Life Experiences & Observations

Music has always meant a lot to me. Growing up in Minneapolis, our summer baby sitter always had music in the back ground playing on the radio. This was just before the turn of the decade towards 1980. Then in Junior High I decided to take up the guitar and was even part of a pretty successful rock band. While the band ultimately dissolved when I moved from Minnesota to Arizona, the music stayed with me like the blood in my veins. This afternoon I was thinking about all the really emotional songs that give me goose bumps. While the list could be very long, I will only share a few (in no particular order).

1. Dust in the Wind – Kansas. This has always seemed to be on the top of my list. Mostly because I am an existentialist by nature and really relate to the song’s meaning. It doesn’t hurt that Kansas always seems to sing it drooling with emotion.

2. Me and a Gun – Tori Amos. I remember seeing her in a concert in Eugene in a very small venue with about 300 people. This was before she got really big in the states. When she sang this song with nothing but her voice all three hundred people were blown away and there was not a dry eye in the crowd.

3. Hallelujah – Leonard Cohen. This is one of those songs that was amazingly written but almost seems a little better when sung by other musicians. It has obviously spoke to more artists that I can even think to remember. It speaks volumes to the song’s brilliance. Very few professional musicians can sing this song without tear dripping emotion. John Kale’s seems like the most classic cover so that is the one I have included in the link.

4. Somewhere Over the Rainbow – Israel Kamakawiwoʻole. This is one of those songs that is great on its own merit but when it is sung by IZ it’s unbearably touching. He brings it to an emotional pinnacle that’s so magical I can’t even begin to understand how he does it.

5. Angie – The Rolling Stones. Funny enough I actually rediscovered this song after hearing Tori Amos’ cover years ago. I still love the original and have included it here.

I could go on and on, and after I post this I am sure I will think of others that are just as good if not better. If you feel so inclined, leave a comment about your Goose Bump Songs.