“Music is what feelings sound like.” ~ author unknown

I am a big fan of music—all kinds of music.

Whether it is pop, jazz, blues, alternative, swing, opera, bluegrass or any combination of these, it all has it’s place. You can find me singing along to old timey bluegrass music, old & new punk rock, catchy pop tunes my daughter is inspired by and anything that I know the words to really.

Music moves me.

I believe that music is the one true universal language. You could have a room full of people from every corner of the earth listening to a sad ballad and it will move everyone to tears in spite of the language barrier. We could play an upbeat catchy instrumental and the mood would change entirely as a whole.

Music is powerful.

I love to share music and to find new music, so I have decided to compile some lists of my favorite tunes to share with all of you. Please share your favorites with me too! (I can never have enough music in my library.)

So here goes, my top ten favorite break up songs:

1. Sinead O’Connor, Nothing Compares to You: I know, I know kind of cheesy. But it was my first real break up when I was 12 or 13 and the song really made an impact on me. Very memorable.

 

2. Joni Mitchell, A Case of You:  Joni is just so amazingly talented. My mom listened to her when I was a kid; I continue to be moved by her poetic verses, vocal range and difficult chord changes.

 

3. David Wilcox, Common as the Rain:  I find his guitar picking rather phenomenal and his lyrics are just as poetic as Joni’s.

4. Adele, Someone Like You: I honestly feel that Adele has done a fabulous job with this love song. When this song came out I was happily single and far from any recent heartbreaks. When I listen to this song, it can bring up that awful feeling of loss and longing for something you just can’t have. Another good song, First Love, comes in a close second to this one.

 

5. Gnarls Barkley, Who’s Gonna Save My Soul: The video speaks for itself.

6. Kate Nash, Dickhead: Here is the album version with some cute pics of Miss Nash. I just love her music in general…

7. The Murmurs, You Suck: Like the above song, this one is also a little pissy. It’s fun to play on the guitar and to sing very loud!

8. Joss Stone, Spoiled: Ever feel like you will never be able to love again? Yup, this song will get ya every time. Damn, she has a great soulful voice.

9. Gotye, Somebody That I Used to Know: Great song, awesome video and a super rad assist by Kimbra. Her live stuff is pretty amazing.

10. Ani Difranco, You Had Time: Okay, I saved the best for last. I adore Ani. Her voice, her mad guitar skills, her passion, her brazenness, her activity in politics and her journey that she has shared with all of us . She a lot of power packed into that short little frame.

I hope you find some enjoyment from this little list; I’ll be sharing more of my music ventures…perhaps a list of good punk rock tunes should come next?

Please do share your musical inspirations as well!

Nichole Gould is the founder of Barefoot Warrior Yoga in The White Mountains of New Hampshire. As a Student of life, yogini, yoga teacher, landscape gardener, single mother, organic pizza waitress and lover of all board sports, she considers herself a jack of much and a master of none. She can also be found dabbling with guitar playing, singing off key, reading from her many stacks of books or writing poetry. Feel feel to peruse her Facebook page or contact her via her website for more insight into her ever curious mind.

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Ed: Bryonie Wise