Why some songs just hit differently

Some songs don’t just sound good. They do something to me.

A few notes in, and I can feel a shift. I feel lighter. A little more like myself. I have a handful of songs that do that for me every time:

"Hara Hara Shambhu," "Boy from New York City," "Fly Me to the Moon" (any version, somehow it always knows what to do!), and, yes, "All Star" by Smash Mouth.

A weird little mix, I know. I don’t listen to them in any particular order. But every one of them works.

Why does one song just sit there, while another changes your whole mood almost instantly? Maybe it’s the beat. Maybe it’s the memory attached to it. Maybe it just catches you at exactly the right moment.

A song can bring back a season, a car ride, or a version of yourself you haven’t seen in a while. Sometimes it’s not even the song itself. It’s everything that comes with it.

But the same song can hit completely differently depending on where I am when I hear it. In the car, it might feel freeing. In the kitchen, comforting. In the middle of a stressful day, sometimes it barely registers. Other times, it’s exactly what I need.

That’s true of more than music. So much of how we feel is shaped by what’s around us. The feel of a space. The noise level. The light. Whether being there helps us exhale a little, or makes us feel more on edge.

We tend to think mood comes entirely from inside us, and of course some of it does. But our surroundings matter too. More than we give them credit for.

Now I want to know … what’s your instant mood-shift song? The one that works before your brain even has time to catch up?

If enough of you reply, I’ll put together a Tuesday email playlist. You can email me HERE. 

Cheerfully,
Robin

Robin Murphy is the owner (along with her husband, Gary) of Maid Brigade, a professional housecleaning company serving the Lower Hudson Valley (Westchester, Putnam, Rockland) and communities in Fairfield and Hartford counties in Connecticut. After nearly 30 years in the business, she’s learned that a clean home isn’t about perfection. It’s about health, sanity, and making life easier. She can be reached at robin@maidbrigade.cleaning or 914-741-0552.