Emotionally evocative music

[Pixel Stick 927]

Just curious as to what sorts of music evoke strong emotions for you.  (Yes, I'm aware we already have a thread on "music that makes you cry", but this is a more general topic - I want to touch on music that makes you happy, sad, afraid, angry, etc.).

 

For me, I nearly always have my strongest emotional reactions to instrumental music.  I rarely have strong reactions to songs with lyrics, mainly because I tend to listen to all music for the music itself, not the words.  (Most of the time, I kinda tune out the words and often don't remember what they were when the song is over.)  But well-orchestrated instrumental music can sometimes evoke really strong emotions for me.

 

I have two very interesting examples that I'm sure very few of you have ever heard of.  They're both from Mannheim Steamroller's album "Fresh Aire VI", released way back in the 80s and usually classified as "New Age".

 

The song "Nepenthe" is a quiet piano piece that makes me think of comfort and security.  Whenever I listen to it, I like to imagine an old, retired sailor sitting in a cabin near the ocean, next to a warm fire, looking at a picture of his daughter and flashing back to watching her grow up from a young child, and just generally being happy.  He's petting a cat in his lap and falls asleep toward the end of the song.

 

The last song on the album, "Sirens - The Crash and the Call", is a wandering piece that seems to move from place to place.  I can't really form any specific visual images while listening to this one, so the emotions take on a raw form that I think hits more at my core than most other songs - like I'm feeling them as a small, vulnerable child.  The song has a pattern that's repeated several times, where a new theme is either introduced rather suddenly or eased into gradually, seeming uncertain, even a little scary at first.  But after a moment, I start to feel reassured by a small development in the theme, long enough that I feel comfortable where I am, only to then be whisked off to another place where everything is new and uncertain again.  The song ends with a very comforting theme that I can only describe as making me feel like I'm back in my mother's arms - one of the most primal comforts of all.

 

For a while, I would play this second song in times when I really needed a stress break - especially after a bad family incident that had left me emotionally scarred.  My then-girlfriend (now wife) would listen to it with me and encourage me to cry during the parts that affected me the most - at the time, I was suffering from years of repressed emotions and found it very difficult to express them, so music like this, combined with such a supportive partner, gave me the kick I needed to start working through that.  This song still has a very deep meaning for me, and it still does make me cry out of a need for comfort now and then.

 

So, now that I've blabbed on at length about what works for me, what does it for you?

[Doc. Volt 2,561]

not much to say... here is my response:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64vvX6-d_JY

it always chill my spine.. but if i am very down this helps me..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7no9Ak2uSrQ

 

but if i'm very happy and i want to jump and spread it then this.. without any vocal...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_7iRZzlSzI

[Scootalove 10,689]

There are some songs that give me mixed emotions, even when I'm trying to show an emotion. Like, I Believe I Can Fly by R.Kelly that song gives me some mixed emotions sometimes.

[Harmonic Revelations 8,835]

Anything by Rammstein. Their songs often cover common emotions that are too taboo for most mainstream music to cover and that makes their music very relatable for me.

[Doc. Volt 2,561]

Anything by Rammstein. Their songs often cover common emotions that are too taboo for most mainstream music to cover and that makes their music very relatable for me.

my girlfriends love them, i don't like them very much becuase there is too much electronic and disco feel inside.. but i agree with you.. songs like mann gege mann.. find me a metal band that makes a song about (and not against) gays!

[Static 27]

Oh goodness...my list goes on and on and on.

 

Here's a good one for sorrow and loneliness:

http://youtu.be/lngOCJf9bjk

 

It's almost blatantly sad. 

 

But yeah, I could post up like 20 of my top emotionally-charged songs.

Edited November 20, 2013 by Static

[Doc. Volt 2,561]

i don't know why but this song always makes me feel like i have lost something in my life and i have to get it back...

 

[n1029 229]

Many songs by Sigur Ros/Jonsi and M83

 

Edited November 20, 2013 by n1029

[ReverseFaller 2,483]

Invincible by Pat Benatar makes me tear up every time I hear it. Mainly because it has huge nostalgic factor on me, as my dad always played the Pat Benatar CD in the car whenever we drove somewhere when I was younger. This song for some reason brings back so many childhood memories. It makes sad, but also happy. It brings back wonderful memories.

