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18 Timeless Songs You Must Listen To

The meaning of timelessness is something that is so good that it cannot be affected by time. Music is a form of artistic expression that has many timeless pieces and we want to highlight which songs are worth the title. Most of these songs have tested the tides of time but you might find some recent songs that are worthy of the title too.

Take On Me – a-ha (1985)

This might be a meme-worthy song now but when you concentrate on the lyrics, ‘Take On Me’ is an emotional masterpiece. The acoustic version is worth every second and elevates the meaning of the song. It’s perfect to serenade a romantic partner.

Stand By Me – Ben E. King (1961)

I’m sure even the words, ‘Stand By Me’, will make you start singing the song. Popularised by the movie of the same name, Ben E. King is respected by many musicians as there are over 400 recorded covers of the song.

Feel Good Inc – Gorillaz (2005)

With one of the most catchy basslines, ‘Feel Good Inc’ does what it sounds like–makes you feel good. Its groovy and relaxed beat has made it very popular and easy to cover for casual musicians.

I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) – The Proclaimers (1988)

While the song can be repetitive for some people, ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’ is a favourite song of sitcoms and alike that love being cheesy. It’s a feel-good song that isn’t complicated.

Wonderwall – Oasis (1995)

It’s almost a rite of passage to be serenaded with ‘Wonderwall’ by a person whose hobby is the guitar. The easy chords make it almost every aspiring guitarist’s first song but Oasis are legends of Brit-pop. ‘Wonderwall’ is unforgettable in the long run.

Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen (1975)

The six-minute song is a legend amongst legends. ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ has so many parts, that it’s hard to keep track of but still a karaoke favourite. It’s titled as one of the greatest songs of all time and the band’s signature song.

With Or Without You – U2 (1987)

‘With Or Without You’ by U2 is one of their most popular songs as well as the most-covered. It’s intensely romantic and emotional. You might remember it played on the TV series, Friend’s Season 2, Episode 7.

Respect – Aretha Franklin (1967)

While ‘Respect’ was originally written by Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin arranged it and made it her signature song. The two songs are significantly different with Franklin’s becoming a symbol of feminism.

Time After Time – Cyndi Lauper (1984)

This classic ballad will make your heart soar with its tender lyrics. ‘Time After Time’ is a promise to a lover that you will always be there for them.

Boulevard of Broken Dreams – Green Day (2004)

The sombre and bleak lyrics were the anthem of every emo kid out there. ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’ is an unforgettable song when you’re feeling particularly lonely.

Spring Day – BTS (2017)

At the start of BTS’ journey to becoming the leading Korean act in the global market, ‘Spring Day’ was an unforgettable song about missing someone, grief and yearning. It covers mental health in a gentle melody.

The Scientist – Coldplay (2002)

‘The Scientist’ is a sorrowful piano ballad about the tragedy of love and breakups. The experimental music video is the highlight of the song as well, with the video in backwards but the speech in forward motion.

Chaiyya Chaiyya – A. R. Rahman (1998)

Featured in the Bollywood film Dil Se…, ‘Chaiyya Chaiyya’ is a classic and influential song of Hindi films. The song also gained a cult following internationally.

All I Want for Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey (1994)

Known for her effortless high notes, ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ by Mariah Carey is an essential Christmas song. It’s arguably the only Christmas song you will ever need. Not a day of December goes by without hearing her voice at least 5 times.

Stairway to Heaven – Led Zeppelin (1971)

‘Stairway to Heaven’ battles for the title of the greatest rock song of all time. The experimental melody, with three sections of different volumes and tempos, makes the song an experience in itself.

Yeh Dosti Hum Nahin – Kishore Kumar and Manna Dey (1975)

‘Yeh Dosti Hum Nahin’ is the friendship anthem. Performed in the renowned film, Sholay, ‘Yeh Dosti Hum Nahin’ is one of the most fun songs that has you bursting into song.

