Today's topic: Music
I like this topic. For the Facebook event, the difficulty will lie in narrowing the post down to just one song. I have already blogged about how music has helped me through Weston's death here and here.
Within just a couple of weeks of Weston's death, I compiled a playlist of songs that I call, simply, my Weston playlist. I listen to it every time I run. I continue to add to it, and added two additional songs tonight. So, I'm just going to list all the songs for your listening, uh, pleasure.
Music is art, and so is songwriting. Like any good art, these songs can have multiple meanings. I have known and loved some for years, and others I have just recently discovered. So, in no particular order:
Family Tree (Frances England)
~This is a children's song sung from the perspective of an older child awaiting the arrival of her younger sibling. I have already blogged about it here. I cry mostly for Caroline when I hear this song.
1000 Oceans (Tori Amos)
~I thought she wrote this song after she lost a baby, but the word is that she wrote it for her husband after his father died. I discussed this song's comfort to me and included the lyrics here.
Til Kingdom Come (Coldplay)
~I just like this song. I have always liked it.
Baby Mine (Alison Krauss version)
~ This is an old, classic lullaby. I first heard it as a child in "Dumbo," the cartoon movie. I sing it to Caroline every night, and now I am always reminded of the wonderful fifteen minutes that I got to hold Weston during his life when I hear the lyrics, "Rest your head close to my heart, never to part, baby of mine."
Breath of Heaven (Amy Grant)
~This song was a great comfort to me while Weston was alive, which I discussed here. We played it at his memorial service.
I Will Remember You (Sarah McLachlan)
~This is another one that I have always loved.
The One Who Knows (Dar Williams)
~This is truly a dual-meaning song to me. A dear friend actually sang it at our wedding. And then we played it at Weston's memorial service during the slide show (which I will someday figure out how to post on this blog). Who would have ever anticipated that. It's a beautiful song about loving someone and, ultimately, letting them go.
I Will Carry You (Selah)
~This is a beautiful, heartbreaking song written for parents whose baby received a fatal diagnosis in utero. They carried her to term, and she lived for two hours. The mother also wrote a beautiful book about her daughter that I found very comforting.
C'est la Mort (The Civil Wars)
~C'est la Mort literally means, "It is the death" in French. The lyrics say, in part, "C'est la vie (colloquially, that's life), c'est la mort." I love this song. Side note: RUN to your computer and buy their album Barton Hollow. The Civil Wars is an unbelievable duo.
Hallelujah (k.d. lang version, original song and lyrics by Leonard Cohen)
~This song kills me. I had a moving experience with this song a few weeks after Weston's death. I talked about it here.
Song for a Winter's Night (Sarah McLachlan)
~I love Sarah. And I have loved this song for years. It's on heavy rotation during the holiday season and will take on new meaning this year.
One Moment More (Mindy Smith)
~This is another song from my sister. She has fabulous taste.
No One's Gonna Love You (Band of Horses)
~I talked about it here and included the lyrics. I had a childbirth playlist put together (I needed lots of mellow, meaningful music for that natural childbirth I was going to have), and this was always the first song that would play. It was the first song I heard during labor with Caroline.
Ronan (Taylor Swift)
~Taylor Swift wrote this song about a little boy named Ronan who died of cancer right before his fourth birthday. I had never heard a single Taylor Swift song until I found his mother's blog, Rockstar Ronan. Maya, Ronan's mom, is creating a beautiful legacy for her son and raising money to cure childhood cancer. Her chronicle of her grief journey has been very helpful to me. She is an inspiration, and I hope to meet her someday (she happens to live in Phoenix too). Taylor Swift happened to find Maya's blog and then wrote the song. Although the song is obviously very specific, it speaks to the pain of losing a child.
You're Beautiful (James Blunt)
Will I See You in Heaven (The Jayhawks)
Beam Me Up (Pink)
~A recent discovery. Wow.
He's My Son (Mark Schultz)
~I blogged about this song here. It's a prayer about a little boy who is dying. It is heartbreaking.
Just Breathe (Pearl Jam)
I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing (Aerosmith)
A Thousand Years (Christina Perri)
~Another recent discovery. Apparently it's the theme song to one of the Twilight movies. I have not seen the movies or read the books, but the lyrics to this song are beautiful.
To Where You Are (Josh Groban)
The Rose (Bette Midler)
~My grandparents bought a player piano when I was a child. It came with about fifty songs, including this one. My sister and I would play it and sing along, over and over. This song is truly bittersweet.
