Music is an incredible thing. It’s been said before and on countless occasions, and for good reasons. Sometimes the world is loud, and the only way to quiet it is to turn the music’s volume up. Yet, I don’t think everyone gets this same sensation. If you’re lucky enough to have this gift, I’m glad you’re reading this. But, before we get too intimate, you should know a few things about myself. When it comes to music, I am the least bit judgmental, in fact if you barely know the words to Don’t Stop Believing by Journey, or maybe just recognize the name Taylor Swift, you’re on my A list. For me, music is one of the only things in the world that can literally please everyone. It’s funny, as I sit here on the couch upstairs in UNH’s Diamond library, I can see more people with headphones in, than the number of fingers on both of my hands.

For some, music helps you focus, or makes cleaning your room go a little faster, is a study tool for memorizing the human anatomy, opens your heart in prayer, pumps you up before your next big event, brings tears to your eyes because your mom texts you a link to her favorite Whitney Houston songs, reminds you of the time you wore heart shaped sunglasses and playing air guitar a midst eating pizza while your dad made you listen to the greatest 80s hits, or for god sakes makes you feel something.

For me, music does all of those things. But, my favorite thing about music, the thing that keeps it in my life, is this;

In the moment the sounds coming through your headphones are just loud enough that you hear every lyric, every strum on the guitar, beat of the bass, dancing notes across a piano. When the song is just loud enough to quiet everything else...And all that you’re left with is silence and the tingling sensation of goosebumps running down your body

You’re left with the moment a song changes your life.

I can think of ten songs that did just that.

1. The Girl You Think I Am - Carrie Underwood
2. Bed of Roses - Bon Jovi
3. Any song by Billy Joel (Tell Her About It, Piano Man, Vienna, Scenes From An Italian Restaurant…)
4. Never Say Goodbye - Bon Jovi
5. Lose You - Darling Parade
6. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough - Marvin Gaye
7. Late in the Evening - Paul Simon
8. Blame It On The Boogie - Michael Jackson
9. So Much Better - Legally Blonde: The Musical (Original London Cast)
10. Chariot - Gavin DeGraw

For more songs check out my Spotify :)