 

 

Broken Open by Adam Lambert calms me. This song does a great job at making me feel peaceful, and calm.This song makes me think of positive things like family, and good memories. This beautiful song makes me cry a little every time I hear it, but in a good way.

 

http://youtu.be/IU_DDrzeJw8

[An Old Head 4,816]

Not my favourite song from the band, but the live performance of Best Of You is electric. I listen to/watch this, and my happiness for the existence of music floods in.

 

Listen to 5:24 where Dave just stands there playing a soft riff, and the 78,000-person crowd, slowly yet spontaneously, all sing in unison. For those few moments, you don't need to care about anything but good music. Dave just standing there, taking it all in. Incredible.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkF04Y4XFp4

Edited November 20, 2013 by Flipturn

[Static 27]

This song evokes a lot of things in me. Anger, sorrow, inspiration, but over all of those, it evokes chaos and extreme dissonance. It's by far my favorite song so far in the whole trance genre.

 

Resonate with the chaos:

 

http://youtu.be/qzRRADSoVDA

Edited November 22, 2013 by Static

[Derpaholic 1,155]

Overplayed though it might be, this song gets me every single time. It starts out as an almost sorrowful folks song, and then escalates into an epic, larger than life hard rock performance towards the end.
The final verse in particular gives me goosebumps. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcL---4xQYA

Edited November 22, 2013 by Bron-Yr-Aur

[caramba2654 602]

I dunno. Music makes me feel different things depending on a lot of things, like my mood, the time of day, etc...

 

I guess there's this song that makes me feel dumb, light and (for some reason) hungry:

 

[Guest]

Slow-paced songs that are played during fights, especially piano(s).

 

[KatonRyu 1,033]

I have several songs that trigger memories, which in turn evoke emotions. I'll just go three sets here, listing the songs and the emotions they trigger:

 

The Audition - Lawyers

The Audition - You've Made Us Conscious

The Audition - The Ultimate Coverup

 

I listened to these songs, in that order, a lot when I had a crush back in 2008, and they remind of that time.

 

Yellowcard - Empty Apartment

Yellowcard - Keeper

Yellowcard - Fighting

The Rasmus - Lucifer's Angel

 

These songs remind me of my school trip to Rome, which was one of the most awesome trips I've ever been on.

 

One Republic - Stop And Stare

One Republic - Mercy

One Republic - Sleep

Blink-182 - The Rock Show

Blink-182 - First Date

Blink-182 - I Miss You

Blink-182 - All The Small Things

Blink-182 - Stay Together For The Kids

Blink-182 - Dammit

Blink-182 - What's My Age Again?

Blink-182 - Always

Blink-182 - I'm Lost Without You

 

These songs, in this order, were what I listened to en route to a tournament in Belgium, on 15-02-2009. The night before, I'd gone to the girl I liked (the same one I had a crush on 9 months earlier) and we watched a movie...even though we spent all night talking. She was also going to the tournament, as were some others, so we went with them. While the memories these songs evoke are all from the car trip, the emotions are still the same: lots and lots of love for my girlfriend, and the giddiness I felt at finally being together with her. (We count 14-02-2009 as the date, even though in reality it was probably at least a month later. The feelings were definitely there, though.) Especially I'm Lost Without You triggers these feelings, but in combination with the others it's even more powerful.

[Buttonmash1973 1,026]

KrassimiirAvramov  - Illusion

 

[Denim&Venöm 19,198]

A song off the latest record from my favorite band Machine Head. They're more well known for their angry sounding, empowering metal anthems. But when they wanna sound dark, they sound dark. Their ability to go from anger & triumph to sorrow & despair, in not just lyrics but song anesthetic too, is the mark of a truly great band, one that many more metal bands and musicians alike should follow by example.  

 

 

A song that is rather moving for a different reason is this offering from power metallers Sabaton. Their songs get to me a little more because they write songs based on actual historical battles and military conflicts. This one, based on the Battle of Wizna, describes the efforts of around 800 Polish soldiers and their fight against over 30,000 Wehrmacht in the course of three days. The odds the faced and their will to fight overwhelming odds, and just the way it's all described in the song is very moving. 

 

[Empty Room 512]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wjpYapn4Pw

 

This song gives me a melancholy feeling when I listen to it, especially around 7 minutes in and onward. It feels like there's so much emotion put into it, despite there being no lyrics. Undoubtedly the best post-metal song I've heard.