Feeling Good – Nina Simone (1964)

Nina Simone is a civil rights activist and singer. Her strong voice is highlighted in ‘Feeling Good’, it’s been trending heavily on Reels so you must have heard it. The song happens to be another with multiple covers, a sign of unending respect.

Take Me to Church – Hozier (2013)

‘Take Me to Church’ is filled with religious terminology that describes a romantic relationship being discriminated against by the church. The soulful performance given by Hozier is impactful and one of the best songs of the 2010s.

When Comedy Meets Music

Writer’s Note: With our April issue centred around comedy and the spirit of fun, I thought it would be interesting to highlight music written and performed by comedians. It’s important to remember that stand-up comedians are people of many different sides and talents and these comedians are only a few examples. While these songs are mostly silly, it takes an awfully creative mind to make music that people can digest.

Bo Burnham – Bezos I

With a criticism of disaster capitalism, Bo Burnham’s ‘Bezos I’ was featured in his 2021 movie, Bo Burnham: Inside. The song is a satirical take on Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos’ life and journey, which became a huge hit on social media with Gen Z. The infectious energy and short length of the song is a genius tactic for catching the attention of social media. Burnham is known for his bold and satirical takes on world issues.

The Lonely Island – Threw It On The Ground

The Lonely Island – Akiva Schaffer, Andy Samberg, and Jorma Taccone (L to R)

The Lonely Island is an American comedy trio consisting of Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer. After their several features on Saturday Night Live, the trio ventured into more comedy music and ‘Threw It On The Ground’ is their most bizarre but since this is their most clean song, it is the perfect intro to them. The entire song never has a moment you won’t laugh at as it paints ridiculous scenarios with a strangely catchy beat.

“Weird Al” Yankovic – Smells Like Nirvana

The definitive Godfather of musical comedy and parodies, “Weird Al” Yankovic’s discography is difficult to pin down with his extensive parodies. While his music is not for everybody, his comedy is a classic and his energy is unmatched within the industry. ‘Smells Like Nirvana’ was singled out as it seems impossible to make a parody of Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ but Yankovic always challenged music norms.

Jack Black – Peaches

The Super Mario Bros. Movie in 2023 was a hit or a miss for most people but the highlight was Jack Black’s Bowser’s performance of the song, ‘Peaches.’ The repetitive but emotional song with dramatic screaming is both relatable and hilarious. The credit definitely goes to Jack Black’s natural charisma and comedic timing. Black’s discography is filled with wild songs and interesting vocals.

Kenny Sebastian – Die Trying

With talent and wit, Kenny Sebastian is a serious addition to this list with his song, ‘Die Trying.’ Featured on the album of the same name, Sebastian’s surprisingly smooth vocals and introspective lyrics show his worth as a musician and add layers to his career. His album features other meaningful songs and collaborative pieces. More than just his original songs, Sebastian also performs accurate impressions of famous musicians.

Garfunkel & Oates – Me, You and Steve

Garfunkel & Oates – Kate Micucci and Riki Rindhome (L to R)

If you’re online most of the time, this song might be familiar. Garfunkel & Oates are a folk duo with Riki Lindhome (Garfunkel) and Kate Micucci (Oates). Their upbeat melody with sarcastic lyrics in ‘Me, You and Steve’ is one of the most meme-worthy songs of the decade. The song points out the awkwardness of the third wheel and is often used humorously in videos where there are trios and one person stands out. Their other songs are similar, pointing out the behaviour of others most people would shy away from speaking out about.

