For many, music brings comfort during times of sadness. And for many parents who have experienced a loss, music can do much more: it can connect us to our children, provide the needed push for a cathartic cry, or be a source of inspiration to just make it through a tough day.
We’re going to experiment with a new feature on the site called Still Listening. Let us know what you think!
Still Listening will be a repository of curated songs and playlists from our contributors and readers, so that you have an ongoing source of new music that speaks to the pain, suffering, hope, loss, and special love that we parents feel for our little ones. Still Listening will include:
- Spotify Account: Listen to all of the featured content for free, automatically updated with new songs and playlists as they’re added! Still Standing Magazine now has a Spotify account (“stillstandingmagazine” is our user name) where you can access the featured songs and playlists. Spotify is a free, easy-to-use music site that allows you to play songs from your phone, browser, or desktop. All you need is a simple login. Follow our account here!
- Featured Songs: New songs on an ongoing basis posted on the website and Facebook page.
- Suggestions from You: Suggested songs from our readers, via Facebook comments or additions you can directly make on our Spotify page.
- Curated Playlists: Organized by theme and genre. And, you can share your playlists so that others can benefit from the work you’ve already done.
- Master List: A meta playlist of hundreds of songs, growing each time new ones are suggested.
So, send us your songs (in the comments), follow us on Spotify, and give us your feedback about this new feature. Thanks!
[To whet your appetite, here’s the current list of all songs we have as of September 2015:]
Raven’s Song – Aaron Embry
How Can You Mend a Broken Heart – Al Green
This Feeling – Alabama Shakes
Orange Sky – Alexi Murdoch
All My Days – Alexi Murdoch
Baby Mine – Alison Krauss
I Dreamed A Dream – Anne Hathaway
Bright Eyes – Art Garfunkel
Forever Young – Audra Mae & The Forest Rangers
Slipped Away – Avril Lavigne
The Funeral – Band of Horses
If I Die Young – The Band Perry
Hope – Bauhaus
I Don’t Know – Beastie Boys
Guess I’m Doing Fine – Beck
Heaven – Beyoncé
Ave Maria – Beyoncé
Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) – Billy Joel
The Lengths – The Black Keys
Not Dark Yet – Bob Dylan
Blindsided – Bon Iver
Off You – The Breeders
See You Again – Carrie Underwood
County Line – Cass McCombs
The Wind – Cat Stevens
Fly – Céline Dion
A Mother’s Prayer – Céline Dion
Wherever You Will Go – Charlene Soraia
A Thousand Years – Christina Perri
Rebel Waltz – The Clash
Suite bergamasque, L.75: 3. Clair de lune – Claude Debussy, Alexis Weissenberg
You Were Born – Cloud Cult
Sparks – Coldplay
Like a Star – Corinne Bailey Rae
Smallest Wingless – Craig Cardiff
Delicate – Damien Rice
Dancing in the Sky – Dani and Lizzy
The One Who Knows – Dar Williams
Gone Too Soon – Daughtry
Baby Blue – Dave Matthews Band
Don’t Let Go Yet – David J. Roch
I Will Follow You Into The Dark – Death Cab for Cutie
Skyscraper – Demi Lovato
I’m Kissing You – Des’ree
It’s Raining – The Detroit Cobras
I’ll Be Missing You (feat. 112) – Diddy, Faith Evans, 112
I Wish My Baby Was Born – Dillard Chandler
Lullaby – Dixie Chicks
From Here To The Moon And Back – Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson, Jeremy Jordan
Small Bump – Ed Sheeran
Goodbye – Eddie Vedder
All Wash Out – Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
Bye Annie, Bye Joe, Bye Michael, Bye Jake – El Ten Eleven
Saturday – Electrelane
Daniel – Elton John
Lullabye – Emitt Rhodes
Didn’t Leave Nobody But The Baby – O Brother, Where Art Thou? Soundtrack – Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Gillian Welch
Tears In Heaven – Eric Clapton
My Immortal – Evanescence
First Breath After Coma – Explosions In The Sky
Who Knows Where The Time Goes? – Fairport Convention
Last Favor – The Finches
Blue – First Aid Kit
Waitin’ For A Superman – The Flaming Lips
Landslide – Fleetwood Mac
So Vapor – Floating Action
Tangible Intangible – Fly Golden Eagle
My Name – George Canyon
Still – Gerrit Hofsink
Winter’s Come and Gone – Gillian Welch
Stars – Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
Say Something – A Great Big World, Christina Aguilera
Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life) – Green Day
