Music is a huge part of my life.
These songs have helped me through some of the toughest moments in my life. On days when I really miss my mum, I will just lay down and listen to these songs.
They say songs can express things you yourself aren’t able to do. Sometimes it's the tone, sometimes it's the lyrics. Sometimes, a series of chords just speak to the heart. I hope that these songs will bring you comfort, like how they did for me.
When You Miss Your Loved One
- Everglow, by Coldplay
https://youtu.be/P8jOQUsTU9o
"Oh they say people come, they say people go, oh the light that you left me, will Everglow"
Chris Martin wrote this song for Gwyneth Paltrow when she had lost her dad. This song made me cry when I first listened to it. During his concert, he asked everyone to send some love to the people outside the stadium and beyond. It gave me goosebumps. Everglow reminds me that even though my mum is not physically here, she will always be living in my heart. The impact she had on me will never die. I will continue to live strong - to do her proud.
- Visiting Hours, Ed Sheeran
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7K14zHe1MW8
“Well, I wish that heaven had visiting hours
So I could just swing by and ask your advice
What would you do in my situation?”
“Can we just talk a while until my worries disappear?
I'd tell you that I'm scared of turning out a failure
You'd say, "Remember that the answer's in the love that we create"
So much has changed since you've been away”
Ed Sheeran first performed this song for Michael Gudinski, at his state memorial. It broke my heart. I felt every line of his lyrics. If only heaven had visiting hours - I would visit every day to tell my mum about my day, and to hear about hers. If you asked me what a perfect day for me is, that would be it. Sometimes I just want to hear her voice, "I would live life as you taught me, and make it on my own." This hit a spot. I don't want to live without her, but I will.
- All I Want
"All I want is nothing more
To hear you knocking at my door
Cause if I could see your face once more
I could die a happy man I'm sure"
Even one day will be more than enough. I just want to see her once more.
"When you said your last goodbye
I died a little bit inside
I lay in tears in bed all night
Alone without you by my side"
When I lost my mum, a part of me went along with her. Sometimes when I miss her, I would play this song and sit in a corner of my home. I would cry and just wish she would come back. Logically, I know she was not coming back. But maybe the 12-year-old inside just wished that Disney would be real for once.
“So you brought out the best in me
A part of me I'd never seen”
My mum was the kind of person who told you you could do it, and you would believe her without a doubt. She brought out the best in people. She was my role model, the one whom I admired dearly. - Free Fallin', Live by John Mayer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20Ov0cDPZy8
One of my all-time favourite songs. I have been playing it on repeat a few times every month ever since 2015. The idea of free-falling brings me peace - it reminds me to let go of my desire for control. John Mayer's voice has this way of comforting me and making me feel like things will be okay, regardless of how chaotic life may seem. - Supermarket Flowers
"But mum, there's a tear every time that I blink"
"You were an angel in the shape of my mum
You got to see the person I have become"
"Oh I'm in pieces, it's tearing me up, but I know
A heart that's broke is a heart that's been loved"
This song reminds me that grief is all the love you hoped to give, but never could. With sadness and missing, comes deep gratitude that I got to be her daughter in my lifetime. - I Took a Pill In Ibiza
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1zrweVN4l4
"My dad died, Avicii died, but before then I'm going to live live live".
The brokenness in his voice and his story touched me. He was so honest and vulnerable with his struggle - it made me feel like I was not alone. Everyone carries pain in their lives, and Mike decided to transform this pain and emptiness into a song to inspire millions. - It's ok, Nightbirde
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZJvBfoHDk0
"If you're lost, we're all a little lost, and it's alright"
Nightbirde auditioned with this original song on America's Got Talent and immediately went viral. I cried when I watched her perform and I've watched her performance 11 times since. Her presence embodies gratitude.
She said the following 2 lines, that left people speechless:
"2% is not 0%, and I wish people knew how wonderful that is"
"You can't wait until life isn't hard anymore before you decide to be happy."
With only 1 year of her life left, she carries such strength and grace in her spirit, I was deeply inspired. She reminded me to cherish life and never to take my health for granted. - The Wisp Sings, Winter Aid
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A0Beo0M-tQ
When I first heard this song in a yoga class, I teared up. It moved me on a deep level. I felt this deep sense of peace, and more importantly a feeling of release. A feeling of pleading to take a break, because my heart is tired. There are days when i’m so tired I want the grief to go away. It’s okay to feel that way - it’s only normal to need a break from your own thoughts and emotions sometimes. This song reminds me not to be too hard on myself, to give myself the room to feel sad and cry when I need to.
- 突然好想你 (Suddenly missing you so bad) , Mayday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtDRcXtDg-4
“突然好想你
你会在哪里
过的快乐或委屈
突然好想你
突然锋利的回忆
突然模糊的眼睛”
When I suddenly miss you, where will you be? I love this Chinese song - sometimes listening to songs in Chinese hits a spot that English can’t. Maybe it’s also because my mum used to speak to me in Chinese all the time.
- You’re Gonna Live Forever In Me, John Mayer
https://youtu.be/08Ndzf5-HxI
The whistling gives a feeling of joyfulness amidst the sad tune
“Parts of me were made by you
And planets keep their distance too
The moon's got a grip on the sea
Parts of me were made by you
And planets keep their distance too
The moon's got a grip on the sea”
The description of the wonders in our world - like our seas and moon and planets - all ending, paints a picture of the brevity of life. Even if they existed for only a while, they were a part of our reality in this lifetime, and that's the beauty in brevity.
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