Music in Numbers: Facts and Figures

A study on 12,665 pop musicians who passed away between 1950 and 2014 found that they tend to die at younger ages than the average American. They also have higher rates of death by homicide and accidents.
The most watched music video on YouTube is Despacito which has more than 7 billion views.
According to the New York Times, each Grammy Award trophies take 15 hours to make and is made of a special metal called grammium.
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said in 2019 that users add around 40,000 new songs to the streaming music platform every day.
A Goldman Sachs report from May 2020 estimated that the global music industry suffered a 25% drop in revenue during the pandemic.
Americans spend more than 4 hours a day listening to music.
It takes an average of 220 streams for an independent artist to make $1 on major streaming platforms.
Lil Pump’s “Gucci Gang” is the shortest song to crack the Billboard Top 10 in 40+ years.
Three major labels make up more than 80% of music industry revenue.
Only 9.3% of people nominated in the last six Grammy ceremonies were women.

Music Therapy : Singing your way to sanity

What does music mean to you? For me, it works as an escape from the tiring outside world and takes me to a more sane and quiet place. Often music takes me through nostalgia, and other times, it makes me dream of things that ‘could have been. It could mean the same to you or something else on these lines, but what we could all agree upon is the fact that music is therapeutic.

Music as therapy does not just restrict itself to a phrase but actually holds a literal meaning. Music therapy is an evidence-based treatment that helps with a variety of disorders, including cardiac conditions, depression, substance abuse, and autism, and can help with memory, lower blood pressure, reduces stress, improves self-esteem, and much more.

What is Music Therapy?

Music therapy experiences include listening, singing, playing instruments, or composing music but do not need any prior skills or talent to participate. It is a therapeutic approach that uses the natural mood-lifting properties of music to help people improve their overall well-being. Music therapy may help you physically, emotionally, spiritually, cognitively, and socially.

Formal music therapy was first used by the United States War Department in 1945 to help military service members with occupational therapy, education, recreation, and physical reconditioning.

A list of benefits includes:

Lowering blood pressure
Improved memory
Enhanced communication and social skills
Self-reflection by observing your thoughts and emotions
Reducing muscle tension
Developing healthy skills
Managing pain
Increasing motivation and joy

Types of Music Therapy

Some therapists use a combined approach of active and passive music interactions for their clients. The variety of approaches include:

Analytical Music Therapy

This type of music therapy encourages you to express your thoughts through musical dialogues such as singing or playing an instrument which you can reflect on and discuss with your therapist afterwards.

Benenzon Music Therapy

This format combines some concepts of psychoanalysis, which includes the search for your musical sound identity, something that most closely matches your internal psychological state.

Cognitive Behavioral Music Therapy

CBT approach is structured, not improvisational, and may include listening to music, dancing, singing, or playing an instrument.

Community Music Therapy

It focuses on using music as a way to facilitate change on the community level. It’s done in a group setting and requires a high level of engagement from each member.

The Bonny Method

The Bonny method of guided imagery and music (GIM) uses classical music as a way to stimulate the imagination. You explain the feelings, sensations, memories, and imagery you experience while listening to the music to your therapist.

Vocal Psychotherapy

Vocal therapy makes use of various exercises, natural sounds, and breathing techniques to connect with your emotions and impulses. This practice is meant to create a deeper sense of connection with yourself.

Who Should Visit Music Therapists?

Anybody,, regardless of their background, gender, age, and culture, can respond to music therapy and music therapy. Some of the individuals or groups that therapists help are:

Military service members and veterans often take music therapy to deal with trauma.
Music therapy may help with memory loss and stimulate your mind so it helps people with Alzheimer’s.
Music therapy may help people with communication skills, relaxation and decreasing impulsivity, so it’s good for people or groups in mental health facilities.
If you have experienced trauma and crisis, music therapy can help you eliminate those experiences and improve your mood.
Music therapy helps decrease your pain, anxiety, fatigue and depression, so it is for people suffering from chronic pain.
If you have a history of substance abuse, music therapy will help you big time.

What happens during Music Therapy?

There are a lot of exercises that go on during a music therapy session.

