As old as time, artists put their work out there for your interpretation. Music is a coping skill that I use to help combat the symptoms of depression and anxiety. Every single one of us has different moods throughout the day, weeks, months…sometimes hours; it’s human. Everyone is unique. You may not like all the songs on these five playlists, that is okay. Make your own if this skill works for you. I do not have them separated in my personal devices, so I listened to around 200 songs that I had been collecting since January 2018, to try and break them down into different play lists. I literally just snapped a photo off my radio anytime a song resonated with me and was shocked when I went to write them down and filled almost six pages in my notebook. So, lets dive into this!
Songs that speak to my heart about continuing this journey in life and inspire me to combat my demons and motivate me to try and live MY best life. ‘In My Blood’ is a song that inspires me that others may take very differently. Each of us is unique. When I heard this song the first time a picture that I keep in my medicine bag; a picture of myself and my grandfather taken at my cousins wedding, flashed into my mind. I keep it in there so that when I feel overwhelmed or debilitated from my medical conditions, I see that picture. A picture of a brave Korean War veteran who lived most of his life with war injuries. The Avian Scientist turned Dairy farmer. That Purple Heart recipient was a pillar of strength and humility, if he did it I can to; its ‘in my blood.’
GET UP – Shinedown
Brave – Sara Bareilles
Don’t Give Up on Me – Andy Grammar (In memory of Sandra Barnhart)
Might Not Like Me – Brynn Elliot (To my daughter!)
Kings & Queens – Mat Kearney
Fight Song – Rachel Platten (Play when I am trying to jump start my life!)
The Flower – Michael Franti & Spearhead/Victoria
Fix My Eyes – For King & Country
Perfect – Pink
Up! – Shania Twain
Man In The Mirror – Michael Jackson
In My Blood – Shawn Mendes
Granted – Josh Groban
Catch My Breath – Kelly Clarkson
Invincible – Kelly Clarkson
Heartbeat Song – Kelly Clarkson
My Church – Maren Morris
I’m A Survivor – Reba McEntire
Born This Way – Lady Gaga (To our four gorgeous children!)
We Shall Be Free – Garth Brooks
Head Above Water – Avril Lavigne
Love Myself – Hailee Steinfeld
Stronger – Kelly Clarkson
Broken and Beautiful – Kelly Clarkson
There are those songs that take you back in time. Let you relive a moment from your past; good, bad, or indifferent. They are not always pleasant and sometimes extremely raw. I have found that letting the pain go through that song or placing that beautiful memory that you correlate with the song in its place, I gain more control over the anxiety, sadness, anger, rejection, abandonment, you name the emotion. ‘7 Years’ by Lukas Graham is one on this list I feel really connected to through my children. My twins were seven when this song came out, so it caught their attention. I was 29, so it resonated with me on many levels. Time does go so fast. My twins are now approaching 11 years old! Every time it comes on the radio, we all sing it together.
‘Miss You All the Time’ by O.A.R. makes me think of my little brother Tyler. I was very young when he passed away and have few and vague memories. So, as a child, I guess I created my own fantasy that the clouds were where he played with my cousin that passed before I was born. I pictured the clouds as soft pillows and the blue sky as the ocean. To this day cloudy days affect my mood because I cannot see the blue skies and clouds; that movie still plays in my head today. We don’t have stories together, we have never had a phone conversation…but still, I wonder what he would have been. I wonder if he was here, would our family have turned out differently?
Guiding Light – Mumford & Sons
Breakeven/Fast Car – Colbie Caillat
Human – Killers
Today Was a Fairytale – Taylor Swift
Here Comes Goodbye – Rascal Flatts
Rebel Beat – Goo Goo Dolls
You and Me – Lifehouse
Just Give Me A Reason – Pink
Carry On – fun.
All We Ever Knew – The Head & The Heart
Let Her Go – Passenger
When the party’s over – Billie Eilish
Let It Go – James Bay
Miss You All the Time – O.A.R. (In memory of Tyler Casey Jones)
Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran
Stressed Out – Twenty One Pilots
Grown Men Don’t Cry – Tim McGraw
Be Alright – Dean Lewis
I’ll Be Good – James Young
You’re Somebody Else – The Script
Because Of You – Kelly Clarkson & Reba McEntire
Good Riddance – Green Day
He Walked on Water – Randy Travis (In memory of Manson Lynn Jones)
The Fighter – Keith Urban & Carrie Underwood
Hard Candy Christmas – Dolly Parton
Maybe – Ingrid Michaelson
Love Remains the Same – Gavin Rossdale
Shallow – Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
Mendocino County Line – Willie Nelson & LeeAnn Womack
Already Gone – Kelly Clarkson
Who Will Save Your Souls – Jewel
Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart – Randy Travis
Bigger Picture – Rita Wilson
Thankyou – Dido
Rolling in The Deep – Adele
Bruises – Train & Ashley Monroe
Some Nights – fun.
