Music, like art, is a universal outlet used to express ourselves. When there's no better way to put how you feel into words, a song can speak for you. Listeners have their jams and party-going anthems, but here are 25 songs for the introverted that will make you think.
1. Raleigh Ritchie - "The Greatest".
"I pray it's not a pipe dream... / When we're grown up, will you still like me?"
It was the English poet John Keats who had inscribed on his tombstone the line, "Here lies one whose name was writ in water." Fame is fleeting and life does not always slow down. When you do yield and take in those moments, make sure they are defined by what you think is "the greatest." But coming from a deep thinking introvert, there is no "greatest," only "great."
2. Cake - "No Phone".
"Summons me with just one beep / The price we pay is steep"
No fear of missing out here. You know that surveillance advertisements are out to market to your demographic. It may be convenient but technology has more ways than one to be intrusive. Break out the first generation iPod and Walkman and listen to your music revolutions off the grid!
3. The Style Council - "Shout To The Top".
"And when you're down on the bottom there's nothing else / But to shout to the top..."
We all face uncertainty and have our doubts. Sometimes that feeling of being unappreciated or unheard dawns on us when we have time to ourselves. Silence can become the loudest sound, but the one good and true silver lining when working out your process is hope.
4. Neutral Milk Hotel - "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea".
"Can't believe how strange it is to be anything at all"
Life is a gift that keeps on giving. You have a deep care for those who care just the same and you hold onto a good moment before it's gone. You're heads in the clouds but it's clear skies where your looking.
5. The Killers - "Spaceman".
"The spaceman says, 'Everybody look down / It's all in your mind'"
Sometimes we overthink things. Being alone can be the reboot you need but it could also be trying. Your thoughts are yours and they are shared by many, so don't sweat the small stuff. You have bigger stuff to look forward to.
6. Dispatch - "Bats In The Belfry".
"I've got bats in the belfry / I'm in the kitchen boiling society... / We all see what we want"
Thinking is more than just your pastime. People find you outside the box, looking for solutions to their problems and yours. Some might think you're crazy but it's a good kind of crazy. There's always something to learn, something to know.
7. MisterWives - "Machine".
"Pick apart every piece of me / And miss the point entirely"
People don't always understand you. Putting your thoughts into words isn't possible without talking the length of a research paper. That's just you, being you, like no one else can. And no one can take you or your individuality away.
8. Lo Fidelity Allstars - "Battleflag".
"Your construction / Smells of corruption / I manipulate to recreate"
There's more than one way to skin a cat. Your observations bring changes that no one else notices. It may seem like you're doing harm, but it's more good than anyone will ever know. You're like Ghandi if he was also a rock star.
9. My Morning Jacket - "The Day Is Coming".
"You need it, that's for sure / You receive, but always want more"
When you're intellectually starved, there's only so many places, people, and things that recharge your social batteries. Interaction feels like a second thought, or maybe a fifteenth thought, but you know it's a small one compared to the many others you'll have out in the world. It's not so scary after you walk and talk for awhile.
10. Billy Joel - "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)".
"If that's what it's all about / Mama, if that's movin' up then I'm movin' out"
Restlessness and wanderlust grant you what you long for most: a new perspective. You never get caught being short sighted but sometimes you need a change of scenery to call your own.
11. The Beatles - "Penny Lane".
"Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes / There beneath the blue suburban skies"
Not many people make time to be idle and take time to be with themselves. You're an observer that wants to understand what drives people to do the things they do and how they do it day-in and day-out. You want to know what people are thinking but end up creating your own ad lib stories instead. Life is a mystery and you want to solve it but keep on questioning it just the same.
12. David Bowie - "Changes".
"Time may change me / But I can't trace time"
Everyone seems to be followers, doing what's mainstream and popular but you stand in the middle of their roundabout ways. You'll face things that may change you, but what doesn't change is who you truly are. The values, the dreams, the life you lead will always be uniquely yours. You grow old, not up.