Create music. You might compose music, write lyrics, or makeup music together
Sing music. Use your voice to share a piece of music.
Listen to music. Enjoy the sound and lyrics.
Move to the music. It can be as simple as tapping your toes together or as complicated as a coordinated dance.
Discuss lyrics. Read or listen to the lyrics of a song and talk about their meaning.
Play an instrument. Use an instrument like a piano, guitar, drums, etc. to share music.

Before your first session, you may want to talk things over with your music therapist, so you know what to expect and can check in with your primary care physician if needed.

Music, The Travel Buddy

Travelling and music are synonyms to each other. Travelling cannot come to a pass without music. Centuries have passed, but music is regarded as the jewel of the crown of any journey to date. Reminiscing my personal experience, no travel, especially by a car or a train, was ever considered complete without a fulfilling game of “Antakashri”. Before the evolution of technology, people sang folk songs or bhajans on long journeys. It also acted as a perfect way of relaxation during the tiresome journey. With the evolution of technology in the 21st Century, travelling has been more enjoyable because we can bring music with us everywhere we go.
A good playlist will undoubtedly be your ultimate travelling companion if you’re a solo traveller. When shared with your travel companions, music also increases the energy and excitement of the journey. Thanks to technological evolution, everyone wants to have the most pleasing music system in their automobile, which has resulted in a surge in music system sales and market. It’s a unique sensation to listen to music while travelling. You may not return to a location after you have visited it.

Why do we listen to music while travelling?

Research elucidated that music may transport you back in time to a specific location or occasion in the same way that images can. Now at a touch of a button and as per your mood, you can get your favourite playlist for working out, travelling, rainy days, cold evenings, house parties, meditating, and other activities.

Medically also it is proven that if you suffer from motion sickness while travelling, music might help keep your mind occupied. According to thorough research, music is one of the most effective treatments for nausea and motion sickness. The manner and duration of the trip may be uncomfortable, in which case music might come in hand.

To insulate oneself from the environment and unexpected noises, all you need is a pair of good headphones. We can use music to de-stress after a hard and exhausting day at work. Reduced stress levels also result in a better sleep pattern and a more enthusiastic start to the next day. While listening to music, chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin are naturally released in the body.

Some benefits of listening to music while travelling include:

While travelling, music may help you create relationships and memories with your loved ones.
Music makes long car rides more tolerable.
Music can help you make new friends.
Music helps to divert one’s attention away from anxious thoughts when travelling.

Apple Acquires Classical Music Streaming Service Primephonic

Apple today announced that it has acquired Primephonic, an Amsterdam-based classical musical streaming service. Primephonic, which was launched in 2014, is now being acquired by Apple in a bid to focus on a music genre that’s been lacking in Apple Music’s generalized approach to streaming.

On September 7, Primephonic will officially shut down, paving the way for Apple to launch the classical music app based on its streaming service in 2022.

“Artists love the Primephonic service and what we’ve done in classical, and now we have the ability to join with Apple to deliver the absolute best experience to millions of listeners,” Primephonic co-founder and CEO Thomas Steffens said in a release issued by Apple. “We get to bring classical music to the mainstream and connect a new generation of musicians with the next generation of audience.”

According to Primephonic’s CTO, the service has been launched in over 150 countries. It also appears to have an older demographic than more generalized streaming services.

“Most of our users are age 55 plus and are highly educated and relatively well off,” Henrique Boregio told Mixpanel in 2020. “We joke in the office that we don’t know whether you start liking classical music and then you become wealthy, or if it’s the other way around.”

Apple notes of the upcoming offering, “Apple Music Classical fans will get a dedicated experience with the best features of Primephonic, including better browsing and search capabilities by composer and by repertoire, detailed displays of classical music metadata, plus new features and benefits.”

The company is offering an olive branch to existing Primephonic users in the form of six free months of Apple Music.

Since launching Apple Music in 2015, Apple has made a few acquisitions to bolster the service. It bought Shazam, a music recognition app, in 2018, letting customers identify songs and add them to their playlists. But Apple has faced fierce competition from Spotify in streaming music around the world.