The House That Built Me – Miranda Lambert
My Immortal – Evanescence
Strawberry Wine – Deena Carter
7 years – Lukas Graham
Lessons Learned – Tracy Lawrence (In memory of Manson Lynn Jones)
Graduation (Friends Forever) – Vitamin C
Home – Michael Bublé (In memory of Brandon Stewart)
Most People Are Good – Luke Bryan (I REALLY believe this.)
Small Town – John Mellencamp (In Memory of Chad Kier)
#simplylove
In life love is a part of many emotional responses; falling in love, loosing a loved one, someone you used to love, all important personal relationships in your life include love. I look at my 13-year relationship with my husband. He embodies love so well. ‘Hey There Delilah’ by the Plain White T’s was the song he sent me when we were living in different states in the beginning of our marriage and struggling like most young couples. ‘I Cross My Heart’ by George Strait was the song we danced to at our wedding. Those words mean way more to me now than they did 12 years ago. ‘Say You Won’t Let Go’ by James Arthur is kind of our new “anthem” since we first heard it. “I held your hair back while you were throwing up…I knew I loved you then…” My husband literally told me he loved me the first time while holding my hair back, while I threw up after a party. Romance is not really our thing…but love is. There are so many songs on this list that warm my heart, but more than just about marriage. About human to human love and kindness, speaking out in search of creating love.
Don’t Give In – Snow Patrol
Nothing More – Alternate Routes
The Way I Am – Ingrid Michaelson
Say You Won’t Go – James Arthur
How Do I Live – Trisha Yearwood
Brother – NeedToBreath featuring Gavin DeGraw
Hey There Delilah – Plain White T’s
1, 2, 3, 4 (I Love You) – Plain White T’s
I’ll Let You Go – Jessica Allossery
When I’m Married – Wilder Adkins
You – A Great Big World
Count on Me – Bruno Mars (My daughters top pick!)
You Say – Lauren Daigle
Humble & Kind – Tim McGraw (In memory of Manson Lynn Jones)
Gone Gone Gone – Phillip Phillips
Whiskey in My Water – Tyler Farr
I’ll Stand by You – Pretenders
All of Me – John Legend
I’ll Be – Edwin McCain
Have It All – Jason Miraz
Waiting on The World to Change – John Mayer
Peace – O.A.R.
Hard to Say I’m Sorry – Chicago
Mother – Sugarland (Love you Mom!)
You Are the Reason – Calum Scott & Leona Lewis
Don’t Laugh at Me – Mark Wills
Same Love – Macklemore
Beauty into Ashes – Celine Dion (In memory of Sandra Barnhart)
If Everyone Cared – Nickelback (In memory of Cody D. Barnhart)
Bad Goodbye – Clint Black & Wynonna Judd
I Cross My Heart – George Strait
The Secret of Life – Faith Hill
The Story of My Life – Marty Robbins
Through the Years – Kenny Rogers (In memory of Sandra Barnhart)
My Sister – Reba McEntire (Love you Echo!)
Love Can Build Bridge – The Judd’s (In celebration of the marriage of Manson & Bonnie Jones)
Just Like Them Horses – Reba McEntire
I Will Always Love You – Dolly Parton
Temporary Home – Carrie Underwood
Thicker Than Blood – Garth Brooks
See You Again – Carrie Underwood (In memory of Sandra Barnhart)
What Do You Say – Reba McEntire
You’re Gonna Be – Reba McEntire
Three Wooden Crosses – Randy Travis
How Can I Help You Say Goodbye – Patty Loveless
Love Needs A Holiday – Reba McEntire
Real life is full of struggle and victory and everything in between. Life can bring you to your knees, it can make you jump for joy. All of this makes up your human experience. ‘You Don’t Know Her Like I Do’ by Brantley Gilbert is a song that jumps out at me. You don’t know what you don’t know, sometimes its not okay to lose that person in your life. Sometimes it is the most painful thing imaginable. There are also times when all people see is your side; you can see the full picture. You probably have no idea what the other party in a breakup or divorce is thinking, because you lived outside that relationship. It’s incredibly important, in my view, for people to really grasp that concept and not be so quick to judge; self-included. Life is hard, together we can make it better. Music is an excellent way to convey messages from the heart and from the human struggle. We lost my husbands mother to cancer very recently, we are all working our way through...but it is not an easy task. All songs in here that say 'In memory of Sandra Barnhart' are songs we picked as a family in her memory. She was a very bright light to many people. Below is a picture of her with our son.
