Get ready to start the new year with a renewed focus on your writing! One of the best ways to get yourself in the right frame of mind is to listen to music. In this article, we’ll explore music that moves you—physically and mentally.
If the winter blahs and cabin fever are wreaking havoc with your word count, you need to shake off those doldrums and reenergize your creativity. To help, we’ve compiled a list of songs to get your blood pumping and your inspiration humming. Words/lyrics are the key in these particular selections. And in an upcoming article, we’ll bring you our instrumental picks that will keep the creativity flowing and your fingers dancing across the keyboard.
Not familiar with some of these songs? Listen to a few, and see where the music takes you!
You can also enjoy this playlist on the Writer’s Relief YouTube page or on Spotify!
The Climb–Miley Cyrus
Don’t Stop Believing–Journey
Don’t Worry Be Happy–Bobby McFerrin
Eye Of The Tiger–Survivor
Feeling Good–Michael Bublé
Get Up Offa That Thing–James Brown
Happy–Pharrell
Harder Better Faster Stronger–Daft Punk
Here Comes the Sun–The Beatles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5E_zXbmrlM
I Won’t Back Down–Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
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I’m Still Standing–Elton John
The Middle–Jimmy Eat World
Shake It Out–Florence And The Machine
Tubthumping–Chumbawamba
Smile–Nat King Cole
Unwritten–Natasha Beddingfield
When You Believe–Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAM2-hg7xJs
You Gotta Be–Des’ree
QUESTION: This is only a small sampling of music to help keep writers writing. Which songs do you use to stimulate your creativity?
Thank You for these Wonderful Inspirational Writing Songs. Really enjoyed it and makes it more Creative for One to write. Mastic, New York 11950
Usually, the music I listen to colors the tone of what I’m writing. I tend to listen to epic musical scores from games and movies when I write, or sometimes big band music. Sometimes the words of a song are distracting to me so I’ll listen to music in different languages.
If I’m having a hard time getting through a scene, I’ll browse music until I find a “flavor” for it…hard clashing tunes for fights, melodic trance for internalization.
we are the Champions by Queen
Like a Rolling Stone by Dylan
And anything by Leonard Cohen and Bon Jovi.
That may be good motivational music, but it’s far from good writing music for me. I don’t care to be distracted by catchy lyrics and prefer instrumentals, or least vocals that don’t pull me off the words I’m trying to compose
Good point, David. Watch for “A Writer’s Playlist Part II” (instrumental music suggestions). It’s coming soon!
My current writing playlist:
Winter by Daughter
Breathe by Laura Marling
Black Sun by Death Cab for Cutie
Brothers on a Hotel Bed by Death Cab for Cutie
Lifeforms by Daughter
Tomorrow by Daughter
Amsterdam by Daughter
Body in a Box by City and Color
Black Flies by Ben Howard
After the Storm by Mumford & Sons
When I’m writing I prefer to listen to music with less prominent vocals or none whatsoever. I find when I listen to Liquid Tension Experiment, Tesseract and Piano instrumentals my mind springs into gear.
Check out the songs:
Liquid Tension Experiment – When The Water Breaks
Tesseract – Proxy
Opeth – Porcelain Heart
Where are the serious lyric writers? Marc Cohn: Saving the best for last.
They’re saving the best for last
Look around this town
And tell me that it ain’t so
They’re saving the best for last
Don’t ask me how I know
‘Cause it must be
Saving the best for last for me
You can go a hundred miles a second
Don’t have to drive no lousy cab
Got everything you want and more man
And the King picks up the tab
You walk around on streets of gold all day
And you never have to listen
To what these customers say and I know…