a better place if more people made a point to enjoy themselves more often. From a chronic pain standpoint, I think anything that encourages us to move is a good thing. Now obviously, this is not always possible. Be it due to pain or stiffness or overwhelming fatigue, sometimes the best thing to do is rest. Listen to your body.
That said, if you feel up to it and the music moves you, let it. Not a dancer? So what? Dance like no one's watching and if you're feeling self-conscious, go somewhere where there's no one around to watch. Dance around like an idiot. And hey, if someones catches you, well, it'll probably make their day a little brighter too. If not a little funnier. Life is too short not to enjoy yourself whenever you can. Not feeling up to that? That's okay too. Go back to Part 1 and maybe one of those songs will help you. We're going to ease in on the fun, though, and start with the more inspirational.
Let's do this.
1. "Shine" by Chris Rupp. The title track of his newest CD, "Shine" is all about, well, shining. Even when we lose sight of who we are. Or who we're supposed to be. It's about that moment when you decide to stop living in the dark and step out into the light. It's only by doing that that we get the opportunity to shine. So many people with chronic illnesses struggle with feeling like their disease has become their identity. That makes it pretty easy to live in the shadows, so to speak. But it doesn't have to be like that. We can still want more. And yes, we can still shine. But only if you make a conscious choice to step towards the light.
2. "Brave" by Evynne Hollens featuring Nathan Alef and Merlin Showalter. Because getting diagnosed with something like RA (rheumatoid arthritis, in case you forgot) tends to make you more anxious about your future. Especially when you're going through a bad patch. You educate yourself about your illness - as you should - and it scares you. As can reading about the medications used to treat it. The unpredictability is a concern too. Never knowing how you're going to feel has a way of messing with your confidence. But it doesn't have to. So that is my wish for you today. Choose to be brave. It won't come easily at first, but will get easier with time. The truth is that you're stronger than you think you are. Believe that. Take it one day at a time. Or if you have to, go hour by hour. And if that still feels like too much, go minute by minute. You can do this. I promise, you can do this.
3. "Sing" by Pentatonix. Okay, so I think the first couple of songs were fun in their own ways, but this takes it to the next level. To say that I love this song would be an understatement. It's probably my favorite Pentatonix song and that's saying something. It's so infectious that you can't help but want to sing and dance along. Singing is so good for you in so many ways. I'm not going to list them all, but if you're interested, check out this article. It just feels good. Don't like your voice? Sing anyway. I've heard a theory about how a lot of people who don't think they can sing well, but that's only because they don't do it enough. The more you do it, the better you get. You'd be amazed how much better it can make you feel. Especially if you get really into it. Trust me on this one.
4. "L.O.V.E." by Chris Mann. I became a Mann fan after seeing him as the Phantom back in March when the Phantom of the Opera came to Nashville. I remembered him from The Voice, but hadn't kept up with him afterwards and didn't know what to expect. Y'all. He was phenomenal. I've seen a lot of shows and can't remember the last time I was so captivated by a performance. Suffice to say, he won me over. Completely. I'll admit that it's jarring to go from thinking of him as the Phantom to this, but that's part of the fun. Talk about infectious! I seem to be incapable of staying still while listening to this. Even on the bad pain days, which is saying something. I just have to dance along. The video is adorable; great concept and guaranteed to make me smile every time I watch. Seriously, I can be having the worst day and this cheers me right up. I hope it does the same for you.
5. "Try Everything" by Home Free. This video was released to the public on April 26th and is the first video to feature their new baritone, Mr. Adam Chance. Having been a fan of Chance's former group Street Corner Symphony, I had no doubts that Chance would be a great addition to Home Free. Even still, it was great to get this first video and have that belief confirmed. Yes, their sound has changed a but, but not too drastically. "Try Everything" is from the movie Zootopia and what a great little song it is. Originally sung by Shakira, it's a song about not giving up until you get to wherever it is you're going. About trying, even if you fail. The point is to at least try. It's a great message for anyone, but especially for anyone having a tough time. Be it because of something like RA or something else. Plus, it's so much fun to sing along with and a great beat to groove along to. I'd call it a home run. Check it out.
6. "The Fox" by VoicePlay. Every now and then a song comes along that makes you question your place in the universe. A song that reveals some kind of monumental truth that changes life as you know it. This...is not one of those songs. In fact, this song is complete and utter nonsense. The video - which consists of a group of five grown men wearing animal hats - is pretty silly. That, my friends, is the beauty of "The Fox". As I said in the introduction, way too many people take themselves way too seriously. We'd all do well to follow VoicePlay's example and just let ourselves be silly sometimes. Animal hats optional. This one's always good for a giggle. And believe me, when you struggle with chronic pain, anything that can make you laugh is a beautiful thing.
7. "I'm With The Band" by Little Big Town. Perhaps an odd song to choose to close out this part, but it felt appropriate to me. Here's the thing. As I've said, one of the hardest things about living with a chronic illness is the unpredictability. We never know how we're going to feel. We never know who will stand by us and who will walk away. We don't necessarily think about the future the way healthy people too. There's so many variables, so many things that can change with no warning. But there's a few things that don't change. My God and my music. The way that a song can instantly transport you back to a better time. How music can speak to you in a way other things can't. The way other people can't. It's why you travel hundreds, or even thousands, of miles to see the same band over fifty times like I've done for Little Big Town over the years. Because no matter what it took to get there, no matter what baggage and pain you brought with you - it all goes away once that singer or groups hits the stage. It's an escape, even if only a brief one. Music is therapy. It just is.
"Sometimes it gets so confusing/ That I don't know where I am/ But I always know who I'm with/ I'm with the band". I'd say that about sums it up.
I hope you enjoyed Part 2 of my Arthritis Awareness: Music Therapy series. There will be more of these to come. If you missed Part 1, you can find it right here. The introduction to the series can be found here. Information about each of the artists featured can be found on their websites, which of course include all of their social media sites if you want to keep up with them.
As always, I'm interested in hearing what you have to say. If there's a song you feel should be included in the series, leave me a comment or hit me up on twitter @countrymusicatk. Don't worry if it doesn't have a music video. I'm just curious about what songs make you feel better when you're feeling down.
Thanks for reading!
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