Choosing our Desert Island Dics! (Music to sooth our souls)

I know Neil listens to music all day while I am at work. He also listens to it at night as he drifts off to sleep. He says it relaxes him and helps him to forget about his situation. He's always done this, especially when he's unhappy or stressed. There's no set group or songs he plays and I know he often puts the cd player on a random play. When we were going out together all those years ago, and we had no money, we would park up and listen to music all evening in the car. He even made me a cassette (shows how old we are!) with music on it that reminded him of our love. I'm different to Neil regarding music. I tend to like a song rather than an album, as he does. There's not many bands that I can say I like all, or most, of their songs, and I use music to relax but only if I am in the mood for it. I am quite happy with silence, whereas I know Neil seems to need to fill the silence. Do we sing? Not very often, although I have been known to burst in to song when Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen comes on the radio. Neil says he sings in his head, and I suspect he sings aloud when I am not around! As I said, it's a stress reliever. 

This afternoon I read an article about Desert Island Discs and I thought what fun it would be to do this. 

Desert Island Discs is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. Each week a guest, called a 'castaway' during the programme, is asked to choose eight pieces of music, a book and a luxury item that they would take if they were to be cast away on a desert island, whilst discussing their lives and the reasons for their choices. But how on earth would you chose only eight pieces of music out of all the music there is? Just eight? Well I had a go, and so did Neil, though I expect by tomorrow we will both wonder why we picked the recordings we did! 

So here's mine,

1. Carmina Burana  'O Fortuna', Carl Orff. - The sheer power and rise and fall of this piece never fails to make me feel enraptured and roused (not aroused please note)
2. Want to Live Forever, Queen - I love everything about this song. It makes me cry and my whole family know i's going to be played at my funeral. Sounds depressing but honestly I don't mean it to be like that. It's just beautiful.
3. Teardrop, Massive Attack - I could listen to this over and over again. It really relaxes me.
4. Butterfly on a Wheel, The Mission - it's about a love affair and Neil put this on our cassette! Enough said.
5. Moonlight Sonata, Beethovan - My mother was a fantastic piano player and now she cant play anymore because of the arthritis in her hands. To my eternal regret I never got a recording of her playing, but she often used to play this piece. It reminds me of her.  
6. Open Heart Zoo, Martin Grech - I remember when I first heard the first part of this song. it was a car advert and everyone wanted to know who the singer song witter was. This was in his first album and when I listened to the whole song I thought what a talented person he was, and very different. My heart soars when I listen to it.
7. Fantasia on Greensleeves, Vaughan Williams - Again a chilled out piece of classical music
8. Born Slippy, Underworld - Reminds me of my clubbing days, and of Neil, and the fun I had as I loved to dance, and I was thin too!!!

and here are Neil's,

1. The Host of Seraphim, Dead Can Dance - It's atmospheric and so 'out there' (quote)
2. Reverence, Faithless - Very calming and relaxing
3. Plastic Beach, Gorillaz - It's a happy tune that always brings a smile to his face!
4. Leave No Man Behind, Hans Zimmer (from the film Black Hawk Down) - Neil was in the army but that's not why he chose this. It's just because he likes the almost medieval sound of this music.
5. When it's Cold I'd Like To Die, Moby - Neil finds this very moving, and he then suddenly announced to me he wants this played at his funeral. (Well don't we know how to get in to a downer mood with mentioning our funeral songs?)
6. Ophelia, Natalie Merchant - It's something Neil never thought he would have liked but actually really enjoyed listening to, and has done frequently since he first heard it.
7. The Bends, Radiohead - Great intro. Great listening
8. Fast Fuse, Kasabian - Upbeat and gives you energy

Neil is now complaining that this was a rubbish idea as there is far too much choice around to pick just eight. As I write this he is scrolling through his phone picking music out and listening to it. He has a smile on his face and I have to say we both found this fun. Frustrating (because of the limit of choice) but still fun. It was also interesting from my point of view, because I don't know some of the music Neil has chosen. So when he isn't around I am going to listen to those. I'm not doing it while he is here because I don't want to appear ignorant!! I challenge anyone to have a go at this, and just pick eight pieces of music to take on a desert island. 

"Music as a coping strategy involves the use of music (through listening or playing music) in order to reduce stress, as well as many of the psychological and physical manifestations associated with it. The use of music to cope with stress is an example of an emotion-focused, adaptive coping strategy. Rather than focusing on the stressor itself, music therapy is typically geared towards reducing or eliminating the emotions that arise in response to stress. In essence, advocates of this therapy claim that the use of music helps to lower stress levels in patients, as well as lower more biologically measurable quantities such as the levels of  epinephrine and cortisol. Additionally, music therapy programs have been repeatedly demonstrated to reduce depression and anxiety symptoms in the long term."

My eldest son trying to play the piano at my parents house.