Heathens – Twenty One Pilots
I Go Through – O.A.R.
Trampoline – SHAED
Ho Hey – The Lumineers
If You’re Going Through Hell – Rodney Adkins
Take Me To Church – Hozier
Bad Liar – Imagine Dragons
One Foot – Walk The Moon
Believer – Imagine Dragons
Walk Me Home – Pink
Some Kind of Trouble – Tanya Tucker
Zombie – Bad Wolves
Let’s Hurt Tonight – OneRepublic
Hand In My Pocket – Alanis Morrissette
Light On – Maggie Rogers
Calling All Angels – Train
Unsteady – X Ambassadors
She Will Be Loved – Maroon 5
For the First Time – The Script
It Matter to Me – Faith Hill
Stay (I Missed You) – Lisa Loeb
When Someone Stops Loving You – Little Big Town
Sugar – Maroon 5
You Don’t Know Her Like I Do – Brantley Gilbert
Broken – Lovelytheband
Natural – Imagine Dragons
All That She Wants – Ace of Base
Iris – Goo Goo Dolls
Unwell – Matchbox Twenty
Separate Lives – Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin
Hurt – Johnny Cash
Cry Pretty – Carrie Underwood
Breakdown – Jack Johnson (In memory of Mike Milne and Emily Walz)
Picture – Kid Rock and Sheryl Crowe
Independence Day – Martina McBride
If I Were A Boy – Reba McEntire
Last Call – LeAnn Womack
Landslide – Fleetwood Mac (In memory of Sandra Barnhart)
Stronger than the Truth - Reba McEntire
Let it go sometimes. It is okay, to not be okay sometimes. That is just the way it works. These are songs that make me laugh, cry, help me blow of some steam. These are songs that are often validating. Seeking validation through song for me is essential. Knowing others feel like I do sometimes is a relief. ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun’ by Cyndi Lauper makes me happy. My mother and I used to sing it in the car, we had so much fun with it. ‘America’s Sweetheart’ by Elle King is another I LOVE… I am not what everyone would like to have me be, that is now completely okay with me. ‘Here’s to Us’ by Halestorm is a song my oldest best friend introduced me too. The two of us have been through about everything together. With busy lives, kids, husbands, work, and living three hours away; it’s a perfect representation of getting together and catching up.
America’s Sweetheart – Elle King
No Roots – Alice Merton
Rebel Beat – Goo Goo Dolls
Something to Talk About – Bonnie Raitt
Girls Just Want to Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper
Shot Gun – George Ezra
Go Big or Go Home – American Authors
Uptown Funk – Bruno Mars
Smoke A Little Smoke – Eric Church
Heat – Kelly Clarkson
If It Makes You Happy – Sheryl Crowe
Glory Days – Bruce Springsteen
Devil Went Down to Georgia – Charlie Daniels Band
All My Rowdy Friends (Have Settled Down) – Hank Williams Jr.
I’m Gonna Show You Crazy – Bebe Rexha
Here’s to Us – Halestorm
Ironic – Alanis Morrissette
Elvira – Oak Ridge Boys
Bop – Dan Seals
Achy Breaky Heart – Billy Ray Cyrus
Friends in Low Places – Garth Brooks
Mockingbird – Eminem
He Drinks Tequila (She Talks Dirty in Spanish) – Keith McDonald
I Feel Lucky – Mary Chapin Carpenter
All About the Base – Meghan Trainor
Mama’s Broken Heart – Miranda Lambert
Wannabe – Spice Girls
Black Parade – My Chemical Romance
Pontoon – Little Big Town
Papa Loved Mama – Garth Brooks
There you have it. My personal playlist for life, currently. Some are set in stone and others are fluid…
What is your song or songs? Comment on the blog from the website or from the link on Manda & Friends on Facebook. Or tweet us!
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