10 songs to comfort and inspire

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/01/2023 (1328 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Music has often helped me get through dark and difficult times, and the past almost three years of the COVID-19 pandemic and many health issues have definitely been hard for all of us. Hard and often tragic as, so many lives have been lost during this time.

The vulnerable have also been forgotten. Many forget that they are still not able to live “normal” lives. Let us hope that 2023 will bring us not only lighter days but the end of COVID, an end to the monstrous invasion of Ukraine and an end to injustices throughout the world.

January on the Prairies tends to be bleak and cold. So, for those who enjoy getting even just a wisp of hope or inspiration from music, I’ve listed 10 songs that bring me comfort. Your favourites may be different but here are some to try out.

I have borrowed some of these from Matt Haig’s The Comfort Book, another source of hope and encouragement. Haig struggled with depression and often kept lists of things that helped to bring light and dispel the shadows.

I hope these do the same for you. (All songs can be found on YouTube.)

1) Over the Rainbow – Judy Garland. (Recommended by Matt Haig). I also love Eva Cassidy’s version. Haig tells us that this song was written by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg in one of the darkest years of history – 1939. They were, he says, “two Jewish musicians writing arguably the most hopeful song ever written, all while Adolf Hitler was triggering war and anti-Semitism was on the rise.”

2) The Prayer – Andrea Bocelli and Céline Dion.

3) Carol of the Bells – Lindsey Stirling. A modern version by this American violinist. Carol of the Bells was composed by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych in 1914.

There is a fascinating story about this song and it can be found in Orysia Tracz’s First Star I See Tonight: Ukrainian Christmas Traditions or on YouTube by searching for “100 Years of the Ukrainian ‘Carol of the Bells.’ ” When I think of the war in Ukraine, this song brings me a little bit of comfort.

4) O-o-h Child – The Five Stairsteps, or sung by MILCK.

5) Holy Mother – Luciano Pavarotti and Eric Clapton.

6) Desiderata – Les Crane from the 1971 album by Fred Werner and David C. Wilson.

7) A Change is Gonna Come – Sam Cooke. (Also recommended by Haig.)

8) Lean on Me – Bill Withers, Stevie Wonder and John Legend. (Written by Bill Withers.)

9) New World in the Morning – Roger Whittaker.

10) Fields of Gold – Eva Cassidy. (Written by Sting.)