[SCS 7,537]

This deals with a lot of the more abstract and philosophical aspects of my life and my perception of the world. It's also one of my favorite songs of all time.

[SasQ 1,379]

@@Pixel Stick, since you described your music examples with very "visual" images, I guess I have something for you that you might like: here's a short video interview with Angelo Badalamenti who composed the score for the classic "Twin Peaks" series, in which he explains the process he went through with David Lynch when composing the theme for Laura Palmer:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgXLEM8MhJo

 

He also paints a very visual picture when he explains the music, but what I admire the most it this video is how he managed to express these visuals and emotions through music itself: when you listen to the music, you can pretty much imagine all these things he says. This is something I wish I could learn one day... Because when I listen to this music, I literally have shivers, and tears of thrill come to my eyes and I cannot help it... @_@

 

There's more music which effects me like that. Here are some other examples:

 

 

 

Aaah, and of course the marvelous Enigma:

 

 

Their every album is an entire story in itself, told with only music. Listening through good headphones advised. YouTube quality suxx though, so make sure to get CD-quality versions somewhere. Another one:

 

 

(BTW can you guess what planet is being described in the first song? ;> )

Edited September 27, 2015 by SasQ

[PROJECT: Simon 3,955]

Something like this~.. it's very sad, makes me cry~! T^T ;~; xD         Always makes me think about my regrets~.. '~' 

 

[Omega Centauri 317]

I nearly always have my strongest emotional reactions to instrumental music.

I'm sort of the same way, music with vocals can invoke emotional responses from me, not so much because of the lyrics, but more because of the way the vocals sound along with the instruments.

 

Opeth's latest album "Pale Communion" is a good example of this. The lyrics are abstract and difficult to interpret at first, but Mikael Akerfeldt has a great singing voice, which is really given a chance to shine on this album, and you don't really need to understand the message to feel something from it. The musicianship is all around damn near perfect in my eyes. They managed to write complex songs that don't sacrifice emotional appeal in the name of technicality, it has a huge dynamic range, distortion on the guitars is used sparingly, making it have more of an effect, they play a variety of chords with some occasional chugging riffs, each instrument is given a chance to shine instead of focusing only on the guitar. I would easily consider this a 10/10 album.

 

 

Having relatable lyrics does help to make a song more emotional, though, Neil Young for example. His songs aren't the most complex, he doesn't hit many soaring high notes or insane guitar solos, but he has a message to get across, and he does just that.

 

 

Some artists leave interpretation up to the individual, that's one thing I really love in music. It leaves something in there for everyone.

Edited September 29, 2015 by Omega Centauri

[Thunderlane 550]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sc1IkYwKCtM

 

This has to be one of the most beautiful few chords ever. The simplicity is so staggering, and how it builds up off just reverb and keeps building and building. It's way too simple but just... way too good.

[Pixel Stick 927]

 

 

@Pixel Stick, since you described your music examples with very "visual" images, I guess I have something for you that you might like: here's a short video interview with Angelo Badalamenti who composed the score for the classic "Twin Peaks" series, in which he explains the process he went through with David Lynch when composing the theme for Laura Palmer:

 

He also paints a very visual picture when he explains the music, but what I admire the most it this video is how he managed to express these visuals and emotions through music itself: when you listen to the music, you can pretty much imagine all these things he says. This is something I wish I could learn one day... Because when I listen to this music, I literally have shivers, and tears of thrill come to my eyes and I cannot help it... @_@

 

That is one of the most awesome things I've seen in a long time.  Thanks for sharing that.  And David Lynch is one of my all-time favorite artists.  I even got a photocopy of some of his original composition notes and sheet music for the song "Clouds Below Your Knees" (from his album "No Blue Thing") when I emailed him to ask what time signature he'd used for that song.

 

I could definitely follow the development of that character's theme through the interview - it's amazing how organic it is.  Even without the commentary on what it was meant for, I would easily have seen something very similar - walking through a dark, mysterious place, having a brief interlude with something brighter, then having it depart and leaving you to continue where you left off.  That's really, really cool.

[SilyGeny 369]

 

This song sent me shivers down my spine it was like I got hit really hard by the message and felt a connection right at the moment where I understood what it was actually about