By Icy Frantz
I have the bad habit of listening to a favorite song repeatedly until I have pilfered from it every ounce of pleasure.
So, it came as no surprise to find three songs to which I have done just that at the top of my most played music of 2023.
Since December of 2016, the music platform, Spotify, has offered its subscribers a year in review- a compilation of personal music stats and trends.
For those in the industry, “Spotify Wrapped” is a hugely successful marketing sensation created to attract non- Spotify users to their platform. The campaign has everything to do with the bottom line, conspicuously collecting data and encouraging subscribers to share their annual results on social media.
But for the rest of us, or at least those of us in the know (which was not me until this year) “Spotify Wrapped” has become as anticipated as the first snow (still waiting), Starbucks holiday cups and in our house, a Kringle, special delivery from Wisconsin to be devoured on Christmas morning.
And this accumulation of information is an opportunity to reminisce, remember, and reflect on the past 365 days as seen (and heard) through our music.
Now some might ask – what does music have to do with anything? I would argue that music has everything to do with everything including our good health and wellbeing.
In his book Musicophilia, neuroscientist Oliver Sacks states;
Music can move us to the heights or depths of emotion. It can persuade us to buy something, or remind us of our first date. It can lift us out of depression when nothing else can. It can get us dancing to its beat.
Research has shown that listening to music can reduce anxiety, blood pressure and pain as well as improve sleep quality, mood, and wellbeing. Listening can also motivate and energize and alter the way we view the world. Music connects us- human to human in a way that words fall short.
And perhaps most astounding is the effect that music has on our brain. Music requires our brain to work hard at making sense of the patterns, sequences, and harmonies and this effort in turn improves learning, memory and mental alertness and may actually keep our brains “young”.
Earlier this fall, I went to Carnegie Hall to listen to our very own Randall Atcheson in concert. When I arrived, I felt weighted down. I was leaving at 4 am the following morning to attend a wedding in California and I was obsessing over my packing list- sunglasses, formal attire, underwear and then Randy began to play and immediately my mind quieted. I closed my eyes and let the sound seep into me.
His performance was brilliant, and my packing could wait.
A few weeks ago, I had the chance to hear our very own Rob Mathes at his holiday concert. The lights dimmed and he opened with the most beautiful rendition of We Three Kings. I got teary, not the sad kind of tears, but the ones that are an involuntary reflex to awe, or a reaction to such a close proximity to the sacred. Later in the performance, he played a fan favorite Christmas is Coming. Infused with a surge of energy, I wanted to grab my seat neighbor by the hand and get up and dance.
When I got home, I may or may not have played that song repeatedly on Spotify.
And just last week, we had dinner at the home of one of my dearest and oldest friends (we have known each other since preschool) to celebrate the holidays. After dinner, the stereo was turned up and we listened to music that was prevalent in high school- Billie Jean, Ice Ice Baby and then just like that we were back- transported to a time before jobs, marriages, children, and wrinkles. It was late. We danced. We sang. And felt the warmth that accompanies the power of long-standing friendship.
So, getting back to my year end gift from Spotify.
Taylor Swift topped my list of most popular artists and specifically “Anti Hero” took the number one spot of my most played songs. Beyond Swift’s striking voice, and catchy melody (and our new shared love for the Kansas City Chiefs), the lyrics in Anti-Hero touch a part of me that I often try to hide. And as Swift said herself about the song. “I think it’s really honest”. There is a comfort in knowing that even The Times Person of the Year has insecurities, too.
It’s me, hi, I’m the problem.
And it will come as no surprise (to my kids) that Rupert Holmes the Pina Colada Song also made my list. What can I say? I am a sucker for nostalgia and pop and words I know by heart.
If you like piña coladas
And gettin’ caught in the rain
If you’re not into yoga
If you have half a brain
If you like making love at midnight
In the dunes on the cape
I’m the love that you’ve looked for
Write to me and escape
And finally, Michael Franti’s Life is Better with You-a song I play every time I need to feel grateful, and connected, less lonely. This song makes me happy and reminds me how fortunate I am to have really great people in my life.
Some days are better than other days
But these days Life is better with you.
And beyond these songs and many like it, on my most played Spotify list or not, the best times this past year were enhanced with music and dancing and singing, whether it was sitting quietly in a chapel, swaying in celebration on a beach or dance floor or just driving in my car. Music and the songs we chose to listen to have the power to shift a mood or ground our feet while we look to the heavens for inspiration and hope.
So, 2023- that’s a wrap.
Wishing you a healthy and happy 2024- one that Tops the charts.
“Life is one grand, sweet song so let’s start the music.” — Ronald Reagan