All Shades of Blue – Gregory Alan Isakov
Foreground – Grizzly Bear
Goodbye Horses – Cover Version – Hayden Thorpe, Jon Hopkins
Rivers and Roads – The Head and the Heart
You Are Goodbye – Holly Conlan
These Days – Ian Matthews
Untitled – Interpol
NYC – Interpol
Somewhere over the Rainbow (Radio Version) – Radio Version – Ismael Kamawool
Before My Time – J. Ralph, Scarlett Johansson, Joshua Bell
Retrograde – James Blake
Sweet Baby James – James Taylor
This Can’t Be Life – JAY Z, Beanie Sigel, Scarface
Hallelujah – Jeff Buckley
Your Hands – JJ Heller
Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) – 2010 Remix – John Lennon
Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) – 2010 – Remaster – John Lennon
Oh My Love – 2010 – Remaster – John Lennon
How? – 2010 – Remaster – John Lennon
Dreaming with a Broken Heart – John Mayer
Hurt – Johnny Cash
So Close – Jon McLaughlin
Everything I Am – Kanye West, DJ Premier
Only One – Kanye West, Paul McCartney
Dixie – Karen Elson, The Secret Sisters
In The Arms Of An Angel – Kathleen Ross
By The Grace Of God – Katy Perry
Who You’d Be Today – Kenny Chesney
Timshel – Kina Grannis
Strangers – The Kinks
Borrowed Angels – Kristin Chenoweth
Blessings – Laura Story
Hallelujah – Leonard Cohen
Ho Hey – The Lumineers
Blue Boy – Mac Demarco
Save A Place For Me – Matthew West
Where Is My Mind – Maxence Cyrin
I Can Only Imagine – MercyMe
Scars & Memories – MF Grimm
Mad World (feat. Gary Jules) – Michael Andrews
Over You – Miranda Lambert
Night On The Sun – Modest Mouse
I Will Wait – Mumford & Sons
Held – Natalie Grant
Place To Be – Nick Drake
When You Come Back Down – Nickel Creek
Far Away – Nickelback
The Fairest Of The Seasons – Nico
Jesus Doesn’t Want Me For A Sunbeam – Nirvana
Who Knew – P!nk
Just Give Me a Reason – P!nk, Nate Ruess
Beam Me Up – P!nk
Holes – Passenger
Mother and Child Reunion – Paul Simon
Just Breathe – Pearl Jam
Home – Phillip Phillips
The Rip – Portishead
All Dead, All Dead – Queen
Let Down – Radiohead
Here Comes Goodbye – Rascal Flatts
Are We Really Through – Ray LaMontagne
A Falling Through – Ray LaMontagne
Real Love – Regina Spektor
How – Regina Spektor
Can’t Hardly Wait [Outtake – Acoustic] – The Replacements
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face – Roberta Flack
One More Day – Rocket Club
She Smiled Sweetly – The Rolling Stones
DillaTUDE: The Flight Of Titus – The Roots
Elizabeth, You Were Born To Play That Part – Ryan Adams
Wildwood Flower – Sam Amidon
Stay With Me – Sam Smith
Sleepwalk – Santo & Johnny-Il Meglio
Angel – Sarah McLachlan
Truly Madly Deeply – Savage Garden
Blowers Daughter – Scala & Kolacny Brothers
I Will Carry You (Audrey’s Song) – Selah
Please Please Please – Shout Out Louds
Svefn – G – Englar – Sigur Rós
Gone Too Soon – Simple Plan
Que Sera Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be) – Sly & The Family Stone
Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want – 2011 Remastered Version – The Smiths
There Is A Light That Never Goes Out – 2011 Remastered Version – The Smiths
Asleep (2008 Remastered Version) – The Smiths
Somewhere Over the Rainbow – Somewhere Over The Rainbow
Precious Children – Sovereign Grace Music
Every Little Bit Hurts – The Spencer Davis Group
With Hope – Speechless Album Version – Steven Curtis Chapman
Yesterdays – Switchfoot
I Wish My Baby Was Born – The Tillers
Free Fallin’ – Tom Petty
Carry – Tori Amos
Nobody Dies Anymore – Tweedy
Visitor From Heaven – Beyond A Dream Album Version – Twila Paris
Train Song – Vashti Bunyan
Pale Blue Eyes – The Velvet Underground
Glory Baby – Watermark
World Spins Madly On – The Weepies
I’ll See You Again – Westlife
Always On My Mind – Willie Nelson
Just Breathe – Willie Nelson, Lukas Nelson
The Scientist – Willie Nelson
A Song For You – Willie Nelson
Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain – Willie Nelson
Sur le fil – Yann Tiersen
Let It Be – The Yesterdays
Annie says
These two songs were played at our son, Xavier’s funeral and I would love to see them on the playlist:
* Only One, by Kanye West, Paul McCartney
* Angels, by The xx
Also, I find these two songs particularly meaningful and soothing in relation to my grief:
* Heal, by Tom Odell
* Scars, by James Bay
Andy Gillette says
Thanks, Annie. Added all of those songs to the Spotify list. I really like that Kanye song; I hope these resonate with others as well.