13. The Mooney Suzuki - "Sometimes Somethin'".
"But baby if you keep strong like you done before / Oh I know you gonna make it"
Old souls are young at heart. You want things to follow through but there are times you can't see your goals across the horizon. The best way to face uncertainty is to know that, as Kurt Vonnegut has said, "Nothing means anything." Nothing may be on the horizon, but you'll sail your ship with the hope on the wind.
14. Lou Rawls - "Natural Man".
"'Cause I want to be / Happy and free / Living and loving for me"
You're a deep thinker, but a simple thinker all the same. Common sense, mutual and equal, are what brings people together and you look for it in the least likeliest of places. While everyone else is being modern, you'll keep things natural.
15. Queen - "Bicycle Race".
"I want to ride my bike / I want to ride my bicycle / I want to ride it where I like"
Some say you think too much and you might say to those people they think too little. Discussions and their disagreements were meant to be had to reach an answer that everyone can agree with. Being independent and a discernible thinker is a superpower. Better a bicycle race than a rat race; at least you know to keep cooperation and competition in balance.
16. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - "Refugee".
"Honey, it don't make no difference to me, baby / Everybody's had to fight to be free"
You realize everyone struggles, even n their own way. You do not have the conceit or the self-interest to judge without reason. Everyone has a place to go, a destination, a journey, and you respect that.
17. Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Can't Stop".
"Your image in the dictionary / This life is more than ordinary"
All this time thinking, there has to be something you do that people will remember you for. You are an open book but even better, you're an audiobook with a commentary track. Speak your mind into existence, feel and live life.
18. Flobots - "Handlebars".
"I can take apart the remote control / And I can almost put it back together"
Anything is possible if you put your mind to it. Potential can be good or bad and your decisions will shape how you think as well. Your thoughts are as deep as a well, and as tempting as it is to throw someone you don't like down it, share that well of knowledge instead.
19. The Police - "Message In A Bottle".
"Seems I'm not alone at being alone / A hundred billion castaways / Looking for a home"
You find the best way to express yourself when no one else can. Though you are alone, you are never alone if you have yourself. There are others who share your feelings and they too are looking for someone just like you.
20. Jimmy Eat World - "The Middle".
"Just try your best... / And don't you worry what they tell themselves when your away"
You have to know and do what's best for you. No one can be or do you like you can and no is going to be you or do you for you. The moral of your story is be yourself despite the rising tides that try to change you.
21. The Kinks - "Anytime".
"But we are very small / And need someone to talk to / And we need someone to care"
You care more than a lot of people seem to. It's hard going your own way, but when you find people that care, that talk about the things worth caring for, it's a blessing. Anyone can be a friend and anyone can be your family, if their willing.
22. The Talking Heads - "Love For Sale".
"And it's the real thing... / And I can love you / Like a color / TV"
Everyone will try to turn you into a product for their self-interest, and if you're not careful, you can end up doing the same. Take this advice from "The Little Prince": "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
23. Rush - "The Trees".
"For the maples want more sunlight / And the oaks ignore their pleas"
You want what's best for everyone but can't stand hypocrites and self-interested elitists. The moral dilemma works both ways and sometimes you have to force your words and make a change. You think and do what is right in a world that gets it wrong.
24. Rush - "The Spirit Of Radio".
"Can still be open-hearted / Not so coldly charted / It's really just a question of your honesty"
Even though the world is changing faster than you can change it, you do not lose sight of the good in it. You know the first step to solving a problem depends on how honest you are about it. If you don't know something, find out. If you're not honest with yourself, who will be?
25. Rush - "A Farewell To Kings".
"Can't we find the minds / To lead us closer to the Heart"
You believe there is still good in people. Even when your deepest suspicions say otherwise, you can't bring yourself to worst case scenario. You have hope for the future and for others who will share in it.
The introvert has a song to sing and always has a jam that leaves you thinking more. Keep on thinking out loud introverts.
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