After silence that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.
~Aldous Huxley
Within just a couple of weeks of Weston's death, I compiled a playlist of songs that I call, simply, my Weston playlist. I listen to it every time I run. I continue to add to it, and added two additional songs tonight. So, I'm just going to list all the songs for your listening, uh, pleasure.
Music is art, and so is songwriting. Like any good art, these songs can have multiple meanings. I have known and loved some for years, and others I have just recently discovered. So, in no particular order:
Family Tree (Frances England)
~This is a children's song sung from the perspective of an older child awaiting the arrival of her younger sibling. I have already blogged about it here. I cry mostly for Caroline when I hear this song.
1000 Oceans (Tori Amos)
~I thought she wrote this song after she lost a baby, but the word is that she wrote it for her husband after his father died. I discussed this song's comfort to me and included the lyrics here.
Til Kingdom Come (Coldplay)
~I just like this song. I have always liked it.
Baby Mine (Alison Krauss version)
~ This is an old, classic lullaby. I first heard it as a child in "Dumbo," the cartoon movie. I sing it to Caroline every night, and now I am always reminded of the wonderful fifteen minutes that I got to hold Weston during his life when I hear the lyrics, "Rest your head close to my heart, never to part, baby of mine."
Breath of Heaven (Amy Grant)
~This song was a great comfort to me while Weston was alive, which I discussed here. We played it at his memorial service.
I Will Remember You (Sarah McLachlan)
~This is another one that I have always loved.
The One Who Knows (Dar Williams)
~This is truly a dual-meaning song to me. A dear friend actually sang it at our wedding. And then we played it at Weston's memorial service during the slide show (which I will someday figure out how to post on this blog). Who would have ever anticipated that. It's a beautiful song about loving someone and, ultimately, letting them go.
I Will Carry You (Selah)
~This is a beautiful, heartbreaking song written for parents whose baby received a fatal diagnosis in utero. They carried her to term, and she lived for two hours. The mother also wrote a beautiful book about her daughter that I found very comforting.
C'est la Mort (The Civil Wars)
~C'est la Mort literally means, "It is the death" in French. The lyrics say, in part, "C'est la vie (colloquially, that's life), c'est la mort." I love this song. Side note: RUN to your computer and buy their album Barton Hollow. The Civil Wars is an unbelievable duo.
Hallelujah (k.d. lang version, original song and lyrics by Leonard Cohen)
~This song kills me. I had a moving experience with this song a few weeks after Weston's death. I talked about it here.
Song for a Winter's Night (Sarah McLachlan)
~I love Sarah. And I have loved this song for years. It's on heavy rotation during the holiday season and will take on new meaning this year.
One Moment More (Mindy Smith)
~This is another song from my sister. She has fabulous taste.
No One's Gonna Love You (Band of Horses)
~I talked about it here and included the lyrics. I had a childbirth playlist put together (I needed lots of mellow, meaningful music for that natural childbirth I was going to have), and this was always the first song that would play. It was the first song I heard during labor with Caroline.
Ronan (Taylor Swift)
~Taylor Swift wrote this song about a little boy named Ronan who died of cancer right before his fourth birthday. I had never heard a single Taylor Swift song until I found his mother's blog, Rockstar Ronan. Maya, Ronan's mom, is creating a beautiful legacy for her son and raising money to cure childhood cancer. Her chronicle of her grief journey has been very helpful to me. She is an inspiration, and I hope to meet her someday (she happens to live in Phoenix too). Taylor Swift happened to find Maya's blog and then wrote the song. Although the song is obviously very specific, it speaks to the pain of losing a child.
You're Beautiful (James Blunt)
Will I See You in Heaven (The Jayhawks)
Beam Me Up (Pink)
~A recent discovery. Wow.
He's My Son (Mark Schultz)
~I blogged about this song here. It's a prayer about a little boy who is dying. It is heartbreaking.
Just Breathe (Pearl Jam)
I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing (Aerosmith)
A Thousand Years (Christina Perri)
~Another recent discovery. Apparently it's the theme song to one of the Twilight movies. I have not seen the movies or read the books, but the lyrics to this song are beautiful.
To Where You Are (Josh Groban)
The Rose (Bette Midler)
~My grandparents bought a player piano when I was a child. It came with about fifty songs, including this one. My sister and I would play it and sing along, over and over. This song is truly bittersweet.
After silence that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.
~Aldous Huxley
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